Autodesk today announced its investment in RADiCAL, the New York-based developer of a born in the cloud, AI-powered 3D motion capture solution. This investment marks the latest move by Autodesk toward democratizing end-to-end production in the cloud for content creators, and builds on the recent acquisitions of Moxion and LoUPE.

Through its collaborative real-time platform, RADiCAL democratizes 3D motion capture, human virtualization and analysis at massive scale. RADiCAL’s proprietary AI combines modern deep learning strategies, human biomechanics, and computer graphics to estimate, track, and reproduce skeletal joint rotations in 3D from a single conventional video feed. From videos to metaverses, this data can be used to automate the animation of 3D characters and avatars.

Requiring no special hardware, training, or custom coding, RADiCAL’s cloud-based solution removes the barrier to entry typically associated with 3D motion capture and character animation, making the technology accessible to everyone, everywhere, at any time. Aspiring professionals can use its powerful AI to start creating engaging animated characters and hone their skills for more advanced 3D animation work.

Content creators around the world, including facilities and educational institutions such as Aircards, Surreal Events, Savannah College of Art & Design, Full Sail University, and others are already using RADiCAL to incorporate motion capture into their projects at scale. This investment from Autodesk will fuel RADICAL’s efforts to further advance its market-leading AI to serve a growing community, and support professional animation and VFX workflows.

“RADiCAL’s accessible, easy to use solution appeals to up-and-coming artists and next-gen content creators,” said Diana Colella, senior vice president, Autodesk Media & Entertainment. “We look forward to working with RADiCAL to extend the sophisticated AI engine powering its solution to put collaborative real-time motion capture capabilities in the hands of additional professional creators.  As we continue to build out our vision for cloud-based content creation, partners are key to driving innovation.”

“We have deep roots in media and entertainment technology development, and many of us are long-time users of tools like Maya and 3ds Max,” said Gavan Gravesen, founder and CEO, RADiCAL. “We’re thrilled Autodesk is supporting our mission to become the market standard for fast, accessible, and advanced 3D motion capture. This investment will help us expand the capabilities of our AI, scale our cloud infrastructure, and uplevel collaborative editorial features for the film, television, and games markets.”

Surreal, a web-based virtual event platform incorporates real-time avatars into its projects using RADiCAL.

“RADiCAL’s innovative technology is a game-changer for Surreal, enabling platform presenters to engage with a live audience as if they were physically on-site,” said Nick Grant, co-founder and chief product officer, Surreal. “In addition, RADiCAL gives Surreal users dynamic control of avatar movement using only a single web camera. Likewise, capturing animation data at a user’s location enables real-time user-controlled animations, and optimizes interactions that enhance the overall Surreal experience.”

To learn more about Autodesk’s vision to democratize end-to-end production in the cloud, go here.