DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

Vive Mars CamTrack is a full virtual production suite for only $5,000

May 6, 2023 by John Aldred Leave a Comment

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

YouTube video

Virtual production is the latest thing in video at the moment, and it’s developing at a pretty rapid pace. While we’ve had motion tracking and compositing for years for virtual environments, it’s only in the last few years that we’re able to do it in real-time. And it’s only now that such technology is coming to the masses, allowing independent filmmakers and small production houses to take advantage of it.

While some systems can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, the Vive Mars CamTrack system (buy here) lets you do it for only a few thousand dollars. Despite the lower cost, it’s a very capable system. We stopped by the Vive booth at NAB 2013 to chat with marketing manager Tim Wen and learn more about the system and how it works.

You would typically associate the Vive name more with the consumption side of virtual content rather than its creation. Tim told us that the company decided to develop the Mars CamTrack after noticing that people were repurposing the HTC Vive virtual reality trackers and attaching them to cameras in the early days of virtual production. On seeing this, the company wanted to make a more official solution for their customers.

They wanted to help, to make something that was portable, simple to use, and affordable for the masses. Given that they already had the technology to make it happen – after all, people were using existing products for this purpose – it seems like a logical next step in the Vive ecosystem.

The system is very simple to use, requiring only 10 minutes to set up before you’re up and running and shooting with your virtual set. You can either key the set out from a green screen and composite it in a computer.  Or you can project it onto walls behind the subject, with real-time processing using Unreal Engine. Pair the latter option up with something like the Accsoon SeeMo & Prolycht combo we saw, and you’ve got real-time interaction with both the environment behind the subject and the light hitting them.

While not quite low-budget enough for hobbyists, for professional solo creators or small studios, it’s a very affordable system that provides a lot of bang for your buck. Of course, you still need to have powerful enough computers to process everything in real-time, and that costs money, too, but your camera tracking system isn’t going to make a massive dent in the budget.

Price and Availability

The basic Vive Mars CamTrack system contains:

  • The Mars itself
  • Three rovers (the bit that attaches to your camera, props, or even your subject)
  • Two base stations
  • Two Vive Tracker 3.0
  • The calibration board
  • All of the cables and power adapters you need

Update (21-8-2023): The VIVE Mars FIZTrack – a follow focus that connects with the system is now available for sale.

All of this goes for a total of $5,000. They’re also running a special Broadcast Bundle Sale at the moment that includes the Vive Mars CamTrack system along with a perpetual Aximmetry Broadcast DE license for a total price of $8,980 (a $1,810 saving).

DIYP’s coverage of NAB 2023 is sponsored by Sennheiser, Zhiyun, B&H, and SmallRig

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

This camera’s shutter speed goes up to 1/1,000,000,000,000 of a second Open SDK enables live camera switching and lighting for virtual production from your iPhone You can now download a virtual camera for shooting virtual photos within Blender Zeiss targets virtual production with motion tracking company acquisition

Filed Under: Gear Tagged With: NAB 2023

John Aldred: from diyphotography.net

About John Aldred

John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

« First look at Laowa Ranger 28-75/75-180mm T2.9 full-frame cinema zoom lenses
Insta360 One RS 1-inch: changing the game in 360 low light photography »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Learn photography

Recent Posts

  • Flashback to the future! The Godox Lux Cadet is a new “retro-style” flash
  • Stability.AI’s video tool animates classic memes, and they’re scary as hell
  • Photographer captures stunning underwater portraits at 100ft, breaks Guinness world record again
  • Camera symbols and their meaning: a complete guide
  • Selfie-deaths now a public health problem, say researchers

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy