We spent a week in Seattle checking out Microsoft’s Mixed Reality Capture Studios on the Redmond campus with the team at Dimension Studios.

Microsoft’s innovative technology records volumetric video (or holograms) of human performances for use in virtual, augmented and mixed reality experiences.

Recording takes place within a circular array of 106 rgb-infrared cameras capturing video and depth data of the performance. Then computer vision algorithms are used to create a textured 3D mesh per frame, and the final output is a high res, low latency mp4 which is playable across multiple platforms as a volumetric video.

The results are compelling, and very exciting for the future of the immersive and entertainment industries. It was amazing to get such a deep dive into the process behind how Microsoft are bringing their virtual humans to life. A big thank you to the MRCS team for such an inspiring visit.