Animation Research

What Animation Research does

Animation Research Limited (ARL) is a Dunedin, New Zealand-based computer graphics and visualisation company founded in 1989 as a joint venture between Taylormade Productions and the University of Otago's Computer Science Division, and has been fully privately held since Taylormade bought out the university's stake in 1991. The company employs 11-50 people and operates across four revenue streams: real-time 3D sports graphics (under the Virtual Eye sub-brand), air traffic control simulation (the TotalControl simulator distributed globally through Airways International, with 70+ installations), custom visualisation services for urban development, architecture, and documentary projects, and VR/360° immersive applications for tourism, education, and training.

The company's core technology is built on proprietary real-time 3D graphics rendering, custom animation systems, and digital terrain modeling using both photogrammetry and lidar, with additional capabilities in 3D stereoscopics and bespoke stereo-alignment software. Virtual Eye pioneered real-time 3D sports broadcasting graphics, with notable products including Swing Tracker and Umpire PitchTrack used by Fox Sports, and has won four Emmy Awards plus the SMPTE Progress Medal. The Auckland 3D city model and historical work like the Waka Māori stereoscopic animation and the Ruapekapeka 360° experience demonstrate a deep content library across civic, cultural, and sporting projects.

ARL monetises through a mix of licensing/royalty arrangements in sports broadcasting, hardware sales and support in simulation, and project-based professional services in visualisation and immersive work. Distribution relies on direct enterprise sales to broadcasters, sports organisations, and institutional clients, supplemented by the Airways International channel for ATC simulators. The company has no external institutional or equity funding, with cumulative R&D support of ~NZ$501K from Callaghan Innovation grants across 2013, 2016, and 2018. Its customer base spans Oceania, the Middle East, North America, and the Caribbean, and its most recent strategic move is a 2025 Memorandum of Understanding with New Zealand Cricket to co-develop analytics, biomechanics tools, and data systems for cricket.

Name

Animation Research

Legal name

Animation Research Limited

Website

https://arl.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Animation Research Limited is a Dunedin, New Zealand-based computer graphics and visualisation firm (11-50 employees) that builds real-time 3D sports graphics under its Virtual Eye brand, ATC simulators (70+ global installations), urban development visualisations, and VR/360° immersive applications for broadcasters, sports organisations, aviation trainers, and institutional clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

3D Visualization and Graphics Software

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (541430), Industrial Design Services (54142)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Immersive/Interactive Animation (AR/VR/Real-Time) (MPAHACAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Serious Games & Simulation Studios (Training, Defense, Enterprise) (MPAFAAAH), Interactive & Immersive Content Production (AR/VR/3D) (BPAFAIAL)

Keywords

• Real-time 3D graphics
• Sports broadcast graphics
• 3D visualization services
• Air traffic simulation
• VR immersive experiences

Headquarters

HQ city

Dunedin

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Sports Technology (Virtual Eye): Real-time 3D sports graphics for broadcasters, including Swing Tracker and Umpire PitchTrack features for major sporting events
2. Simulation and Training Systems: TotalControl ATC simulators sold and supported globally through Airways International partnership
3. Visualization Services: Custom visualization projects including architectural visualization, urban development flyovers, documentary animations, and educational content
4. VR and Immersive Experiences: VR and 360-degree immersive applications for tourism, education and industry training

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Animation Research Ltd (ARL) produces real-time 3D graphics, photorealistic visualisation, and immersive VR/360° experiences for sports broadcasting, urban development, education, and aviation training. Its commercial products include Virtual Eye real-time 3D sports graphics for broadcasters, the TotalControl air traffic control simulator (70+ global installations), and custom data-visualisation, architectural fly-over, and training applications delivered to enterprise and government clients.

Product overview

Animation Research Ltd (ARL) is a technology and animation company offering a portfolio of visual experience products and services across multiple domains. The company's offerings include: Virtual Eye, a sports technology sub-brand pioneering real-time 3D sports graphics; Visualisation Services for data visualisation, terrain/architecture graphics, and science/engineering animations; Urban Development Visualisation for architectural and terrain visualization using photogrammetry and lidar; and 3D Immersion products including VR and 360° applications for tourism, education, and training. Notable named products include the TotalControl Air Traffic Control Simulator (70+ global installations), Time Tripper virtual time machine, Ruapekapeka 360 Experience, Treespace Visualisation, and the historic Bluebird Penguin and Air New Zealand Gannets animations. ARL also creates custom photo-realistic 3D dataset visualisation applications for project development, engineering, agricultural science, training, and medical visualisation industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• All tested learners gained at least two steps in LNAAT for numeracy and literacy using VR training at Otago Corrections Facility
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• New Zealand CricketcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 October 2025NZC has formalised a strategic partnership with Virtual Eye (sports division of ARL) through a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on high performance analytics, broadcast innovation, and enhanced fan engagement. Virtual Eye will co-develop advanced sports graphics, biomechanics tools, and data systems with NZC. The partnership was announced alongside Virtual Eye's fourth Emmy Award and SMPTE Progress Medal.
• Airways InternationalcoreTechnology or IntegrationARL built the TotalControl Air Traffic Control Simulator for Airways International. Designed from the ground up by ARL software developers and engineers, TotalControl comes complete with multiple towers, aircraft, cloud types, weather, and full world airspace. Originally installed at Airways training facility in Christchurch in 2006, there are now 70+ TotalControl simulators installed at training facilities around the world through this partnership.
• Great Southern TelevisionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerARL partnered with Great Southern Television to produce animations recreating Ruapekapeka Pa for the historical documentary 'NZ Wars: The Stories of Ruapekapeka'. ARL also created a 360-degree interactive web experience for Radio New Zealand Website.
• Shotover JetminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerShotover Jet uses 360-degree videos created by ARL as a taste of their Queenstown adventure tourism experience, allowing potential visitors to preview the thrill ride digitally.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hawk-Eye Innovations (Sony): Directly comparable to ARL's Virtual Eye division: both provide real-time 3D graphics and tracking/analytics for live sports broadcasts. Hawk-Eye, owned by Sony, is the dominant global sports broadcast graphics provider and represents the largest competitive threat to Virtual Eye in cricket, tennis, and ball-tracking sports.
• ChyronHego: Provides real-time broadcast graphics and sports visualization solutions to broadcasters worldwide — directly overlapping with Virtual Eye's broadcast graphics offering for live sports. A clear direct competitor in the live sports broadcast graphics category.

Broad incumbents

• Weta FX (formerly Weta Digital): New Zealand-based visual effects and animation powerhouse, comparable as a fellow NZ creative/tech firm operating at the intersection of proprietary rendering technology, content production, and global enterprise clients. Larger scale and far broader scope than ARL, but operates in adjacent VFX/animation territory.
• CAE: Global leader in aviation simulation and training, including ATC simulation offerings. Comparable as a peer for ARL's TotalControl ATC simulator product, though CAE operates at vastly greater scale across civil aviation, defense, and healthcare training.
• Pixomondo: Global visual effects and virtual production company with operations spanning film, television, and immersive content. Comparable to ARL's visualization services and immersive 3D content capabilities, though at substantially larger scale across multiple geographies.
• Disguise Technologies: Provider of visual production systems for live events, broadcast, and immersive experiences — including real-time 3D rendering technology for concerts, broadcasts, and xR stages. Comparable to ARL's broadcast and immersive visualization offerings from a technology-platform perspective.
• Framestore: Global VFX and immersive content studio spanning film, advertising, and location-based experiences including VR. Comparable as a peer for ARL's high-end visualization and immersive content capabilities, particularly relevant for documentary, education, and cultural-heritage immersive work.

Emerging players

• Second Spectrum: Sports analytics and tracking company using computer vision and machine learning for real-time broadcast enhancement and team analytics. Comparable to ARL/Virtual Eye's analytics and biomechanics roadmap, particularly relevant given the NZC partnership's analytics focus.

Regional players

• Soul Machines: New Zealand-headquartered AI/computer graphics company building digital humans and interactive visual experiences. Comparable as a fellow NZ-based specialist CG/visualization firm targeting enterprise and entertainment customers globally.
• PikPok (formerly Sidhe Interactive): New Zealand-based game and interactive entertainment studio. Comparable as a fellow NZ-headquartered specialist interactive/real-time graphics company serving global entertainment clients, though focused on game products rather than broadcast graphics or simulation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/AnimationResearchLtd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/animation-research-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Animation Research