In a move that seeks to combine the expertise of two very different companies working towards a similar goal, the camera and virtual reality (VR) technology company Lytro have joined forces with narrative animation experts at Limitless, taking Limitless into the fold of the company, bolstering their forces and preparing them to make their own unique VR content in-house. The joiner was announced on Limitless’ website.
Up to now, Lytro have been focused on crafting their light-field technology. It enables both animatied and live action capture, utilising 6 Degrees of Freedom (6DoF) technology to allow for more flexible environments in a 3D space. Users can lean in and out of live action 3D environments, something impossible with traditional VR capture of live action locations.
Limitless meanwhile have been honing their interactive character technology, which allows users to create interesting, dynamic interactive characters in a VR environment without having to be an expert in AI programming. It allows for immersive, believable interaction experiences and animations.
With Limitless joing Lytro, the two technologies can combine and create new immersive and interactive experiences, with believable characters and the quality of animation that Limitless are known for. We previously saw Limitless’ expertise at work in Gary the Gull, which displayed their new technology.
We saw Lytro’s tech at work in the recent release Hallelujah, which reimagined an iconic ballad in a VR experience format. The choir makes for an immersive and intense VR experience, only topped by being there in person. You can view the experience by downloading the Within app, which is available for most VR head-mounted displays (HMDs).
Way back in 2015, Lytro’s Jason Rosenthal said that VR was the next wave of cinematic content, and the recent join with Limitless reaffirms the belief he shared then; “VR is the next wave in cinematic content, and immersive storytellers have been seeking technology that allows them to fully realize their creative vision. We believe the power of Light Field will help VR creators deliver on the promise of this new medium. Lytro Immerge is an end to end Light Field solution that will provide all the hardware, software and services required to capture, process, edit and playback professional grade cinematic content.”
Hopefully we’ll see much more from Lytro in the near future which comes as a result of this wise and strategic acquisition. When we hear more from Lytro, you’ll read it first on VRFocus.