Blab Tech
Clear Angle Studios Launches First Purpose-Built 4D Gaussian Splat Capture System
Clear Angle Studios has just lifted the curtain on its Volumetric Capture Rig (VCR), the first purpose‑built 4D Gaussian splat system that records dynamic performances as a field of light points instead of traditional meshes. The announcement on 9 June 2026 follows 13 years of research and positions the rig as a potential game‑changer for Hollywood’s digital‑performance workflow.
The VCR builds on Clear Angle’s established “Dorothy” facial capture and full‑body rigs that have served Disney, Universal and Netflix. According to the studio, the new rig delivers photoreal dynamic assets that preserve a performer’s original lighting and motion, enabling visual‑effects teams to replicate the performance in a computer‑generated environment with fewer manual steps.
Key technical details include a 40‑camera array of high‑speed machine‑vision cameras, each with a 6 k resolution sensor that records at 60 fps and 12‑bit depth. The rig’s lighting system features 450 individually programmable nodes and can generate up to 120 distinct lighting scenarios, from point‑source to shadow‑cast setups. The base capture volume covers a 360° sphere in a 2 m³ space and can be expanded to 2.5 m³. Modularity allows the rig to be configured for a 180° viewing cone for larger spaces or for close‑up arrays that capture a single body or half‑body at high resolution.
“VCR delivers a dataset that fully preserves the talent’s original nuanced performance, in all its glory,” said CEO Dominic Ridley. “The system makes life easier downstream and ensures the final result is completely grounded in truth.”
Union VFX, a BAFTA‑winning visual‑effects studio, partnered with Clear Angle to develop a re‑lighting workflow for Gaussian splats. Union’s CEO Tim Caplan noted that the studio is the only one currently offering truly relightable Gaussian splats in production. He said the technology “opens up huge creative possibilities for digi‑doubles with realistic hair and cloth simulation giving far greater realism and utility than building them traditionally.”
The first major film to use the relightable Gaussian‑splat crowd solution was a recent blockbuster that required thousands of lightweight, photoreal assets for large crowd scenes. The VCR’s data can be populated into a CG environment and re‑lit to match any scene lighting, reducing the need for manual geometry cleanup, texturing and animation.
Industry analysts say the VCR addresses a growing demand for believable digital performances. Audiences increasingly spot inconsistencies in lighting and motion, and the VCR’s workflow can cut VFX production hours compared to traditional pipelines that rely on reconstructed geometry. The system’s modularity also allows it to be adapted for close‑up facial capture, single‑performer work, stunt performance, group crowds and larger volumetric spaces.
Clear Angle’s history of high‑end capture services includes work on major studio productions. The studio’s “Dorothy” system has been used for facial capture on Disney and Netflix projects, while its full‑body rigs have supported large‑scale performances.
The VCR is available for hire through Clear Angle’s service network. The company has not announced a consumer product, but it has indicated that the technology could influence future VFX pipelines and studio workflows.
In summary, Clear Angle Studios’ VCR represents a significant step forward in volumetric capture, offering a photoreal, relightable dataset that can streamline VFX production and reduce costs. The partnership with Union VFX has already demonstrated the system’s viability on a major film, and the industry will be watching closely as more productions adopt the technology.
The VCR builds on Clear Angle’s established “Dorothy” facial capture and full‑body rigs that have served Disney, Universal and Netflix. According to the studio, the new rig delivers photoreal dynamic assets that preserve a performer’s original lighting and motion, enabling visual‑effects teams to replicate the performance in a computer‑generated environment with fewer manual steps.
Key technical details include a 40‑camera array of high‑speed machine‑vision cameras, each with a 6 k resolution sensor that records at 60 fps and 12‑bit depth. The rig’s lighting system features 450 individually programmable nodes and can generate up to 120 distinct lighting scenarios, from point‑source to shadow‑cast setups. The base capture volume covers a 360° sphere in a 2 m³ space and can be expanded to 2.5 m³. Modularity allows the rig to be configured for a 180° viewing cone for larger spaces or for close‑up arrays that capture a single body or half‑body at high resolution.
“VCR delivers a dataset that fully preserves the talent’s original nuanced performance, in all its glory,” said CEO Dominic Ridley. “The system makes life easier downstream and ensures the final result is completely grounded in truth.”
Union VFX, a BAFTA‑winning visual‑effects studio, partnered with Clear Angle to develop a re‑lighting workflow for Gaussian splats. Union’s CEO Tim Caplan noted that the studio is the only one currently offering truly relightable Gaussian splats in production. He said the technology “opens up huge creative possibilities for digi‑doubles with realistic hair and cloth simulation giving far greater realism and utility than building them traditionally.”
The first major film to use the relightable Gaussian‑splat crowd solution was a recent blockbuster that required thousands of lightweight, photoreal assets for large crowd scenes. The VCR’s data can be populated into a CG environment and re‑lit to match any scene lighting, reducing the need for manual geometry cleanup, texturing and animation.
Industry analysts say the VCR addresses a growing demand for believable digital performances. Audiences increasingly spot inconsistencies in lighting and motion, and the VCR’s workflow can cut VFX production hours compared to traditional pipelines that rely on reconstructed geometry. The system’s modularity also allows it to be adapted for close‑up facial capture, single‑performer work, stunt performance, group crowds and larger volumetric spaces.
Clear Angle’s history of high‑end capture services includes work on major studio productions. The studio’s “Dorothy” system has been used for facial capture on Disney and Netflix projects, while its full‑body rigs have supported large‑scale performances.
The VCR is available for hire through Clear Angle’s service network. The company has not announced a consumer product, but it has indicated that the technology could influence future VFX pipelines and studio workflows.
In summary, Clear Angle Studios’ VCR represents a significant step forward in volumetric capture, offering a photoreal, relightable dataset that can streamline VFX production and reduce costs. The partnership with Union VFX has already demonstrated the system’s viability on a major film, and the industry will be watching closely as more productions adopt the technology.
