Nikon has created a wholly-owned subsidiary called Nikon Creates Corporation that will offer the ability to plan, shoot, and produce volumetric, virtual reality (VR), and 3D content as a licensed partner of Microsoft’s Mixed Reality Capture Studios.
The launch of Nikon Creates is a major sign that Nikon is embracing video content creation at a corporate level. The wholly-owned subsidiary was launched on April 1 and is the first licensed partner of Microsoft’s Mixed Reality Capture Studios and will use the company’s high-end production technology to make high-quality 3D data output.
Diversification into the Content Creation Space
Nikon’s new sub-business will live in a video production facility that it plans to equip with state-of-the-art equipment, which is scheduled to be opened in Heiwajima, Ota-ku, Tokyo in the Fall of 2022. Nikon says that the facility will offer clients a variety of video production solutions by providing the ability to create and deliver 3D data videos, also known as volumetric videos, as well as virtual reality productions.
The new production center will offer the ability to both capture and synthesize the movement of subjects against a background by using computer graphics either through the use of a large display or a green screen.
“By providing imaging products to the market and offering places and opportunities for creators to expand their imagination and creativity, Nikon has contributed to the development of imaging culture,” the company says.
“Now by utilizing cutting-edge technology for imaging content creation, Nikon Creates will co-create new video expressions with content creators. In this way, Nikon intends to deliver new imaging value in diverse fields, such as entertainment and advertising, thereby contributing to the further development of imaging culture.”
Microsoft Mixed Reality
Microsoft Mixed Reality is a platform the company launched along with Windows 10 that allows for augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR) interaction. The Mixed Reality Portal is a Windows app that serves as the interface for Mixed Reality content and has seen three iterations, including a recent release in October of 2021.
At Mixed Reality Capture Studios (MRCS), holographic videos — that is to say, dynamic 3D captures of people and performances — are captured and can be rendered in 3D, VR, or 2D.
The video below was created in a Microsoft Mixed Reality studio.
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There are currently five certified Microsoft MRCS in the world in San Francisco (the company’s main, first-party studio), Washington D.C., Los Angeles, London, and Seoul. Nikon’s Japan facility will make six global certified locations.
Each studio offers the ability for clients to plan a shoot, capture it, and aid in post-production and delivery of a finished product. MRCS offers plugins to Unity, Epic Unreal Engine, and iPhone/Android (ARKit/ARCore) that can be leveraged to assure content will work on a variety of platforms.
Image credits: Background of header photo licensed via Depositphotos.