ABAI AVGC Center of Excellence inauguration brings digital excellence to creative industries, advancing Karnataka AVGC Policy to continue being the number one state in startups and innovation.
Government of Karnataka minister for ITBT S&T and higher education Dr. Ashwath Narayan inaugurated this pioneering high technology digital media hub which was supported through project grants from the Department of ITBT as an initiative of Innovate Karnataka.
On 20 January, the AVGC Center of Excellence was inaugurated by minister for IT BT S&T and higher education Dr. Ashwath Narayan at Whitefield, Bengaluru. The center has the most advanced technology and infrastructure for the creation of cutting-edge animation, games and VFX. Also present at the inauguration were the Honorable MLA Sri Aravind Limbavali; Department of Electronics, Information Technology, Biotechnology and S&T additional chief secretary and IAS Dr. E.V. Ramana Reddy; Karnataka Innovation and Technology Society MD, director Electronics Information Technology, Biotechnology, S&T, and IAS Meena Nagaraj C.N; and other officials from K Tech.
“India is not new to the gaming industry – the country’s animation, visual effects, gaming, and comics (AVGC) industry has been growing at an exponential rate, especially over the past decade. The Indian animation and visual effects industry, which commands around 10 per cent of the global market share, has the potential to reach 20-25 per cent by 2025. State of Karnataka has been riding the wave of Animation from the front and has been driving AVGC sector to reach global heights. We are gathered on this joyous occasion to launch yet another feat in the sector by our ecosystem players. Our government is indeed proud of the Center of Excellence, and we look forward to this Center driving our state and our country forward to greater prominence to further skills, production, and technology in the sector,” said Narayan.
The center is the primary enabler for advanced level capabilities that will benefit the creation of audio-visual content for the digital media industry. The AVGC Centre of Excellence houses three main facilities under one roof which showcases futuristic post-production infrastructure. This supports the needs of startups; SME studios and content creators as well as technology developers who aspire to create state of the art products and services.
The technology stack includes an NCAM enabling virtual production through real-time camera tracking; Photogrammetry-3D Scans generating ultra-detailed 3D renders; Full Body Performance Capture, country’s best 24 Optical Motion Capture systems with the necessary control room, support infrastructure with studio space; a WITNESS CAMERA, a four-head camera system with removable lenses; DUAL CAMERA HEAD MOTION CAPTURE used for real-time Head Motion Capture and a Green Screen Studio, all this backed up by a robust RENDER FARM specialized in rendering 3D projects.
“Karnataka is known to be a centre for the hi-tech industry, contributing significantly to the country’s revenues in several sectors, including Animation and related digital media technologies. We are proud that Karnataka has grown to be a prominent hub for animation services, VFX services and game development. Karnataka accounts for 20 per cent share of the Indian Entertainment and AVGC industry. A total of over 300 animation, VFX and gaming studios operate in Karnataka employing over 15,000+ professionals. Government of Karnataka has always been amongst one of the first states in the country to understand the potential impact of technology and take pro-active steps to promote its growth. With the launch of this Center of Excellence, the AVGC ecosystem will be further benefitted and shall continue its leadership,” said Department of Electronics, Information Technology, Biotechnology and S&T additional chief secretary and IAS Dr. E.V. Ramana Reddy.
“Our vision for the COE is that it helps to syndicate and make available the best facilities and technologies to start-ups and many AVGC studios and professionals that would find it impossible to fund or access such a high- technology stack individually. It is a bespoke co-working space that can help studios leapfrog infrastructure and expensive technology investments allowing them to focus on the creation and of content in a way that makes for an asset light model for them individually. The Government of Karnataka has provided industry a great lever by supporting this pioneering and unique project with a grant which has enabled this to become a reality. Such an extraordinary facility does not exist in any country as a shared resource,” said ABAI president and Technicolor country head Biren Ghose.
“The growth of the AVGC ecosystem has been driven by our government’s strategic offerings to collaborate and build world-class infrastructure, drive talent, and mentoring skills to world class standards. Karnataka was the first State in India to introduce an AVGC policy in 2012. This has paved the path for collaborations, B2B engagements and a flourishing academia ecosystem for the digital arts. With facilities like the finishing school to train and provide highly skilled technicians, an incubation studio to provide the latest infrastructure and technology support to startups at subsidised prices, and technologies for performance capture for a first of initiative – all this is what has been launched in the country’s first AVGC Center of Excellence. The Centre will nurture small and medium as well as globally renowned studios to produce global standard work and take our state to greater heights,” said Karnataka Innovation and Technology Society MD, director Electronics Information Technology, Biotechnology, S&T, and IAS Meena Nagaraj C.N.
The Centre also has a finishing school focused on creating curriculum and partnerships to skill talent at scale and the center is providing leadership in the unique offering of its courses including in new tech such as virtual reality, digital compression, photogrammetry, gamification of education, real time virtual production and other emerging technologies.
“The Karnataka computer graphics industry spanning animation, games, VFX and immersive media has positioned itself as a “Knowledge Driver” in storytelling. Hosting some of the largest studios in the world, it has catapulted the creation of skillsets and knowhow that has put India on the world stage and Karnataka as the leading state in India in this sector. ABAI will continue to keep the state as a global leader in AVGC production,” said ABAI secretary B.S. Srinivas.
Since its establishment the center has a successful combination of technical expertise, a proven technical pipeline that enables efficient production workflows, and a creative approach to deliver custom solutions that are both cost-effective and the highest quality.
