Pixotope Version 1.5 Boosts Productivity for Photorealistic Mixed-Reality Content

Pixotope version 1.5 has been announced by The Future Group AS. The latest release of the live photo-realistic virtual production system sees a whole host of features that add new levels of functionality for the live production of mixed-reality (MR) content for its global community of users.

Built with live production at its core, Pixotope's latest release provides complete access to the full power of the high-performance Unreal Engine 4.26.1, which provides endless opportunities for experimental graphics functionality. Thanks to its tight Unreal integration, other key developments launching with Pixotope 1.5 include enhanced DMX workflows for real and virtual lighting, and professional codec support for pro-res, DNxHR, and multichannel EXR.

There is also comprehensive support for third-party plug-ins from the creative marketplace. Integrations include the DLSS plug-in from Nvidia that aims to improve performance when rendering high resolution tracked cameras in virtual environments. Additionally, Blackmagic video cards are now supported in experimental status, with support for progressive video modes and frame rates, genlock, system audio output and LTC operation for the Decklink 8K Pro card. Other cards are also in testing.

As a widely used tool for the live production of mixed-reality (MR) content, Pixotope software brings together physical props and talent with virtual assets to create dynamic, creative environments. After supporting aspect ratio changes in the Stype HF 1.1 protocol in the last release, Pixotope 1.5 continues to extend support for tracking solutions, adding support for the "fake aspect ratio" adjustments in Trackmen X-Cito 1.2.

Pixotope has also tested and evaluated the Carbon plug-in from Imaginary Labs Inc. within the system, supporting a whole range of DMX lighting fixtures and models to create fully controlled virtual lights. Multiple translucent holdouts are also fully supported, including overlapping, which is vital when setting up augmented reality (AR) holdouts for extended reality (xR) stages.

As a key player in the booming xR market, Pixotope is constantly communicating with studios utilizing xR, and those taking their first forays into the technology to remain at the forefront of development and add features that directly enhance productions. In this release, Pixotope is also continuing the period of free access to the xR toolset with Pixotope Live for the duration of the 1.5 release.

"After listening to feedback from our users, continuing to integrate with the latest Unreal Engine and workflow requirements in the field, was our main focus with this release," said David Stroud, chief product officer at The Future Group. "As we continue to deliver ongoing improvements to our software, Pixotope is being utilized across more and more productions in broadcast, esports, and live events. Combined with building on our strong links with external technology and third parties, our vision is to continue to see the industry utilizing powerful Pixotope technology in even more exciting ways."

To learn more about Pixotope 1.5.0 and see details of the full set of new features, visit the URL below.