Vicon Acquires Captive Devices, Enhancing Facial Capture Technology

Vicon, a prominent entity in the motion capture industry and a division of Oxford Metrics, has finalized the acquisition of Captive Devices Ltd. This Manchester, U.K.-based firm is renowned for its specialized head-mounted camera systems, which enable markerless facial performance capture. The integration of Captive Devices' pioneering technology is set to significantly enhance Vicon's offerings, providing a more holistic solution for visual effects, gaming, and virtual production sectors.

This strategic merger means that Captive Devices' founding team will immediately join Vicon, bringing their expertise and innovative spirit to the enlarged organization. Notable studios such as Ninja Theory, Nant Studios, Animatrik, and Deep Silver Dambuster Studios already depend on Captive Devices' advanced hardware and software for their facial performance capture requirements. By incorporating this technology, Vicon aims to deliver an integrated system that adeptly handles both facial and body tracking, a capability currently unique in the market. The CoreHMC system from Captive Devices, known for its direct compatibility with Epic Games’ Unreal Engine, facilitates real-time facial performance capture, review, and adjustment on set, offering an immediate advantage to studios already utilizing Unreal Engine pipelines without requiring a transitional phase.

Imogen O’Connor, Chief Executive of Oxford Metrics, highlighted that this acquisition represents a natural and harmonious alignment, both culturally and technologically. The move is poised to equip Vicon's clientele with a more seamless, comprehensive workflow for capturing, analyzing, and animating human performance with unparalleled efficiency. David Edwards, Vicon’s product lead for entertainment and hardware, emphasized that this integration bridges a significant void for studios in various creative industries, unifying previously disparate facial and body performance capture processes under a single system and support structure. Fred Isaac, co-founder of Captive Devices, noted that joining Vicon significantly expands the reach of their hardware, providing the necessary manufacturing scale, distribution, and global support to introduce CoreHMC to a broader array of studios.

This acquisition is a testament to Vicon's commitment to strategic investments aimed at incorporating differentiated technologies and specialized expertise that seamlessly complement its established strengths. Founded in 1984, Vicon has a rich history of developing motion capture systems for diverse applications, including life sciences, entertainment, location-based virtual reality, and engineering. Its impressive client roster features industry giants like Dreamworks, Byte Dance, Electronic Arts, Epic Games, Industrial Light and Magic, Lux Machina, Pearl Abyss, Sony, Ubisoft, and Warner Bros. Through its parent company, Oxford Metrics, Vicon serves thousands of customers across over 70 countries, reinforcing its global leadership in motion capture technology.