Salt Lake City — JUMP CEO James Jensen has announced that the location-based, hyper-real wingsuit simulation company has completed the virtual capture for the multi-sensory stimulation of base jumping off of the notorious Notch Peak. Notch Peak is the second tallest vertical cliff face in North America—second only to El Cap in Yosemite. But it’s in the middle of nowhere in the west desert of Utah and difficult to access. Not anymore.

Notch Peak is the first in a series of exhilarating destinations around the globe that anyone will be able to “jump” at the first location of JUMP, which will be in the Salt Lake City area, opening in January.

The JUMP hyper-real simulation includes a real wingsuit, outfitted specifically for JUMP, and a custom-built virtual reality helmet. The simulator is a blend of suspension and wind systems that enable people to experience the extreme thrill of jumping off cliffs and skyscrapers without the danger.

“Capturing the wingsuit experience of jumping off Notch Peak was no small feat,” Jensen says. “To create a life-like experience of launching your body from this famed location required technical expertise from our partners Phase One and Capturing Reality, the developer of RealityCapture. They are A-plus players in the technology space and helped deliver an incredible hyper-realistic encounter with Notch Peak with all of the reward and none of the risk.”

“After two days of capturing thousands of ultra-high-resolution images, the team took all of the data to the supercomputers to construct a stunning, hyper-detailed 3D open world that makes 360-degree video equivalent to AM Radio," says Joe Robbins, VP of content at JUMP.

The JUMP content team mixed traditional GIS (Geographic Information Systems) collection methodology with a traditional VFX mindset to create one of the largest hyper-detailed 3D landscapes ever. The custom helicopter rig, consisting of eight Phase One cameras, captured 1050 megapixels of raw imagery over 50,000 times. The photos were then processed utilizing the latest version of RealityCapture Tarasque, with an end result of over 18 billion polygons across 10 square miles.

RealityCapture contributions:

  • Powered the calculation on five computer nodes
  • Reconstructed over 30,000 of 150mpx images from a medium format Phase One camera
  • Used precise information from gyroscopes, IMU (inertial measurement unit) and other sensors to create a high-precision custom flight log that was imported as a custom flight log format and used in further calculations

Phase One contributions:

  • Used an 8qty camera system to collect high-resolution imagery for the Jump projects, consisting of Phase One medium format 100MP and 150MP cameras – giving exceptional image quality and the detail needed for robust Notch Peak “jump” experience
  • Captured Notch Peak images via a set up on a helicopter
  • Supplied training for the camera use and licensing for iX Plan (planning the light lines for the image capture)

The JUMP team has released several videos highlighting the JUMP experience: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_lrbIHXqNB4wJKBGJ5GuPw.

About JUMP

JUMP was founded in November 2018 in Utah by James Jensen in order to push the boundaries of hyper-real experiences. For more information and to sign up for updates, visit www.limitlessflight.com or #limitlessflight on Instagram.

About James Jensen

Jensen is an entrepreneur committed to working with leading-edge technology and eager to solve problems surrounding how people interact and engage with each other on a day-to-day basis. He is the creator and co-founder of THE VOID, the critically acclaimed immersive entertainment company. For more than two decades, he has worked in illustration, design, and interactive media for companies and clients including Sony Entertainment, Disney, FOX, Dreamworks SK, MTV, and his own creative CG animation company, Sandman Studios.

About Phase One

Phase One A/S is a leading researcher, developer, and manufacturer of medium format and large format digital cameras, software, and imaging solutions. 

Founded in 1993, Phase One is a pioneer of digital photography. Phase One has developed core imaging technologies and a range of digital cameras and imaging modules. Phase One provides the world’s highest image quality in terms of resolution, dynamic range, color fidelity, and geometric accuracy. As such, Phase One has grown to become the leading provider of high-end imaging technology across many business segments. This includes both hardware and software for aerial mapping, industrial inspection, and cultural heritage digitization, as well as serving the world’s most demanding photographers.

Based in Copenhagen, Denmark, and with regional offices in New York, Denver, Cologne, Tel Aviv, Tokyo, Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, Phase One nurtures long-term relationships with customers, technology partners, and its global network of distributors, often playing the role of digital imaging partner to customers with special requirements. It is with this passion for service that Phase One continually exceeds expectations and drives the imaging industry forward.

About Capturing Reality

Capturing Reality is a software development house based in Slovakia, founded in 2013, developing the leading photogrammetry software, RealityCapture. RealityCapture is State-of-the-art photogrammetry software known for its speed and accuracy and used by professionals across a wide range of industries. It was the first software to introduce the seamless combination of laser scans and photos and it is currently the fastest photogrammetry software on the market. RealityCapture enables you to turn ordinary sets of photos and/or laser scans into realistic 3D models quickly and with low hardware requirements.

Capturing Reality was acquired by American Epic Games Inc. gaming company in March 2021. Capturing Reality’s powerful photogrammetry software is currently being integrated into the Unreal Engine ecosystem, making it even easier for developers to upload images and create photorealistic 3D models in an instance. At the same time, Capturing Reality continues to support and develop for partners across industries like gaming, visual effects, film, surveying, architecture, engineering, construction, and cultural heritage.