‘The mixed reality Panther has become an important part of games for the Carolina Panthers’
USA - Virtual event production company, The Famous Group, are well-known for creating memorable virtual fan experiences. Harnessing the power of Stage Precision’s SP software, The Famous Group has stepped into a new era of virtual event control, thanks to SP’s camera calibration tools, which they recently deployed on projects at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“We’ve been working with the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte FC at the Bank of America stadium since 2022,” recalls Erik Beaumont, head of mixed reality at The Famous Group. “Unlike other projects, our work with these teams is ongoing, with mixed reality being used permanently. The mixed reality Panther has become an important part of games for the Carolina Panthers, and the need to recalibrate the system before every match was becoming a challenge in terms of resources and peoplepower.”
Before switching to SP, The Famous Group were using stYpe camera tracking, fed directly into Pixotope calibration software to manage the mixed reality elements of the productions for both teams. “This was very hands-on, and a task that needed to be repeated every game,” continues Beaumont. “We had trained the stadium’s in-house team to do this, but our team still needed to return for frequent readjustments as things happen and cameras get moved. This was not ideal - we needed a long-term solution.”
Using SP’s calibration tools, The Famous Group were able to set up an alignment system that the average user can calibrate. “We have used the calibration tools in SP to create a system that is calibrated against the in-stadium calibration board,” explains Beaumont. “Simply put, the camera team put a video board graphic on the screen that can recalibrate the cameras through a simple scan of the video boards. This successfully recalibrates the system to a high-precision level.”
The Famous Group have found Stage Precision’s SP to be fast, reliable and precise, with seamless integrations of leading virtual and augmented reality technology. “Through the implementation of SP, we’ve transformed our work at the Bank of America Stadium,” concludes Beaumont. “The overhead has completely changed and we’re looking forward to implementing these powerful calibration tools on future projects.”

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