It was just announced at CES.Pixomondo (PXO) has just revealed its latest virtual production toolset for vehicle processing. Its called PXO AKIRA.Essentially, PXO AKIRA is a custom-built 360-degree spinning motion base designed to be directly integrated with a robotic camera crane (a Technodolly), an LED volume, driving simulator, and real-time rendered content powered by Unreal Engine.Car on top of PXO AKIRA motion base platform.The idea is to be able to plan, shoot and finalize vehicle shoots in a studio rather than via a traditional approach such as blue or greenscreen shooting, process trailers or just 2D playback on an LED wall. Instead with everything with AKIRA works in tandem to provide real-time results.And not just vehicles like cars, PXOs behind the scenes videos show motorbikes, boats and even planes being attached to the motion base for filming. AKIRA looks very much like a way to plan and execute a vehicle process shoot, but it is also about combining the setup with a LED wall volume shoot for in-camera final VFX results.Plane on top of PXO AKIRA motion base platform. Techno dolly track and camera to the left.Watch this technical reel, below, for a breakdown of how PXO AKIRA works.To find out more about PXO AKIRA, befores & afters asked Pixomono chief innovation officer Mahmoud Rahnama about the new tech.b&a: What led to Pixomondo developing AKIRA?Mahmoud Rahnama: Pixomondo developed PXO AKIRA after years of encountering significant challenges while shooting vehicles for films, TV shows, and commercials. Traditional methods like green/blue screens, process trailers, and even LED playback came with various limitations, from lack of realism to logistical inefficiencies.We recognized the need for an ultimate solutionone that could address these recurring pain points and revolutionize vehicle-based storytelling. After pitching the concept to Sony, they saw the potential and decided to fund this ambitious R&D project. Within a year, we designed, manufactured, and integrated a groundbreaking system thats now known as PXO AKIRA.Motion platform: Built to handle cars and boats to helicopters, planes, and even spaceships. It can spin 360 degrees and connects in real-time with the virtual environment to generate realistic motion and road feel. Each car wheel moves independently on the motion base.b&a: Can you break down some of the main technical hurdles you had to overcome with building a motion base suitable for multiple kinds of vehicles, and then aligning it with other virtual production workflows?Mahmoud Rahnama: Developing PXO AKIRA presented a unique set of technical challenges. The motion base needed to be highly agile and accurate while maintaining minimal latency. Flexibility was paramount PXO AKIRA had to support a wide range of vehicles, from cars and motorcycles to boats and planes, all with varying weights and dimensions. Noise reduction was another critical factor to ensure compatibility with sound-sensitive shoots.Integrating the motion base with the broader virtual production ecosystem was another challenge. The TechnoDolly, LED volume, and racing simulator had to work seamlessly together, controlled by our Digital Twin system. Each component needed to be finely tuned to create a unified and efficient platform that could handle any virtual environment under one roof. Balancing all these requirements while ensuring the system remained mobile and scalable was one of our biggest accomplishments.Programmable Camera Crane: The camera is crane connected to PXO AKIRA, complete with programmable, key-framable moves.b&a: How can AKIRA typically be deployed for a shoot?Mahmoud Rahnama: PXO AKIRA is designed for maximum mobility and efficiency. The entire system can be shipped to any LED volume or soundstage worldwide. Before deployment, we use our Digital Twin system to virtually map and pre-visualize the shoot, allowing us to optimize the setup and workflows in advance. Once on-site, PXO AKIRA can be quickly assembled and calibrated, ensuring minimal downtime for production teams. Our vision is to have multiple PXO AKIRA units stationed at key locations worldwide, enabling productions to book and utilize PXO AKIRA-enabled facilities without the need for transportation. This approach will save time, streamline logistics, and make PXO AKIRA accessible to global productions.Digital Twin & Pre-visualization Platform: A tool that lets you create a one-to-one digital twin of the LED studio, saving previs moves to translate to final pixels on set, aligning the virtual with the real world.b&a: What kind of testing and test footage have you been able to produce so far?Mahmoud Rahnama: Weve conducted extensive internal testing, both with synthetic environments and real-world locations. These tests allowed us to fine-tune PXO AKIRAs performance and optimize its integration with virtual production workflows.So far, weve produced promotional material showcasing PXO AKIRAs capabilities, and were currently planning a short film that will be entirely shot using PXO AKIRA. Additionally, weve received significant interest from productions eager to book PXO AKIRA for 2025, and we anticipate a busy schedule following its grand debut at CES. PXO AKIRAs launch marks the beginning of a new era for vehicle processing solutions, and were excited to see it in action across a wide range of projects.Driving Simulator: This allows a precision driver to authentically drive their route in the virtual environment before the camera rolls, ensuring precise movement, inertia, and direction.Find out more at http://pxoakira.com.The post Heres how PXO AKIRAs new motion base vehicle processing ecosystem works appeared first on befores & afters.