Virtual set: the state of the art

Virtual set technology evolved recently from the traditional blue-box technique and has already started to influence the broadcast industry. The possibility of combining in real time actors and realistic looking, computer generated sets with no physical constraints has significant consequences in both economics and creative design. This paper reviews the technology involved in virtual sets, covering the studio equipment, essential software issues and the production process. It also attempts to define the needs, to make virtual sets a more complete and reliable production tool. Undoubtedly, some information contained in the paper will be quickly outdated by the pace of development of the underlying technologies. However, the informational goal will remain valid, as we hope to reach two kinds of users: the novices to help them demistify the technology; and the users who are already familiar with virtual sets to help them understand better what's behind the scenes.