Mocap Pioneer Spearheads Pipeline Development



VICON, developer of Academy Award(r)-winning motion capture systems, announced today that DJ Hauck has signed on as Technical Supervisor at the company's Los Angeles motion capture studio, VICON House of Moves. Hauck has had a long career in motion capture that includes innovative pipeline development solutions for such features as "Beowulf," "Monster House" and "The Polar Express."

"DJ brings a vast wealth of knowledge about mocap workflows to House of Moves, and we couldn't be more ecstatic about his return," said Brian Rausch, Vice-President of Production, VICON House of Moves. "He'll have the same title, but it's a very different position now. In my two years here the company has changed dramatically, and we needed to bring in someone with DJ's proven success in developing high-end motion capture and animation pipelines to address the complex issues of digital filmmaking and evolving content. He's the ideal person for the job."

A pioneer in full-body and facial motion capture, Hauck re-joins VICON House of Moves from Digital Concepts Group, where as co-founder he developed DCG Face, a toolset for cleaning and re-targeting facial motion capture. Prior to co-founding DCG, Hauck worked at Sony Pictures Imageworks, where he served as Senior Technical Animator and Motion Capture Technology Lead. In this position, he was recruited to implement the motion capture system and pipeline for "The Polar Express," which he continued to manage and develop through both "Monster House" and "Beowulf." Hauck began his career in motion capture in 1999, starting out as a Motion Editor at House of Moves in the years before the facility was purchased by VICON. He was promoted to Technical Supervisor in 2000 with oversight of delivery of all motion capture files, a position he returns to today in its much-expanded capacity.

"Over the years, I have witnessed a complete transformation of House of Moves. Brian has taken a technically based mocap facility and transitioned it into an integrated team that services the full range of animation possibilities, from motion capture to key-frame and everything in-between," said Hauck. "The environment at House of Moves encourages dedication, technical expertise and creativity among employees. I'm thrilled about the opportunity to work with such a dynamic team."

About VICON House of Moves

VICON House of Moves is a division of VICON, the Academy Award(r)-winning supplier of precision motion tracking systems, serving customers in film, visual effects, computer games, and broadcast television, as well as engineering and life science industries.

VICON is the largest holding of OMG (Oxford Metrics Group - LSE: OMG), plc. VICON House of Moves provides professional motion capture services, stock 3D data, and 3D animation services for the entertainment industry.  With expertise dating back to 1985 and credits ranging from game titles Resistance 2 and Unchartered to films including Spider-Man 2 to Titanic, VICON House of Moves has contributed to hundreds of animation projects. For more information, call (310) 306-6131 or visit www.moves.com.