Ideas for the perfect Handheld Shoulder Rig for virtual production

Development Cinematics & Media
,
1

Hi everyone,

I’m currently working on the production of a short-film using Unreal Engine and want to take advantage of the virtual camera features.

But what I want to get is a proper shoulder rig that allows me to :

  • Frame the shot as I want (so basically the actual virtual camera feature)
  • And being able to fly the cam Up and Down (Like you would using E and Q to lift the camera up and down in editor).

That way I would be able create handheld shot on ground but also create some camera crane shots.

I could basically use something like this for the shoulder rig

image
image1187×597 79.6 KB

With a special attach thing to put an iPad on it.

But I’m having hard times looking for a proper way to add the “naviguation controller” elements.

Do you if there is any controller that could work properly in Unreal and could be integrated in that rig?

I’ve seen someone using a Switch Joycon but won’t be plug and play.

If you have ideas to share that would be cool!

Thanks

2

I did something similar a couple years ago. I used a vive pro controller for a single hand system. and we also used the vr headset instead of the ipad. You might want to define your controller requirements, howmany buttons do you need and specs on those buttons? I used the trigger button on the vive controller to allow the operator to control how soft or aggressive the movement would be. the alternative is the digital button that you would have to pre-set an acceleration curve. Looking at the smart rig, I might replace the handles with 2 vive controlers with carefully designed (to avoid sensor blockage) 3d printed fasteners.