Ian Taylor: Leading the world in sports graphics technology
The way the world saw the America’s Cup was revolutionised and turned into a true spectator sport by Ian Taylor and his team at Animation Research Limited. The company developed the 3D graphic technology that made yachting a television sport for audiences worldwide.
A lawyer by trade, Ian Taylor made an early switch to the world of media and after dabbling in music, directing and presenting. In 1989, he founded television production company Taylormade Media and a year later branched out into Animation Research Limited. The Dunedin based companies are responsible for an assortment of national and international award-winning multimedia productions.
Taylormade and Animation Research Limited quickly established themselves as Australasia’s leading computer animation companies. It wasn’t long before the team, led by Taylor, turned their skill set to revolutionising the sporting worlds of yachting, golf and cricket.
The 1992 San Diego America’s Cup clash was brought to life with the 3D Winged Keel animation that used global positioning technology to track the race and feed data into a computer that produced animations of the yachts in real time.
Animation Research Limited eventually merged its sports graphics technology into a company of its own. The resulting Virtual Spectator took the Winged Keel technology to another level. Coverage of the 1999 Louis Vuitton Challenger’s Series and America’s Cup was enhanced by technology that delivered live, 3D, interactive viewing to over 150 countries, via television feed or internet subscription.
Further examples of Taylor’s expertise are evidenced along the fairways of the PGA Tours and within a two and half kilometre chasm below the surface of the Pacific Ocean. Animation Research Limited have utilised their Virtual Spectator technology to innovatively cover the world’s top golf tournaments including The British Open, The Ryder Cup and the PGA Tours. Virtual Spectator has also been associated with the World Rally Championships, Volvo Ocean Race and Wimbledon.
Closer to home, Taylor, a keen advocate for Maori tourism, worked with one of New Zealand’s leading tourist attractions to take their operation to new heights. Thanks to Animation Research Limited technology, Whale Watch Kaikoura offer a unique onboard virtual tour that transports their visitors to the depths of the Kaikoura Canyon, a two and half kilometre abyss beneath the surface, enabling people to get up close to and learn about the unique marine environment these marine creatures live in.
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