MIAMI, Nov. 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Just in time for the holiday season, Director Chad Eikhoff, best-known for the hit-turned-holiday tradition, "The Elf on the Shelf: An Elf's Story," and founder of TRICK 3D, has collaborated with Noitom International, Inc. to produce a new 3D animated series, "The Jolliest Elf." Premiering this December, the 12-episode production was completed in less than a year using an all-new, fast-track production pipeline applying real-time gaming engines and motion capture technologies.
Utilizing Noitom's virtual production pipeline, NoitomVPS, TRICK 3D was able to significantly cut down production time. The application of virtual production to traditional animation not only resulted in a faster workflow, but also reduced cost. The motion capture system, paired with Notiom's Perception Neuron Studio suit and Epic Games' Unreal Engine, delivered final render quality, providing instant results for the director and creative team, offering the flexibility to experiment with shots and environments at any point in the production.
"You can have a real-life motion capture session while also having facial capture being done and recording audio and you get to see the scene at render quality in real-time while you're doing it," said Alberto Alvarez, Technical Director at Noitom International, Inc. "So you have an exact idea of what it's going to look like the day you capture with talent."
While the use of virtual production tools has become more prevalent for production teams, the expensive equipment remains out of reach for many creators and small studios. The NoitomVPS system, available for less than $50,000, enabled the TRICK 3D team to blaze a new trail in the animation industry and set new standards for production time, quality and efficiency.
"This is all very cool technology," says Director Chad Eikhoff." That said, what's this tech let me do exactly? Well, when these technologies are all combined and applied to animation, the main thing we get is creative freedom. And with that creative freedom come all sorts of savings in time and budget. As the Director, I can be inside of the animated world thanks to VR. I can direct live performance and capture live cameras all at the same time. And, I can see it all in final quality. These new technologies give me the ability to create quickly and edit frequently, all while being in and seeing the final render quality imagery."
The successful completion of "The Jolliest Elf" serves as an example of how to use new technologies to create animated content in real-time. The state-of-the-art technology requires a smaller crew than traditional productions and is completely portable, making it an essential tool for remote collaboration and when social distancing protocols are in place.
"To bring mocap into animation has been a little bit of a challenge," said Roch Nakajima, President of Noitom International, Inc. "But once people see how liberating it is, especially from the animator's side, then, we're [Noitom and TRICK 3D] both in agreement that it has a huge potential for the future."
Both Nakajima and Eikhoff will share more about this production process at IBC 2021 in Amsterdam on December 4, 2021. Children and families around the world will be able to experience "The Jolliest Elf" this holiday season on their favorite streaming platforms, including Discovery Kids, Kidoodle.TV, Amazon Prime and others.
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About NOITOM
Noitom's team of engineers is dedicated to making motion capture a universal technology, producing mocap systems applicable for virtual production, animation, robotics, medicine, VFX, 3D and game development. Noitom's current product line includes Perception Neuron, Hi5VR Glove, MySwing Baseball, and the newest product, NoitomVPS, which expands the technologies' capabilities through deeper integration with the latest rendering engines. Noitom is located in Beijing with its U.S. headquarters in Miami. For inquiries, please email Elisabeth Barker at pr@noitom.com.
About TRICK 3D
TRICK 3D is a 3D animation and innovation studio. TRICK 3D's roots are in both commercial and original 3D content production, most notably as the production studio that brought the holiday special-turned-classic "The Elf on the Shelf: An Elf's Story" to families everywhere. The studio's client roster includes Turner Broadcasting System, Cartoon Network, The Coca-Cola Company, CNN, Delta Air Lines, Sprout, The Make-A-Wish Foundation and many more. Visit www.trick3d.com for more information.
Related Images
Image 1: The Jolliest Elf
The 3D animated series airs this holiday season worldwide.
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