QUT’s state-of-the-art extended reality facilities will be showcased at the World Science Festival and open to the general public for the first time.
The XR Screen Futures Hub, part of QUT’s Creative Industries Precinct, will open its doors as one of the festival’s popular Labs Unlocked sessions.
Professor Damian Candusso, Head of School, School of Creative Practice, said the Hub was leading world-class expertise in filmmaking, animation, game design and interaction, holographics, virtual and digital performance, spatial sound and music technology, and cultural preservation. Places to the sought-after event, on March 20, sold out quickly.
“The XR Screen Futures Hub is about making the impossible possible,” Professor Candusso said.
“Our team of experts is at the forefront of digital screen research and innovation, pushing the boundaries of what can be done with immersive media, 3D scanning and digital doubles, and digital content creation.
“Whether it’s creating stunning visual effects, preserving cultural heritage sites for future generations, or revolutionising healthcare and education, we’re leading the way.”
Extended Reality – or XR – is any computer-enhanced reality technology including augmented, virtual and mixed reality, and can be applied to create a range of virtualisations and simulations in industries spanning film, television, animation, gaming, art galleries, libraries, museums, education, health, mining and military.
XR Screen Futures Hub facilities include a 180 sq metre virtual production studio called The Block, featuring an industry-leading research and development studio with cutting-edge lighting and digital production capabilities including a 10m x 6m LED wall.
The public will also be able to experience the optical 3D-imaging facility called the Scan Cave that is one of the largest research and development photogrammetry studios in Australia, boasting about 90 cameras and various static, robotic and automated rigs. Photogrammetry is a technique used to create 3D models – anything from insects to stone tools to clothing – from 2D photographs.
Professor Candusso, who has extensive industry experience in film (working on films including The LEGO Movie, The Great Gatsby, Happy Feet, and Australia), said XR Screen Futures Hub research had wide-ranging applications.
“We’re currently working in museum settings developing photogrammetry techniques that allow us to make digital models of artefacts nearly ten times faster,” he said.
“Attendees to the Labs Unlocked event will see research brought to life in real time, on the screen. We’ll have a performer demonstrating motion capture – cutting-edge tech that is used to create Hollywood and gaming blockbusters.
“These same technologies translate to new opportunities in visualising the future of health, education, simulation and more.”
QUT is also hosting a Bold Ideas event during the World Science Festival on March 20 featuring European Space Agency reserve astronaut Dr Meganne Christian as keynote speaker.
The World Science Festival runs for 10 days in Brisbane from March 15-24.
