The company that brought Thanos to life for Marvel’s Avengers has started to invest in a VR entertainment future. This investment by one of the most talented visual effects firms will help accelerate the adoption of more interactive and higher quality VR experiences.
Digital Domain is exploring the use of new innovative techniques to create advanced avatars. These avatars, or virtual humans will be seen not only in VR, but could also be seen in cinemas or on stage leveraging other 3D display technology.
Realistic Avatars
The goal is to make the creation of 3D characters flexible enough to allow a viewer to be upgraded to become a participant in the entertainment they are are watching. Essentially upgrading movies fro being watched, to being experienced.
This technology has the real potential to become pervasive as 5G cellular connectivity becomes a reality.
The rendering of 3D characters that adapt in real-time is also part of the vision. Virtual assistants that are currently locked inside of a phone or computer can be given a physical appearance and take on the face of a loved one, a celebrity, or something completely fictional.
Upgrading Your Image in VR
This technology will also enable individuals to create enhanced versions of themselves. Even today, the technology can take what a person currently looks like and add or change visual features. You can change hair color, eye color, or even give yourself a six pack, said Daniel Seah, Digital Domain’s chief executive.
Earlier versions of this technology was used to bring back rapper Tupac Shukar for original performances years after his death. The latest version of this technology enables consumers to participate in these immersive experiences
Investments continue in new VR Technology
Digital Domain has created visual effects for more than 300 different films. The titles that have leveraged the expertise of Digital Domain are all names that are widely recognized. Beyond Avengers and Titanic, Digital Domain has created visual effects for several Fast and the Furious Films, several Marvel and DC comics films, and Transformers: Dark of the moon – to name a few.
In 2015, Digital Domain established a partnership with the technology company Immersive Media. In 2016, Digital Domain acquired several interactive technology patents from the Nevada-based Micory Coproration. It also has taken a controlling stake in other virtual reality companies. A visual effects and virtually realty company owned by Hong Kong actor Nicholas Tse is part of that list.
Last year, Digital Domain acquired a majority stake (60%) in a virtual realty hardware company, 3Glasses Group. This partnership will enable the release of new VR experiences that require hardware that might not exist on the market today.
Essentially, Digital Domain is investing heavily in obtaining all the required technology to make their VR vision happen. Instead of waiting for HTC, Oculus, or Valve to release a VR headset that meets their production needs, Digital Domain can now allocate the resources necessary to achieve their objectives.
Digital Domain also invested in Location Based VR venters through mainland China to further prove the appeal and demand for VR. And they are creating the hardware and content for these centers themselves.
“We have two teams doing original content, … our own content distributed by our own channel, DD Space using our own headsets, we created our own ecosystem where no money is actually spent outside. It’s a very sustainable business model for ourselves,” Seah said.
