They say seeing is believing. But countless numbers of artists, architects, film makers, games professionals – and anyone else interested in emulating natural vision – have struggled to represent exactly how the human eye “sees objects.”
It’s an issue that’s worried people since antiquity: the ancient Greeks had to take account of how our eyes see space when building their landmark architecture and Leonardo Da Vinci experimented with what he called ‘natural perspective’. There has never been an effective technical solution to this problem. Until now.
- Reimaging imagining to emulate natural vision
Cardiff-based FOVOTEC has created the world’s first imaging software capable of emulating natural vision called FOVO-NR. Developed by Robert Pepperell and Alistair Burleigh when based in Cardiff School of Art & Design at Cardiff Metropolitan University – FOVO-NR has evolved through ten years of laboratory research to become a unique blend of art, science, engineering, mathematics and philosophy: reimagining imaging and standing on the cusp of reshaping industries around the world, driving a revolution across sectors that include:
- Architectural Visualisation
Architects and Visualisers frustrated with the limitations of linear perspective renders. FOVO-NR provides a powerful tool for showing 3D spaces in a way that’s much closer to how they would appear in real life.
- Automotive
Current renders of the space inside cars and other vehicles are typically cramped and distorted as they rely on outdated linear perspective rendering techniques. With FOVO-NR auto designers can produce interior views that are far more spacious and immersive.
- Simulation
In a world that’s continually reskilling and upskilling, FOVO-NR engages trainees and empowers learning through more natural and accurate simulated environments, radically reducing the need for frequent and often nauseating camera movements.
- Gaming
FOVO-NR can present 3D worlds with huge vistas, allowing us to see far more of the Gaming 3D with less camera scrolling – increasing the user’s sense of immersion and giving full control over the way the scene appears.
- Retail
FOVO-NR could revolutionise ecommerce – engaging online customers like never before by presenting products and environments with a new dimension of heightened realism and immersion.
- 3D Design
FOVO-NR not only allows designers to produce more realistic renders of product and environment shots, it’s also a highly flexible 3D space manipulation too – featuring a large number of controls for editing 3D space in ways not possible with other 3D packages.
The potential applications are almost endless
Because FOVO-NR is not a simple image effect, but a new core graphics rendering method for the Unity and Unreal 3D engines that incorporates a much more flexible approach to converting 3D data into a 2D image. Because of this it’s able to offer customers many benefits, including wider and more natural fields of view, improved spatial awareness, more accurate size and distance judgments, and better speed perception and sense of depth.
The potential applications of this incredible software are almost endless. And as Robert himself proudly points out “the way artists view reality is at the very centre of the whole FOVOTEC journey” – a journey that’s already seen his company partner with one of the world’s leading technology companies, fuelling ambitious plans to create IP even more advanced than the current version of FOVO-NR.
Now the world really can believe what it’s seeing, let’s take pride that this astonishing game-changing software first saw light of day right here in Wales …
If what you’ve read inspires you to want to find out more about how this technology could enhance your business we’d be delighted to help. Please contact Robert or Alistair at [email protected].
