2014–15
Earlier stereoscopic camera engineering
Camera engineering focused on wide-angle stereoscopic capture, synchronization, close-range stereo and image stitching.
CompanyHow the technology
How the technology
developed.
VCS grew out of camera engineering and volumetric capture. Today we are developing reusable software for reconstructing performances, extending video with AI and delivering interactive scenes to screens and headsets.
Camera engineering
led us to the software.
Recording a person from many viewpoints starts with the cameras. They need to agree on time, position and colour before software can reconstruct the performance. We developed custom rigs and optics to control that capture, including the multicamera system used for Demonic.
Work on Anyma’s End of Genesys at Sphere brought a different challenge: producing digital humans and detailed imagery for an enormous surrounding screen. Operating The Dome in Vancouver gives us another setting for image preparation and playback, this time across a 20-metre projection surface.
We are turning that experience into software other teams can use. Our current development covers volumetric reconstruction, AI video outpainting and Mirage playback. Mirage’s earlier browser technology was licensed for SuperMuseum: America; its WebGPU and Vision Pro players are being developed now.
Explore the product line
8 imagesHow the technology developed
From capture to playback.
Each part addresses a different problem in making spatial media usable, from the camera to the viewer.
Capture systems
Synchronized views →
Custom optics and camera arrays, including the system developed for Demonic.
Image processingGPU and AI workflows →
Depth processing, custom machine-learning models, local inference and high-resolution output.
Spatial deliveryMirage →
A licensed browser deployment in SuperMuseum: America, with WebGPU and Vision Pro players in active development.
2016–18
Custom optics and cinematic VR
Development expanded into custom lenses, multicamera arrays and portable capture rigs, alongside immersive film production. The team provided VR supervision and custom camera-rig engineering for Rose Colored.
The film won the 2018 Lumiere Award for Best Live Action VR and was included in the NEXT VR Library at the 2018 Cannes Marché du Film. Camera systems were also demonstrated at SIGGRAPH in 2018.
Rose Colored · the project and credits
2019
NVIDIA GTC 2019 presentation
Camera-system design, machine learning and real-time volumetric playback. The presentation, Volumetric Camera Systems and Light Fields, is available in NVIDIA’s session archive.
NVIDIA GTC 2019 · Session S97072020–21
Incorporation and capture-system development
Volumetric Camera Systems Inc. was incorporated in April 2020. The company built the custom capture system for Demonic, released in 2021.
2021
NVIDIA GTC 2021 presentation
A second presentation explored Omniverse and NVIDIA GPU Cloud as a framework for next-generation immersive media content platforms. Its focus was GPU infrastructure and spatial delivery.
NVIDIA GTC 2021 · Session S319272022–24
Communication and a licensed spatial platform
VCS contributed to Canon Kokomo’s immersive communication technology. Mirage’s browser prototype supported interactive environments and multiplayer interaction; the platform was licensed for the U.S. Department of State’s SuperMuseum: America, developed with Company E and presented in Abu Dhabi in 2024.
2025–26
Reusable software for spatial media
We are developing Mirage for browser-native WebGPU rendering on NVIDIA GPUs and for Apple Vision Pro. Reconstruction, depth-aware playback, AI video outpainting and Volusynth spatial-data research form the wider development programme. Full-scale display work at The Dome gives us a setting to evaluate immersive imagery and playback.
Current development workPublic presentations
Talks and panels.
Technical presentations and industry discussions, with recordings and published programmes. Earlier talks by members of the team predate VCS’s incorporation.
Technical presentation
NAB 2016 · Mettle presentation
360° camera arrays, real-time stitching and livestreaming
A technical presentation in Mettle’s AR/VR Pavilion programme, covering spherical capture and live delivery.
Watch / session record Technical presentationNAB 2017 · Mettle presentation
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About 360° Cameras
Camera choices, array configurations and the practical differences between 360° capture systems, presented at Mettle’s NAB booth.
Published programme / coverage Public talkTEDxUofT 2015 talk
Science Fiction to Science Fact
A University of Toronto TEDx talk on wearable computing and augmented reality, with a live technology demonstration.
Watch / session record Joint presentationCulture Summit Abu Dhabi 2022
Cultural preservation through immersive media
A joint presentation with Company E’s Paul Emerson on 3D scans, captured dancers and machine learning as tools for preserving cultural heritage.
Published programme / coverage Panel discussionBerklee Abu Dhabi Music Summit 2022
Immersive performance and digital audiences
A music-industry panel with Company E, Strangeloop and other practitioners on live performance formats and digital audiences.
Published programme / coverage Panel discussionFast Company · New World of Work Summit 2025
AI, creative workflows and the future of work
A panel with HP’s Dave Shull, Brian Elliott and moderator Julianne Pepitone. The published discussion includes VCS’s use of AI to iterate on imagery for Sphere.
Published programme / coverageOur people
Meet the team.
Meet the software developers, imaging engineers and advisors behind VCS’s product development.
Meet the team
