Europe/USA - Green Hippo recently integrated Stage Precision’s SPNet protocol into its Hippotizer media server products, expanding the capabilities of both hardware and software offerings.
“Together with the product manager, we determine the direction of the product: what to add and why,” explains Zep Mouris, Hippotizer product architect at Green Hippo. “The product manager focuses on the user point of view, whilst I focus on the tech point of view and help the developers implement the features we need to offer the most value. I see my role as a bridge between the product manager and development, making sure we deliver features effectively.”
Hippotizer supports both 2D and 3D workflows, with SPNet integrated into the 3D workflow tool Shape, which is used for designing, previsualising and executing project mapping activations.
Mouris adds: “We’ve been making a big push on new hardware and accompanying software at Green Hippo. We saw the uptake of SP in recent years, and more recently, we had the chance to add new features and integrations. We knew we wanted to partner up with Stage Precision and create something cool.”
SP by Stage Precision provides a range of powerful workflow tools for camera calibration, lens correction, automation and sensor-based tracking. These tools act as a unifier between hardware and software, enabling both automation and creative control in ways not previously possible. SPNet is Stage Precision’s own protocol which can be used to communicate with SP software tools. Through integration of SPNet into the Hippotizer, Green Hippo’s products can now be incorporated into the SP workflow and benefit from the platform’s rich feature set.
“The integration with SP allows us to leverage extra tools for lens calibration and other advanced features. The user workflow becomes more creative with the capabilities of connecting sensors and creating automation,” continues Mouris. “It enables Hippotizer users to deliver more creative projects and opens up a more visual way for our customers to deliver custom experiences using our media server products.”
This integration has already been deployed in a recent project with a long-term customer. The client required precise camera calibration and advanced mixed reality support, particularly focused on obtaining precise camera tracking data. Hippotizer with the new SPNet integration allowed the client to achieve superior tracking and lens calibration that other solutions alone could not deliver.
“The integration of SPNet aligned perfectly with a customer’s projection mapping project,” says Mouris. “We prototyped, tested, and finally integrated SPNet. The client then utilised SP for tracking and lens calibration, and our integration allowed all data to come together in one automated workflow, including data from our SHAPE 3D projection mapping tool and Notch.”
Green Hippo sees the SPNet integration as a step toward deeper integration within the AV and experience creation ecosystem. “As a manufacturer, the market needs to drive value, and it needs to allow users to do something they couldn’t do before,” confirms Mouris. “Being able to do more with tracking and automation data is just the beginning.”
Green Hippo is now exploring the development of an SP Grid Extension Plugin to further simplify integration of their products within show-control setups, breaking down barriers between software, hardware and creativity.
