Arcturus (XR Studio)

Arcturus is a software company specializing in the post-production and streaming of volumetric video, a technology that captures performances in true 3D to create photorealistic, interactive holograms. Founded in 2016 by a team of veterans from Pixar, Dreamworks, Netflix, Google, and YouTube, the company anticipated the growing demand for immersive content in AR, VR, and the metaverse. Co-founders include Devin Horsman (CTO), Ewan Johnson, and Andy Stack, who bring extensive experience in creator tools, animation data pipelines, and VR content strategy from their time at YouTube and DreamWorks.

The company's core business revolves around its flagship product, HoloSuite, a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform designed to make volumetric video more accessible to creators. This suite consists of HoloEdit, a tool for editing, cleaning up, compressing, and adding interactivity to volumetric video clips, and HoloStream, a distribution solution that delivers these 3D assets to various endpoints, including game engines like Unity and Unreal Engine, web browsers, and mobile devices. Revenue is generated through annual software licenses for HoloSuite, with special pricing available for educational use. The company also provides expert guidance and strategic partnership for brands and studios looking to produce holographic experiences, from initial concept to final delivery.

In a significant strategic move, Arcturus was selected as the go-to-market partner for Microsoft's Mixed Reality Capture Studios (MRCS) in 2023. This partnership establishes a complete end-to-end pipeline, combining Microsoft's high-fidelity capture technology—which uses over 100 cameras—with Arcturus's HoloSuite for editing and streaming. Arcturus now manages the licensing and support for new and existing MRCS studios, offering consultation for studio setup and ongoing technical assistance. This positions the company as a central hub in the volumetric video ecosystem, serving a diverse client base that includes game developers, virtual production teams, VFX artists, and brands seeking to create digital humans and immersive advertisements.

Arcturus has secured significant investment to fuel its growth, including a $5 million seed round in 2021 led by BITKRAFT Ventures and an $11 million Series A round in 2022 with participation from major industry players like Epic Games and Autodesk. This funding is directed towards expanding R&D, particularly in AI-driven tools to improve capture quality with fewer cameras, and enhancing integrations with key 3D creation tools like Autodesk Maya and Unreal Engine.

Keywords: volumetric video, HoloSuite, digital humans, holographic content, XR studio, 3D capture, mixed reality, virtual production, AR content, VR development, HoloEdit, HoloStream, immersive experiences, real-time 3D, character animation, motion capture, metaverse content, live-action holograms, interactive 3D, video streaming technology, Kamal Mistry, Devin Horsman, Andy Stack, Ewan Johnson, Microsoft MRCS, Epic Games, Autodesk