Chisholm explains he discovered the iPi Soft motion capture technology through his friend, the digital media journalist and actor Ricky Grove (who also voiced one of the characters in Clear Skies III), who meet iPi Soft CEO and Chief Technology Architect Michael Nikonov at SIGGRAPH last year just after he’d finished Clear Skies II. “It turned out Michael was already a Clear Skies fan and offered a free license to use the iPiSoft software for Clear Skies III,” Chisholm says. “It was the impetus I was looking for -- something to push me to making the third film and leap further creatively than I ever have before.”

Fast and Easy:
Chisholm’s technical arsenal includes Sony Vegas Pro 9, Adobe AfterEffects and Photoshop, Paintshop Pro, Cooledit 96, FRAPs, Softimage XSI and the Source SDK. However it’s the iPi Soft Desktop Motion Capture system that remains critical to the production pipeline. Chisholm explained that among its many benefits, most crucial turned out to be its mobility and speed.

''I had to travel across Norwich (about 150 miles Northeast of London) to a studio that was large enough to set up the cameras and perform in, and that meant about 40 minutes of travel time, plus setup and takedown time as well,'' Chisholm explains. ''With iPi Soft we could perform the setup and takedown in minutes. If the mocap rig had been complex it would have limited the amount of work we could have done each day. The calibration process was quick, enabling me to preview the results within an hour. The amount of work I had to do was phenomenal, so speed and simplicity were vital.''

Positive Reactions:
So far Chisolm’s hard work has paid off. Reaction to the film has been extremely positive with Massively.com's James Egan calling it ''ground-breaking'' and a ''machinima masterpiece.'' The film was viewed nearly 200,000 on YouTube, and downloaded just under 300,000. Clear Skies parts 1 and 2 were viewed on YouTube a combined 210,000 times. And given the that first two films won numerous awards at the Machinima Expo, Machinima Filmfest and Atopic Festival de films Machinima, Clear Skies III seems a shoe-in for more award recognition.

''I knew Clear Skies III would be mind-blowing for the viewers of machinima, who are used to seeing a lot of default in-game gestures being repeated over and over again,'' Chisholm explains. ''Getting more organic onscreen acting was crucial to pulling it off and without iPiSoft it would not have been possible. iPi Soft motion capture technology levels the playing field for filmmakers -- the quality of the images, coupled with the cost and ease of use represents a paradigm shift for film and animation workflows.''

About iPi Soft
iPi Soft, LLC is a developer of markerless software. Launched in 2009 by CEO and chief technology architect Michael Nikonov, Moscow, Russia-based iPi Soft’s iPi Desktop Motion Capture™ is an entry-level markerless motion capture technology that lets animators shoot video that can easily convert to professional 3D quality animation. Delivering breakthrough performance for creative professionals involved in previz, animation and the creation of secondary characters, iPi Desktop Motion Capture can be operated by a single person and powered by one computer. Setup of iPi’s markerless system is quick and easy, and extremely portable – perfectly suited for small studios, freelance animators and motion capture enthusiasts. iPi Soft products are available directly from the web site and its worldwide distribution channel.  For additional information, pricing or a 30-day free trial please visit,  http://www.ipisoft.com.  

Web Resources:
Click here for more info about iPi Soft:
http://www.ipisoft.com

Click here for more info about Clear Skies:
http://www.clearskiesthemovie.com/

Click here to watch Clear Skies III on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=4E712D875E5AC822