Doff was bought out of post group TSI two years ago and has since been managing director of IAP, which has invested in channel start-ups, developed a series of interactive TV booths for Flextech and distributed a number of programmes ( Broadcast, 3.3.00). Doff, who joined Artem Digital a month ago, will be based at the firm's west London site but will continue to develop projects for IAP as well.
One of Doff's first tasks has been to launch MathMap, motion-capture data processing software developed in-house specifically for the TV and film market.
Effectively competing with products such as Kaydara's MotionBuilder, which Artem Digital also uses, MathMap enables the captured data to be more accurately applied to computer graphic characters. According to Artem Digital head of motion capture Richard Hince, who developed the software, there is only one other firm in the US that has anything to touch it. 'It is great for animators and really gives Artem quite an edge in the European market,' he said.
Doff added that the software would only be available at Artem Digital as there were no plans to sell it to third parties.
The firm has already used MathMap on the PS2 game The Getaway but showed the software to the market for the first time last week. The seminars were attended by animators from Soho facilities such as The Mill and Moving Picture Company as well as artists and producers from long-form children's animation production companies and computer games developers.
Artem Digital, which was set up last year by physical effects house Artem, has an active R&D function and is in the process of developing an optomagnetic hybrid motion-capture system, combining the advantages of the two different types of system currently on the market. The firm has also developed a multi-axis camera head which it plans to put into production ( Broadcast, 28.6.02).
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