Movella launches indie creation program to help creators impacted by actor’s strike

Movella launched its character digitization software Obskur as an all-in-one broadcasting application built in Unreal Engine 5 to make it easy for streamers to create their own VTubers, or virtual YouTubers.

Now Movella is coming back with an indie creation program that will help creators who have been impacted by the Hollywood strikes, including the actor’s strike which hasn’t been settled yet.

Movella is giving free access to its tools to underscore the company’s commitment to making high-performance motion capture accessible to teams of all sizes. It’s designed to support independent creators and small studios in the animation, VFX, and game development fields.

As part of the program, the company is giving free access to two new bundles – Indie Starter Bundle and Indie Pro – representing a significant leap forward in making high-quality motion capture technology accessible and affordable to creative companies of all sizes.

Movella’s offerings, powered by its Xsens technology, come when frustration with worker pay and protection is at an all-time high. The ripple effect goes beyond actors and writers, impacting animators, VFX artists, and video game developers, many of whom are going independent to avoid large, layoff-ridden studios and companies. Movella’s newly indie-tailored products prove that workers don’t need massive budgets to afford high-quality tools – a welcomed move, considering the economy can’t take a continued entertainment stall that’s already resulted in a $6 billion blow to the economy.

Xsens technology offers an optimized workflow, reduced post-production hours, and impeccable motion capture data in any environment. It stands out due to its magnetic immunity, plug-and-play setup, exceptional data quality, and streamlined workflow. Xsens enables creators to capture dynamic motion in various environments without the need for extensive calibration or extensive post-production cleanup.

In an interview with GamesBeat, Movella CEO Ben Lee said, “We had a lot of Indies reaching out to us because with the Hollywood strikes essentially stopped for the better part of the last 100 days. People were reaching out to me directly to get help. That caused us to think about doing this indie program.”

For companies that make less than $500,000 a year, Movella will offer its gold standard product to indies for free for six months, with a starter kit.

“We really hope there is a positive impact on the industry overall,” Lee said.

The tech for doing VTubing, or creating a virtual character who becomes a YouTube star like Code Miko, is getting democratized and Movella wants to keep pushing in that direction so anybody can do it without the expensive motion capture technology. Movella has brought down tech that used to cost $30,000 to more in the neighborhood of $6,000. And now it’s taking a new step.

“It’s the democratization of animation,” he said. “It’s really the right solution at the right time to solve the right problem. It will benefit the industry.”

The Indie Starter Bundle: for budding creators and smaller shops

The Indie Starter Bundle gives creators a cost-effective entry point into high-performance motion capture technology. It includes the Awinda Starter Kit, featuring 17 wireless sensors for flexibility and quick setup capabilities, and HD reprocessing with a six-month complimentary subscription to Xsens Animate Pro software.

The Indie Pro Bundle: for more dynamic motion

The Indie Pro bundle features the industry-tested Xsens Link motion capture suit and a six-month free subscription to Xsens Animate Pro software. For pricing details on the Indie Pro bundle, creators can contact Movella directly.

Bundle subscribers will enjoy substantial savings on the Xsens Animate software. In addition to a complimentary six-month subscription to Xsens Animate Pro software, users will receive a 50% discount for the subsequent two years, resulting in a total savings of $5,992.

As part of the Indie Program launch, Movella has collaborated with StretchSense to provide a custom version of their MoCap Pro Studio Glove with Unity, Unreal Engine and Movella’s MVN software integrations. The offer gives independent creators access to high-precision finger tracking along with the Bundles.

The tool, dubbed Obskur, makes it easy for streamers to create compelling 3D streams, build a community, and efficiently interact with their audience. I saw a demo where Andranik Aslanyan, cofounder of Obskur, scanned himself into a computer using an ordinary webcam and then started creating his own VTuber, or virtual character that is like a YouTube creator. In an interview with me, he said it was a lot easier to handle these tasks with Obskur than creating custom animations for very high costs.

Aslanyan said it normally takes an army of experts such as technicians and animators to bring something like Code Miko — who not so long ago got a big makeover with better 3D animation — to life. You can use Obskur to handle every part of the production, from setting up the character and scanning its motions, to content production and engaging with the audience.

So yes, you too can be a VTuber like famous stars in Japan or Code Miko, one of the hottest streamers on Twitch who has drawn a lot of followers with comedy routines. She lets users buy items that cause her to fart on screen or get blasted by an atomic bomb while she’s interviewing someone. Such VTubers like Code Miko now account for a huge chunk of hours watched on Twitch, Aslanyan said.

Movella, based in Henderson, Nevada, also partnered with Xsens to create The Mocap Box, which streamers can use to add motion to their avatar. The full kit with sensors and software costs $1,995, which is kind of a bargain in the world of streaming gear.

The global live streaming market is booming, with experts predicting the market to reach $247 billion by 2027, according to Market Research Future. Viewers are taking note as well, with 23% of global viewing time spent watching live content and 44% saying they watch less TV as a result of live streaming, according to IAB.

Simplifying the VTuber life

Obskur is designed to simplify the lives of streamers, enabling them to focus on their passion for streaming, connecting with their audience, and producing engaging, interactive content. The all-in-one suite takes the pain points out of streaming, so users can focus on creating great content instead of technical difficulties.

As an example, it can screen out all of the repetitive silly messages rushing by in the stream chat and focus on the ones that seem more important, like new subscribers paying money.

You can do things like film yourself in front of a green screen and have the avatar adopt your motions. Then you can insert the avatar into a scene built with Unreal Engine 5, which can render extremely realistic environments. Aslanyan grabbed a beach ball and inserted it into a scene in seconds. You could also import something like Ready Player Me avatars.

The Obskur Twitch Extension allows streamers to engage their audience via live interactivity. Streamers can create custom 3D, physics-enabled interactions to interact with their audience in new unique ways, increasing engagement and boosting monetization opportunities.

The product’s flexible streaming options integrate with iPhone or VMCP face tracking and allows creators to stream from their webcam or as a VTuber by inserting themselves in a 3D environment, where they can edit materials, particle effects, and props to easily make a 3D scene.

The Mocap Box

Additionally, Obskur has partnered with Xsens to create The Mocap Box, which streamers can use to add motion to their avatar. Xsens makes the mocap suit used to animate dozens of Hollywood blockbusters like The Avengers, Avatar, and Black Panther. It redesigned its sensors especially for streamers. StretchSense provides mocap gloves for the kit.

The Mocap Box by Obskur includes the Obskur Upper Body Mocap set with nine Xsens sensors and customized gloves built by StretchSense. Suits have 12 hours battery life to ensure support for long streams. Obskur also integrates with other mocap hardware.

“Our mission with Obskur is to simplify the lives of streamers, enabling them to focus on their passion for streaming, connecting with their audience, and producing engaging, interactive content,” said Andranik Aslanyan, director at Obskur, in a statement. “We’re proud to give people a way to pursue their dreams of becoming a full-time streamer and look forward to empowering individuals by providing powerful monetization opportunities through Obskur.”

The OBSKUR application can be downloaded for free, while The Mocap Box by Obskur is available for purchase at $1,995.

To qualify, companies must net less than $500,000 in annual revenue.