HYDRALITE aka VOLUCAP’s Crazy Rig
HYDRALITE is Volucap’s nextgen deepfake on set data acquisition capture rig. This is the next step to train state of the art artificial intelligence systems.
Our capture rigs are capable of capturing the high resolution data needed to accurately train AI systems, allowing productions to get the most out of their digital resources. The rigs can capture high-quality data at speeds and sizes that traditional methods cannot, allowing for faster and more accurate training of AI models. Additionally, our rigs are incredibly versatile, able to be used in both indoor and outdoor settings.
The future of multi-camera rig setup starts here.
2018 – Studio Opening
Volumetric Capture Studio with world leading resolution opened in Babelsberg
2019 – Volumetric Underwater Studio
World’s first volumetric underwater studio. Development of own underwater housings, calibration systems, camera control and broadcast cables.
2020 – Matrix Ressurections
For Matrix Resurrections, Volucap has developed miore than 10 different multi camera systems.
2021 – TrueRaw and PerfectSync
Development of our TrueRaw and PerectSync technology.
2022 – Patented technology
Patented carbon based ultralightweight rig structure made in Germany
2024 – Volucap Go
First mobile volumetric capture studio.
2025 – HYDRALITE
Release of our latest portable capture solution with focus on data akquision for machine learning applications.
MICKEY 17
For Bong Joon-ho’s Mickey 17, Volucap’s Hydralite Rig was brought directly onto set to capture Robert Pattinson’s performance in unprecedented fidelity. The system generated the massive, high-resolution training datasets required for creating multiple digital doubles and advanced face replacements throughout the film.
By recording in full volumetric detail, Hydralite allowed the VFX team to push realism further than ever before—capturing subtle movements, lighting, and expressions that traditional methods miss. The result: seamless digital clones that serve the story without breaking immersion.
With Mickey 17, Hydralite proved its role as a production-ready bridge between actor performance and AI-driven visual effects, setting a new benchmark for how Hollywood integrates volumetric capture into blockbuster filmmaking.
👉 Read more in the American Cinematographer, April 2025 issue, where HYDRALITE’s use in Mickey 17 is featured.
AI meets cinema – bridging performance and machine-driven filmmaking.
HYDRALITE SYSTEM
- 35mm global shutter Sensors
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Automated Calibration
- Multiple lens mount options
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10 TB internal NVME Storage
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10 Gigapixel per second
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330 megapixel
“Our rigs are specifically designed to capture the data you need for your AI systems, allowing you to stay ahead of the curve and stay competitive in the industry.” – Sven Bliedung von der Heide, CEO Volucap.
VRAW
Unleash the full potential. Say goodbye to the limitations of compressed, lossy image data and experience the unparalleled benefits of capturing your shots with VRAW.
The sensor readout of our VCam sensor is a raw Bayer frame provided as uncompressed, 12 bit log data. To turn VRAW data into RGB images, the files or clips need to be processed (de-bayering and color processing).
You’ll be able to access all exact sensor information without any predefined interpretations, preserving every raw sensor pixel recorded ensuring the highest quality results for your VFX projects.
PERFECT SYNC
Volucap’s PerfectSync Solution combines lightning-fast synchronization with seamless integration, making it the ultimate choice for multi-camera rig setups. Upgrade your workflow and take your productions to new heights with Volucap’s DEECAP Solution.
Volucap provides a unique trigger system for perfect synchronization of sensors, lights, and additional sensor signals. Our precision and accuracy is unmatched, and our partnership with ARRI allows us to modify existing Skypanels for PerfectSync system intergration by using our trigger signals.
MAXIMUM RESOLUTION
The custom-built, high-resolution cameras, each boasting 65 MP, culminate in the DeeCap System’s impressive 330 MPx total. This setup ensures the capture of every detail with unparalleled realism
maximum bandwith
Lossless sensor signal recording with 20x more bandwidth than conventional cinema cameras, ensuring accurate and precise data processing during post-production. Achieve the highest level of quality and creative control with our cameras.
“To assist facial-data acquisition, Dan Glass and volumetric animation specialists Volucap designed a portable array of high-resolution cameras, the Hydralite (known as ‘the Crazy Rig’) on set.” – The American Cinematorgrapher (April 2025)
OUR CUSTOM CAMERA RIGS
Our custom camera systems range from small portable units to complete multi-camera underwater systems and have been used in theatrical productions for films such as Matrix Ressurections, Baghead or Mickey17.
UNDERWATER VOLUMETRIC VIDEO
VOLUCAP GO
Designed for maximum flexibility, Volucap GO is a portable volumetric studio delivering over 2500+ megapixels. Built on a lightweight carbon frame, the system enables high-resolution volumetric capture anywhere — from sound stages to remote locations. Data streams directly to the video village, providing instant playback and rapid feedback for directors and VFX team
World’s first handheld mega-rig
To bridge the gap between fixed cameras and dynamic handheld movements without sacrificing the benefits of high-resolution volume video, Volucap developed a 250+ megapixel portable multi-camera system at 60 frames per second. Data from all cameras was streamed directly to the video village on set for review processes to allow fast feedback loops for the production of The Matrix Resurrections.
Dan Glass: “we needed a system that was a lot more supple and pliable to work around the way we were shooting… we could modify the rigs with 10 or 12 cameras very quickly with engineering and 3D printing pieces overnight”
VOlumetric video for feature film production
Volumetric film enables faster, more cost-effective and more realistic capture of people in motion.
Volumetric film captures motion and surface simultaneously, eliminating the need for subsequent animation and simulation. In addition, the process allows for more photorealistic rendering, as clothing and mimic are accurately reproduced and there is no loss of data as with classic motion capture.
Similar to digital film, the overall resolution and color depth largely determine the final quality. To guarantee the high resolution for the screen, the Volucap uses resolutions of over 1,000 megapixels of RGB raw data per image. This corresponds to over 120 cinema cameras with a resolution of 4K.
“Many US stars came to the Spree, most recently Keanu Reeves for the fourth part of “Matrix”. One of the reasons was the new virtual reality studio”, Studio Babelsberg says.
AI BASED VFX
AI-based visual effects are the future of visual effects. Our cutting-edge technology allow us to create incredibly realistic and sophisticated visual effects that will impress your audiences and enhance your productions. AI algorithms are capable of generating highly realistic and sophisticated visual effects that are difficult or impossible to create using traditional methods. This allows artists and filmmakers to create visual effects that are more complex and detailed than ever before, which can enhance the realism and immersion of a production. With Volucap, you can bring your most ambitious visual ideas to life and take your productions to the next level. Contact us today to learn more about how our AI-powered visual effects can help you create stunning, immersive experiences for your audiences.
DEEPFAKES
To overcome the limitations of existing post-production tools and to generate materials, rooms and light sources realistically and without much human input, Volucap created new AI tools.
Special systems were developed to capture AI training data, enabling the replacement and blending of actor faces in cinema quality.
Using state of the art deepfake, actors were fused together and using temporally stable NERF, complete scenes with actors could be drawn three-dimensionally in motion by the AI from new perspectives and frame rates that were never captured on set. This high level of flexibility allowed for fewer reshoots and new creative freedom.
NERF & Gaussian splatting
Neural radiance fields (NeRF) enable to generate new views of complex 3D scenes based on partial input data. This means that NeRF can be used to fill in missing details in a scene, such as occluded objects or textures, or to generate new views of a scene that are not included in the input images, such as different angles or perspectives. In The Matrix Resurrections, we developed our NeRF capture rig. Our temporally consistent NeRF enabled the creation of complete moving scenes, overcoming the limitations of conventional static NeRF scenes.
This allowed us to create more realistic and dynamic visuals for the movie matrix in 2020. For reseach on NeRF find more details here.
