Animation Research signs Open graphics deal

By ADAM GIFFORD

Animation Research has signed a deal with United States broadcaster ABC to provide animations for next week's British Open golf championship.

ARL managing director Ian Taylor said he was told a fortnight ago that ABC has secured the sponsorship it needed from Sun Microsystems to allow it to add animated graphics to its live coverage of the event.

"Normally we need seven or eight weeks to get ready. We had eight days set aside to get pictures of the course. On the last possible afternoon the clouds cleared and we got our shots," Taylor said.

The aerial photos were flown back to New Zealand Aerial Mapping in Albany, which turned them into a 3D data model of the course which has gone back to Scotland with the three-person ARL team doing the animations.

Taylor said the partnership with NZ Aerial Mapping gave Dunedin's ARL an edge on its competitors, because it could react much faster to changing circumstances.

ARL had also developed software so it could show the shadows on the golf course as they were at the time of day. "If it clouds over, the shadows go away."

After the British Open, Animation Research will supply graphics for the "Battle at Bighorn" challenge at Palm Desert between Tiger Woods, Sergio Garcia, Jack Nicklaus and Lee Trevino. The team will then return to Europe for the BMW German Open, Swiss Open and Ryder Cup.

Taylor said work was also well advanced for supplying all the graphics broadcasters would use for the America's Cup.

Team New Zealand, ARL and the broadcasters have agreed to combine the telemetry rights for both the America's Cup and Louis Vuitton Cup regattas into one package, resolving any potential conflicts over access to the data.

Taylor said ARL hoped to have a display in the Viaduct Basin showing a 3D animation of the Hauraki Gulf while races were on.