Tech Talk Recap – PIERO + Voyager – Real-Time Sports Graphics for AR and VS

Ross Video’s PIERO Sports Graphics team recently hosted an online Tech Talk event in which they introduced the PIERO plugin for Voyager, Ross Video’s graphics rendering platform powered by Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 4. During the session, Vincent Noyer, Director of Sports Graphics Analysis, and Kieran Hosking, PIERO Product Specialist, demonstrated how the new integration with Voyager allows users to render PIERO sports graphics in real-time inside the Unreal Engine. This functionality brings PIERO’s capabilities to the next level by allowing for stunning visuals in augmented reality and virtual studio applications.

If you missed the session, you can click here to watch the full event on-demand.

Session Highlights

With the release of the latest version of PIERO, the platform now integrates with the Voyager rendering solution for virtual studio, augmented reality, and extended reality applications. Based on the Unreal Engine from Epic Games, Voyager sets new standards for photorealistic graphics rendering, and this latest integration will enable content creators to introduce sports graphics directly into a virtual or augmented studio production.

During the Tech Talk, the PIERO team demonstrated how the new plugin brings PIERO’s state-of-the-art sports analysis and interactivity to Voyager’s photorealistic virtual sets. It enables operators to do things like change camera angles, move players on a team line-up, add spotlights or arrows, and if third-party data is available – heat maps, shots on goal, or passes, for example – these can be manipulated as well.

Noyer and Hosking first showed this by generating augmented reality versions of heat maps, pass maps, and more on a tabletop version of a soccer pitch. They also showcased how both large and small touchscreens can be integrated and used with the system. Next, the two were joined by Steve Poynter, Lead Software Engineer for PIERO, who demonstrated the platform’s virtual studio capabilities, and Bradley Wasilition, Business Development Manager for Sports Graphics, who showed how the Voyager plugin can be used for American Football. Finally, Poynter showed how a large table-sized touchscreen can be used to interact directly with PIERO graphics in Voyager’s augmented reality mode, and Noyer and Hosking exhibited the ability to display PIERO graphics directly on the studio floor.

This new integration with Voyager and the ability to use sports graphics directly within an AR or VS production environment opens up even more stunning creative possibilities for PIERO’s users. The PIERO team is proud of the fantastic partnerships they have built with their customers, and they can’t wait to see all the fantastic things they do with this new update.

Learn More

PIERO is an award-winning sports analysis tool from Ross Video. PIERO’s systems use image recognition or encoded camera heads to overlay tactical graphics on sports content. PIERO brings new angles to every game, on the screen and in the studio, with visually engaging and informative effects. To learn more about PIERO, click here to visit our product page.

To watch the “PIERO + Voyager – Real-Time Sports Graphics for AR and VS” Tech Talk on-demand, click here.