CYCLOPS

Award Winning iOS Simulcam App

Sign up for the Public Beta

Cyclops v5.2.5

Maps Mode & Improved FBX Support

Sign up for the Public Beta

Maps Mode

Explore Google Maps in Cyclops

Check out the new Features

WHAT IS

CYCLOPS

The 2021 Lumiere Award Winning Cyclops AR is an Augmented Reality app for iOS.  It enables you to visualize CG objects composited into the iPad’s camera view in real-time. 

This is similar to simulcam but runs entirely on an iPad. Cyclops can be used during shooting or on a scout to easily visualize the VFX elements of a location, scene, or set in the context of the real world. Since it’s running on an iPad it can easily be passed to other crew and cast members so they can be better informed about the VFX action that is being shot.

Quick intro to Cyclops

With Cyclops, you can visualize CG top-ups on your set. You can add any of your CG assets to see how they fit in that space. Additionally, you can load up previs shots and view the previs animation composited into the real location or set to understand how the action will fit into your real-set. As you move around the location, the CG items will track to the real world.

Cyclops has tools to move around, rotate and scale CG assets, save bookmarks, align to the real world, playback animation, adjust lighting, toggle visibility layers, change lenses, save recordings and much more. You can download new content to Cyclops quickly and easily from any location without having to install a new app.

PRESS

"Ant-Man and the Wasp – Quantumania: Jesse James Chisholm – Production VFX Supervisor"

ART of VFX

In this interview with Ant-Man VFX supervisor Jesse James Chisholm he talks about working on Ant-Man including a couple of mentions.  Jesse talks about how Cyclops, “…helped the actors understand where to look at any given time. My biggest peeve is bad eyelines, so we worked really hard to mitigate this.”
https://www.artofvfx.com/ant-man-and-the-wasp-quantumania-jesse-james-chisholm-production-vfx-supervisor/

"These were the amazing tools that we had at our disposal and got to use’"

befores and afters
befores & afters has a series of articles with Jesse James Chisholm, VFX Sup on the visual effects of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.  In this article, Jesse talks about the new tools they used on the show which includes Cyclops.
https://beforesandafters.com/2023/03/22/these-were-the-amazing-tools-that-we-had-at-our-disposal-and-got-to-use/

"My Seven Shows: Deborah Chow"

Television Academy

In the photos for an article about Obi-Wan Kenobi Series director Deborah Chow, we were excited to see Deborah using Cyclops on an iPad Pro. Cyclops was integral to helping visualize how the CG characters, creatures, vehicles, and envs would fit into the real-world shooting locations and sets.
https://www.emmys.com/news/online-originals/my-seven-shows/deborah-chow

"The House that Dragons Built S1 E6"

HBO Max

VFX Supervisor Angus Bickerton talks about how they used Cyclops to frame shots with fire-breathing dragons.  (minute 24:35)
https://www.hbo.com/house-of-the-dragon/videos/the-house-that-dragons-built-s1-e6

"The House that Dragons Built S1 E9"

HBO Max
TTF Virtual Production Supervisor Brad Blackburn talks about how Cyclops was used while filming to visualize the dragon and the entire Dragon Pit environment.  (minute 12:30)
Full clip only on HBO Max – Preview:https://www.hbo.com/house-of-the-dragon/season-1/9-episode-9

"ASSEMBLED: The Making of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness"

Marvel Studios

TTF Visualization Supervisor Hamilton Lewis talks about using Cyclops when filming the attack on Kamar Taj. (minute 20:30)
Only avalible on Disney Plus

Los Angeles Times
Cyclop is mentioned in this article on VFX Emmy-nominated shows for 2022.  It talks about how Cyclops was used on the Witcher.  Cyclops was also used on The Book of Boba Fett.
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/awards/story/2022-08-03/vfx-nominees-emmys

CYCLOPS VERSION 5.2.5

Cyclops 5.2.5, our newest release, has a new Maps Mode that allows you to explore the Google Map world in a whole new way.  Use Maps Mode to fly through and tour faraway cities and locations.  Find the ideal shooting location for your scene without leaving your office.  Visualize the sun’s position and path for your location.  Add your own models to the map world to see how your set or development project will fit into the existing landscape.  Create location-accurate photo boards and previs to help plan distant location filming. Check out some of the highlights below:

Explore Google Maps
Get down to ground level to see how existing structures will fit in your frame.  See the shooting possibilities from a nearby rooftop. Visualize drone shots over a location.  

New and Improved Camera Tools
The new Fly tool allows you to fly a drone around the Map World.  The Teleport tool allows you to instantly jump to a faraway spot or down to the ground.  Orbit allows you to orbit the camera around a selected location.  The improved Dolly tool can maintain a constant height from the CG ground even as you travel over uneven ground.

Accurate Sun Path and Position
In Maps Mode, the sun is positioned in the geographically accurate location in the sky.  Visualize the sun’s position for any time/date by adjusting the sliders.  Turn on a visualization of the sun’s path for the selected day.

Google Location Search
Instantly jump to new locations in the world by using the power of Google Location Search. Just type in where you want to go and Google will autocomplete it for you.

Place Assets
You can add any Placeable asset in Cyclops to the Maps World.  All the Asset Tools work exactly the same as when you are in Asset Mode in Cyclops.  Place digital stand-ins, sets, or development projects to see how they will work in the location before you get there.

Improved FBX Importing
We’ve improved our FBX importer.  It can now better handle more complex FBX files with multiple models in complex hierarchies. 

Click the button below to read about all the features in Cyclops.

We now have a Public Beta of Cyclops 5.2.5.  This will allow you to download and try out Cyclops on your own.  Click the button to sign up for the Public Beta.

KEY FEATURES

CAMERA & LENS MATCHING

Cyclops offers the ability to match the film back and lens from any camera. You can set the film back to match your shooting camera and then use the lens up/down buttons to cycle through lenses. Cyclops will accurately match the FOV for the lens and camera. You can customize the lenses that are available in Cyclops.

THREE OPERATION MODES

Cyclops features three different operation modes. Asset Mode is for adding assets into a location or set. Shot Mode is for playing back animation or aligning your CG world to the real world. VCam Mode is for exploring your CG world without integrating the iPad camera image. Each mode is tuned to offer the best user experience.

SHOT, CAMERA, & AR TOOLS

You can dolly, boom, and pan the camera as well as orbit around any spot in a scene. You can lock the camera from moving so you can easily reoriente the CG world. Align special Holdout objects to real-world objects or a set so CG assets can appear behind real-world objects. Any real people in the camera view are automatically composited over the top of CG objects, no green screen required.

Cyclops AR App

ASSET TOOLS

Cyclops has a robust collection of Asset tools. Add, move, rotate, scale, drag and pick up assets in any scene. Cyclops features both touch-based controls and a virtual joystick to handle assets. Tap and manipulate any asset in your scene. If you have custom assets for your show, those can be easily added to Cyclops.

Check out the complete wide range of features in Cyclops

Cyclops Highlight Reel

Want to know more? Check out this Highlight reel of things that you can do in Cyclops.  Including some of our work on recent projects.

2021 Lumiere Award

Cyclops was honored with the Technology Lumiere Award from the Advanced Imaging Society (AIS) in 2021. The AIS Lumiere Awards acknowledge technical achievements that are currently accelerating the entertainment industry.

The AIS awards committee recognized Cyclops as a new and exciting technology that was an incredible leap forward from the traditional method of a tennis ball on a stick to visualize VFX elements on-set. They immediately saw the immense potential and usefulness of Cyclops to help make more informed decisions when filming.   

award_web1

CYCLOPS Public Beta

Sign up for the public beta or request a demo

We now have a public beta of Cyclops.  Sign up now to get access to download the beta.
We can do an in-person demo in London, Los Angeles, & Atlanta, or a Virtual Demos anywhere.

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We are the world’s leading real-time visualization studio.  We use the virtual world to imagine, plan and problem solve for stories in film, television, games, VR and themed attractions.