Vizrt và Ncam hợp tác để đưa AR vào phạm vi bầu cử

Vizrt and Ncam teamed up in the spring to bring enhanced coverage with AR graphics to audiences tuning into the elections for the Northern Ireland Assembly on BBC Northern Ireland.

To produce more engaging content for viewers, BBC NI used the Ncam Mk2 tracking system alongside Viz Engine to create AR content within its studio space. The content ranged from small AR pop-up statistics on each member of parliament running in the election to large picture-board walls detailing party members and critical information.

As the graphics were AR, but represented on screen, the newscasters were able to move freely and seamlessly within the studio space to discuss and offer insight into what viewers were seeing. Many of these graphics had live animations too, which meant ensuring the position of the graphics through real-time tracking was a key necessity.

The integration between Ncam and Vizrt relies on real-time tracking data being sent from one machine to the other accurately and seamlessly.

The Ncam camera bar and connection box were simply mounted to the BBC’s broadcast camera, and the camera bar was articulated up towards the studio ceiling. The BBC used the Ncam ‘natural core’, which relies solely on natural features such as lighting rigs, scaffolding and any natural geometry to track from. The Mk2 server was racked in a separate room on a floor above the studio alongside the Viz Engines. This is where the operator would manage the Ncam system and make any adjustments.

Having the ability to zoom and focus on these graphics while maintaining their realism was crucial to BBC NI, especially as the host was often in shot or introduced to the shot as the graphics were live. Using the bespoke Ncam lens calibration, BBC NI was able to accurately build a map on the lens being used, meaning any distortions of the lens were mapped out, enabling users to freely zoom and focus on the host or the AR elements, without the illusion being compromised. This lens profile was then exported directly from Ncam into a format that Viz Engine could process.

Tom Evans, head of product management at Ncam, said: “Within Ncam, we can set datum points manually anywhere we need to and then save them and reload them at the click of a button. Once the data has been set within Ncam, and then further tweaked within Vizrt, we can consistently reload the exact same zero-point time after time with no need for daily readjustments, saving time, effort and, ultimately, money.”