In the ever-evolving world of photography and videography, multicamera systems have become an essential tool for capturing dynamic and complex scenes. That being said, the journey from makeshift solutions to scalable, reliable systems has always been a bit of a challenge. That's where Arc Eye enters.
Arc Eye is an advanced camera systems company specializing in high quality 3D & 360 asset capture. They’re spearheading this transformation using Sony Alpha technology, including the Sony Alpha 9 III and LR1 cameras, a variety of lenses and SDK. Watch the video below to hear from Christian Cicerone, the co-founder and CEO of Arc Eye, and how they’re creating flexible solutions for industries in need of high-resolution 3D photogrammetry and high frame rate 4D volumetric capture, prioritizing adaptability and seamless integration.
The Genesis Of Arc Eye
Arc Eye was born out of the need to streamline and standardize multicamera systems. Initially, these systems were a patchwork of homemade components, each engineered differently and often lacking cohesion. This lack of integration led to reliability issues, making it difficult for businesses to depend on such setups. "I started Arc Eye to build better tools so that systems could be built, they could be reliable and they could be scalable – and you can bring the technology that you prefer to it," says Cicerone.
Building A Comprehensive System
To address the diverse needs of multicamera setups, Arc Eye focused on supporting every light source, operating system and camera type. This flexibility allows their systems to cater to industries ranging from automated e-commerce to VFX and filmmaking. The goal was to offer simplicity without compromising on the customization options required by professionals.
"This system is the culmination of years of effort into building better tools for multicamera capture," says Cicerone. "We serve industries that need automated industry systems, and so we design systems that are flexible enough to meet the needs of an automated e-commerce environment, as well as servicing visual effects and film companies that want the simplicity but also need all of the knobs and the tools to tweak it to their liking."
Utilizing Sony Alpha Cameras
Central to Arc Eye's success is their use of Sony cameras, specifically the Alpha 9 III and LR1. The A9 III camera provides unparalleled capabilities such as global shutter and a high frame rate, crucial for volumetric capture, while the industrial LR1 is used for photogrammetry. "We have a mix of 50mm G and also 50mm G Master lenses," Cicerone explains. "We developed software that communicates to all of the cameras over a network cable using Sony's SDK."
The integration of Sony’s advanced SDK allows seamless communication between multiple cameras over network cables, tying everything together efficiently.
Innovative Synchronization & Connectivity
A significant breakthrough was the synchronization of different camera models using Arc Eye’s custom sync system. This system ensures precise calibration and simultaneous triggering of cameras, enhancing accuracy in spatial capture. Sony's new SDK, which supports network, USB and wireless connections, has been a gamechanger, offering unprecedented flexibility and ease of use.
"Unlike other systems, our design eliminates the need for microcomputers entirely, allowing full control of cameras, lights and sync modules directly from a single Mac, Windows or Linux laptop," says Cicerone. "This approach simplifies setup, and makes it faster and easier to scale or adapt capture systems across a wide range of use cases."
Just a few of those use cases include eCommerce, Photogrammetry, Volumetric video, NeRF and Gaussian Splat.
The Sony Collaboration
A standout aspect of Arc Eye's journey is their collaboration with Sony. "Our problems are very different to a photographer's problems," explains Cicerone, "And when we went to Sony with them the first thing they did was take notes and start making recommendations and sometimes implementing changes. And that's pretty unique because we're not coming to them with a problem that they intended the camera to be used for, but they were receptive to all of our issues and they supported us. So we knew that if we started incorporating Sony products into our lineup, then that support could be passed onto our customers as well."
He says Sony's openness to feedback and willingness to adapt their products to meet the unique challenges faced by multicamera systems have been instrumental. "We're going to continue building better tools for anybody who's trying to develop and use multicamera systems so that it's easier to deploy and it's faster to capture."
Learn more about Digital Imaging for Photogrammetry HERE.
Learn more about Arc Eye at arceye.com.
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