New £9m Creative Studio Officially Opens Its Doors In Dundee
He CoSTAR Realtime Lab is going to offer advanced equipment to developers while introducing new and exciting opportunities to the local area.
Apr 25, 2025555 Shares16.3K Views
A new virtual production studio, led by Abertay University, is yet another sign that Scotland is steaming ahead in the digital race. The CoSTAR Realtime Lab is going to offer advanced equipment to developers while introducing new and exciting opportunities to the local area. The launch comes ahead of the investment in Creative Industries, with a £75.6m grant delivered by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
Opportunities For Game Developers Across The UK
Creative companies from all over the UK are going to be allowed to work at the lab, which has state-of-the-art facilities. There’s 3D technology designed to support video processing, along with motion capture.
Popular game titles, like The Last of Us, rely on this to create hyperrealistic versions of characters as people make their way through the wasteland. Death Stranding is another example of how motion capture can be used to create stunning animations. In other gaming genres, 3D environments can also add a great deal of realism.
If you have ever played on a virtual European roulette wheel, the ball often follows real physics patterns, with complex mechanics that determine its final landing place. This helps developers to bridge the gap between the traditional table game and the digital variant, ensuring that the experience mirrors the real thing as much as possible.
Projects like this are beyond exciting, as, although they do focus on supporting those who work in game development, they also open the door to video animation as well. Cutting-edge initiatives are also helping to create more jobs in the area while also giving creatives more options than ever.
AI And Film Capabilities
The creative studio brings Abertay’s knowledge and expertise in video games, but at the same time, combines with the University of Edinburgh’s leading work in AI and video animation. With further projects lined up, it’s going to be interesting to see what advancements are made in the world of film, as well as gaming.
Movies like Planet of the Apes rely quite heavily on motion capture as a wayto add realismto the mammals within the scenes, and pushed the boundaries of realism at the time. With projects like this, which are not only encouraging experimentation but also entrepreneurship.
UK development companies are going to have a space where they can well and truly flourish. Projects like this also bridge the gap between those who have technology to offer and creatives who want to use it, showing how possible it is to encourage creative hubs where anything is possible.
The partnership behind the project also hopes that this is going to encourage more diverse outputs, ensuring that Scotland continues to be a key leader in digital innovationwhile also actively investing in new opportunities.
Even though this project is huge, there’s plenty more in the pipeline, with plans to open up even more virtual production studios as time goes on. Not only is this supporting the local economy, but also giving UK developers the chance to push the boundaries of what they can do.
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