Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/135926
Education•Business the present time: Kickstarter. In March, Lynx Laboratories had met its goal of $50,000. In fact, it had exceeded that with $86,733 pledged by 219 backers – some whom kicked in approximately $1,800 to $2,000 and will receive a camera, and others who gave $1 because they were excited to see what the group was trying to accomplish. (See Lynx Laboratories' Kickstarter page at www.kickstarter.com/ projects/915328713/lynx-a-camera.) When asked when he and his group decided to pursue a commercial venture, Slaughter spoke with the passion of a new CEO. "If you take entrepreneurial classes, the first thing they tell you is to learn the market, to find a problem before you write a single line of code. That is not what happened here," he says. "Our background is in raw sciences, so our impetus for the lab was not to become billionaires, but for people to come in and say, 'I would really enjoy using this.' " Slaughter continues: "The university set us up to demonstrate the technology, to see if it would work. Lynx Laboratories refined it so it is rock solid and software based, so it is stable, runs great, and ready for productization. Almost all the work was done since we left the university. One of the reasons is because you don't know all that you need to do [for the product] until you talk to customers and they say, 'You need to focus on this or that.' For example, the object modeling, scene modeling, and motion-capture [capabilities] were all [devised] at the company." Earning an A What exactly is the Lynx A Camera? It's not a conventional camera, but it sort of works like one, so it is easy to use. "If you can use a point-and-shoot Nikon, you'll find the Lynx even easier to use," the team states on its website. However, instead of outputting 2D images like a typical camera, the Lynx A produces 3D models of whatever the user points the camera at, and "does so right before your eyes," says Rondan. In summary, the camera is for people who need 3D content. The Pro model does three things: scene modeling, object modeling, and motion capture. The goal is to capture high-quality content that would otherwise be made by hand today – "much like what the 2D camera did for oil painting," Lynx Laboratories' product summary notes. Five-hour 3D modeling tasks can be done in just seconds, animators can have a motion-capture studio in their backpack, reducing the total amount of time required to animate, and directors can use accurate 3D models to plan shots during pre-visualization. The most disruptive feature of the device is its price. The Basic Lynx A Camera for object modeling only is priced at $1,999, while the Pro model, which performs object and scene modeling, as well as motion capture, costs $2,999. As Slaughter notes, if a person cobbled together all the hardware and software needed to accomplish these tasks, it would cost "a couple hundred grand." For instance, Lidar scanners are priced in the $40,000 range and results require extensive post-processing. In comparison, the Lynx Laboratories device sells for about the same price as a full-framed DSLR, "making it a serious value for small companies and innovators trying to break into these technologies." And 28 ■ CGW M ay / J u ne 2 0 1 3 ■ SCENES are output with an adjustable polygonal count. the images are built in minutes, with no post-processing required. Rondan points out that there are so many potential applications for the device, including 3D printing: The camera can be used to quickly capture a 3D model for 3D printing, without having to learn complex modeling software. For visual effects, it can be used for compositing. For architects, it can be used to survey properties and take measurements. A plastic surgeon can use it to obtain before and after models of a patient. "The options are open in places where before, working with 3D just wasn't feasible" he adds. To use the technology, a person first captures models and motions by pointing and shooting with the camera. An additional recorded pass will improve the model results; walking around an area with the camera will extend the model. To "undo" parts of the model, the user simply rewinds. Next, the person previews the results, thanks to the camera's graphics engine. Last, the results are exported into a program such as Blender's open-source software or Autodesk's Maya or Revit, to name a few. The Lynx A contains 3D sensing, stellar optics, and more. Best of all, it is portable, about the size of a thick tablet (11.5x8x1 inches), and weighs about six pounds. It has specialized, front-mounted optics, similar to an Xbox Kinect. On the front, there is a 14-inch color LCD screen for instant viewing of image results. The models or scenes are navigated using the two joysticks. It also contains an Nvidia graphics card powerful enough for capture and rendering, an Intel Core i5 (2.6Ghz) processor, and high-capacity storage (500gb disk space). There are two USB 3.0 I/O slots with HDMI out, so data can be moved from the Lynx A via a USB stick. Rondan points out that these are the hardware specifications of the very first prototype. The newest Lynx camera is already 30 percent smaller and 30 percent faster, and specifications continue to change as the team decides on the best hardware for the price. Slaughter jokingly calls the hardware the "necessary evil" of the technology. Otherwise, a user would need a $5,000 workstation to use the tech, he points out. The magic occurs in the software running inside – the algorithms Lynx uses to translate the captured data. Thanks to the software, users can capture detailed 3D models of real objects (even people), at one point within a 1x1x1-meter volume, which are accurate to below a centimeter – in color and at full scale (640x480 color resolution) – a process the company likens to "sculpting with a chisel." As the user walks around the object, the device slowly carves out a watertight 3D model of the object. "The object models' resolution is about 3mm minimum, so enough to make a detailed shape but not individual strands of hair or eyelids," says Ron-