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Eyetronics Hits Home Run for Major League Baseball Players

Eyetronics has successfully completed the scanning of over 1,200 Major League baseball players and coaches for the Major League Baseball Players Assn. (MLBPA). The announcement was made by Nick Tesi, vp of operations for Eyetronics in the U.S., who helped supervise the scanning operation that rolled out in spring training camps in Florida and Arizona.

Its largest scanning project ever, Eyetronics was unanimously awarded the contract by MLBPA and game developers Sony Computer Ent. America (SCEA)and 2K Sports. Based on an intense review of test materials submitted by several scanning companies vying for the videogames project, Eyetronics was chosen for its renowned high quality models and texture maps, as well as its ability to provide mobile services. Next-generation platforms from SCEA and Microsoft will display the highest quality visuals seen to date, another reason for the choice of Eyetronics realistic scans of these well-known sports figures.

Five teams from Eyetronics visited 30 facilities throughout Florida and Arizona in a remarkable eight days to conduct the facial capture scans of more than 1,200 Major League baseball players. Using structured light technology with a high resolution Canon digital camera, Eyetronics scanned each player on a turntable in an accelerated scan time of three minutes. Scan data from Eyetronics lightweight, portable equipment was then processed in the company's proprietary software and exported as fast and accurate 3D models with 4K texture and color data, ready for immediate integration in production pipelines.

"It is very important to the MLBPA that player models in baseball videogames designed for next-generation hardware set the standard for all sports games," said John Olshan of the MLBPA. "We selected Eyetronics for this project after an exhaustive review process because their graphics are drop dead beautiful and they have extensive experience working with high profile celebrities. They also provided innovative solutions to all of our concerns with respect to scanning a large number of people in a short period of time under unpredictable and often adverse conditions."

Eyetronics' scans have contributed to several high-profile films slated for release in 2006, including POSEIDON, THE GUARDIAN, THE REAPING, DR. DOLITTLE 3 and GARFIELD 2. Eyetronics also provided scanning for Cadillac's Super Bowl spots, as well as numerous computer games.

Eyetronics (www.eyetronics.com), with corporate offices in Leuven, Belgium, and Los Angeles, specializes in high-quality 3D acquisition systems and services that enable faster production of 3D models, animation and visual effects. Its scanning products and services are used for realistic character generation and facial performance capture in feature films, television, commercials and computer games.

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Rick DeMott
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