NCam
NCam develops real-time camera tracking hardware and software for virtual production in film, television, broadcast, and live events, serving enterprises like Netflix, Disney, Fox Sports, and Epic Games. Acquired by ZEISS in 2023.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What NCam does
NCam Technologies Ltd, founded in 2012 in London by Nic Hatch, develops real-time camera tracking systems used by the film, television, broadcast, and live events industries. The company's core product, Ncam Reality, combines the Mk2 Camera Bar (a 288-gram multi-sensor bar built on modified Intel RealSense hardware) with proprietary software that uses computer vision and SLAM-based 'robot vision' methodology to deliver six-degrees-of-freedom (6DOF) tracking capable of operating both indoors and outdoors with natural features, fiducials, or reflective markers. The system captures lens characteristics including focus, iris, and zoom (FIZ) for use in virtual production, in-camera visual effects (ICVFX), LED volume workflows, and broadcast augmented reality graphics. The AR Suite plugin for Unreal Engine extends the system into Epic Games' rendering ecosystem, with AR Suite Lite offered free and the full suite available to Ncam customers by subscription.
NCam monetizes through a combined hardware sale (Mk2 Camera Bar, Server, and Connection Box, starting at approximately $4,990) plus tiered software subscriptions (daily at $395, weekly at $1,195, monthly at $2,995, and annual options), supplemented by rental channels in the US, Canada, and Germany, and direct enterprise field sales across North America, EMEA, and APAC. The company serves named enterprise customers including Netflix, Lucasfilm, Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros., Amazon, Riot Games, Epic Games, CNN, Fox Sports, CBS Sports, Sky Sports, The Weather Channel, and BBC Northern Ireland, with marquee deployments including Star Wars, Game of Thrones, the Super Bowl, and the Fortnite World Cup. NCam was acquired by ZEISS in July 2023, with the tracking technology integrated into ZEISS's CinCraft ecosystem.
NCam firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- NCam
- Legal name
- Ncam Technologies Ltd
- Website
- https://ncam-tech.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- NCam develops real-time camera tracking hardware and software for virtual production in film, television, broadcast, and live events, serving enterprises like Netflix, Disney, Fox Sports, and Epic Games. Acquired by ZEISS in 2023.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
NCam industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Virtual Production Camera Tracking Software
- NAICS
- Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing (33431), Motion Picture and Video Production (512110)
- SIC
- Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Virtual Production & LED Volume Services (Stage Ops, ICVFX, Real-Time Camera/Tracking) (MPADAHAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- VP Hardware: LED Panels, Processors, Media Servers & Render Nodes (MPAHADAL)
Keywords
Where NCam is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices4 records
Markets served
NCam business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Hardware Sales: Sale of Mk2 Camera Bar, Mk2 Server, and Mk2 Connection Box hardware. One-time hardware purchase required to use the software. Hardware provides the sensor and processing components for the camera tracking system.
- Software Subscriptions: Tiered software licensing with daily ($395), weekly ($1,195), monthly ($2,995), and annual options. All tiers include software updates and tech support. Ncam Reality software subscription required for operation.
- AR Suite Licensing: Ncam AR Suite Lite provided free from Epic Marketplace. Full AR Suite requires subscription for Ncam customers, extending with advanced rendering pipelines including Virtual Overlay and Virtual Studio compositing.
- Equipment Rental: Rental partners provide flexible access to Ncam equipment for short-term projects. Partners in USA (The Eisley Company), Canada (Animatrik), and Germany (NetVenture) offer rental options.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Daily software license for short-term projects |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Weekly software license for week-long productions |
| Subscription | Monthly | Monthly software license for ongoing projects |
| Subscription | Annual | Annual software license for full-time users |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Hardware purchase - Mk2 system components |
| Freemium | Monthly | AR Suite Lite - free Unreal Engine plugin |
| Subscription | Monthly | AR Suite - full plugin for Ncam customers |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels7 records
NCam product offering
Product offeringCore offering
NCam develops and sells a real-time camera tracking system combining proprietary Mk2 hardware (Camera Bar, Server, Connection Box) with Ncam Reality software that delivers 6DOF tracking for virtual production in film, broadcast, and live events. The Ncam AR Suite and AR Suite Lite plugins extend the system into Unreal Engine 5 workflows for LED volumes, virtual studios, and broadcast graphics, with hardware sales and tiered software subscriptions as the commercial model.
Product overview
NCam offers a unified camera tracking solution comprising hardware components (Mk2 Camera Bar, Mk2 Server, Mk2 Connection Box) and the Ncam Reality software platform. The system provides real-time 6DOF camera tracking for virtual production, enabling filmmakers and broadcasters to composite CG elements directly in-camera. AR Suite Lite (free Unreal Engine plugin) and AR Suite (subscription) extend functionality for LED volumes, virtual studios, and broadcast graphics. The online Configurator enables flexible software licensing from daily to annual subscriptions starting at $395.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- NCAM Reality: Real-time camera tracking software solution that enables virtual production through camera tracking, providing live previsualization of environments, set extensions, and CGI elements directly in-camera.
- MK2 Hardware
- AR Suite
- AR Suite Lite
Products and services
- Ncam Reality Real-time camera tracking software platform for film, broadcast, and live events. Provides 6DOF tracking on any camera, lens, or rig indoors and outdoors, supports tracking with natural features, fiducial markers, and reflective markers, and enables virtual production through live previsualization of environments, set extensions, and CGI elements directly in-camera during shooting.
- Mk2 Camera Bar Multi-sensor camera tracking hardware unit weighing 288g with dimensions 130 x 38 x 39.10mm. Contains optical and inertial sensors built on modified Intel RealSense hardware and tracks camera position and rotation indoors and outdoors using natural markers, fiducial markers, or reflective markers without hardware changes.
- Mk2 Server Server device that runs Ncam Reality software, weighing 992g with dimensions 152.00 x 177.38 x 53.50mm. Provides streamlined control of the Ncam system and enables wireless transmission of tracking data through third-party solutions.
- Mk2 Connection Box Lightweight (400g) silent production device that connects the Mk2 Camera Bar to any Ncam Reality-compatible server via ethernet. Eliminates the need to attach the server directly to the camera, enabling wireless and remote server configurations, and supports integration with smart lens and follow focus systems via its Intel Atom chipset.
- Ncam AR Suite Lite Free open-source C++ plug-in for Unreal Engine providing a complete augmented reality pipeline for virtual production. Integrates with native UE5 frameworks including Live Link, Media Framework (AJA and Blackmagic SDI), Composure, Sequencer, Multi-User Editing, nDisplay, and Timecode Synchronizer. Available at no cost from the Epic Marketplace.
- Ncam AR Suite Subscription extension of AR Suite Lite available to Ncam customers that adds two production-tested compositing pipelines: Virtual Overlay for compositing virtual objects into live video streams, and Virtual Studio for green screen replacement with photographic rendering effects including depth of field, screen space reflections, and shadow receivers.
Quantifiable outcome
- First Korean production to use ICVFX - Netflix's Sweet Home
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use NCam
Customer profileNamed customers16 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
NCam technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration8 records
AI capability3 records
Feature6 records
NCam partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, minor and core.
- ZEISSflagshipNcam is now part of ZEISS as of July 2023. ZEISS introduced CinCraft Scenario camera tracking system built on Ncam's unique tracking technology at SIGGRAPH 2023. The partnership leverages ZEISS' expertise in lens data and their CinCraft ecosystem.
- SonyminorIBC 2022 exhibition partner. Sony booth showcased Ncam technology.
- disguiseminorIBC 2022 exhibition partner. disguise booth showcased Ncam technology.
- CVPminorIBC 2022 exhibition partner. CVP booth showcased Ncam technology.
- BrainstormminorIBC 2022 exhibition partner. Brainstorm booth showcased Ncam technology.
- VizrtcoreIntegration partnership for BBC Northern Ireland election coverage. Ncam Mk2 tracking system works with Viz Engine to create AR content. Real-time tracking data sent from Ncam to Vizrt for accurate graphics compositing.
- Epic GamescoreDeep integration with Unreal Engine 5. Ncam AR Suite plugin connects real-time tracking data to UE5. Support for Nanite geometry system, Lumen, and new lens distortion framework.
- Intel (RealSense)coreNcam Mk2 Camera Bar built on modified Intel RealSense hardware. Uses RealSense sensors for the camera tracking system.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
NCam competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- OptiTrack: Established US-based motion capture and tracking hardware vendor serving VFX, virtual production, and academic markets. While OptiTrack is more mocap-oriented than Ncam's hybrid tracking, it competes in LED volume and VP tracking RFPs with mature, multi-camera systems.
- Vicon: Long-established UK motion capture and tracking hardware vendor used extensively in feature film VFX and game cinematics. Vicon's optical tracking systems overlap with Ncam in high-end VFX and virtual production tracking, particularly where precise multi-camera tracking is required.
- Vizrt: Global leader in broadcast graphics whose Viz Engine integrates with Ncam for AR workflows but also competes broadly in virtual sets and AR graphics. As a much larger incumbent with broader broadcast reach, Vizrt is a partner-competitor in many Ncam deals.
Emerging players
- disguise: UK-based virtual production and xR stage technology company. While disguise is more focused on rendering, media servers, and LED volume orchestration, it is an increasingly overlapping ecosystem participant and partner-competitor to Ncam in ICVFX deployments.
- Boris FX / SynthEyes: SynthEyes is a leading post-production camera tracking software competing with Ncam in VFX-heavy workflows where real-time tracking is not required. Represents a partial substitute threat for Ncam's previs and post-production-adjacent use cases.
Direct peers
- Zero Density: Turkey/US virtual production and broadcast graphics company whose RealityHub platform includes camera tracking for virtual studios. Competes with Ncam in broadcast and live events, often bundled with Unreal Engine-based rendering.
- Pixotope: Norway-headquartered virtual production platform with integrated real-time tracking for broadcast and live events. Competes with Ncam by offering tracking as part of an end-to-end AR/XR graphics stack rather than as a standalone system.
- Mo-Sys Engineering: UK-based provider of StarTracker camera tracking and virtual production solutions. Directly competes with Ncam Reality in film/TV LED volume and broadcast AR use cases, and bundles tracking with remote production and virtual studio offerings.
- Stype Group: Croatia-based direct competitor in real-time broadcast camera tracking with RedSpy and Follower products. Targets the same live sports, news, and entertainment broadcast AR workflows as Ncam, and is one of the most cited head-to-head competitors in RFPs for major US and European broadcasters.
- TrackMen: German provider of professional camera tracking systems for broadcast and film. Directly competes with Ncam in European live broadcast AR and sports graphics, particularly within DACH region broadcasters.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
NCam social profiles
Digital presenceNCam compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
NCam financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
NCam leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
NCam funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
NCam M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about NCam
What does NCam do?
NCam develops and sells a real-time camera tracking system combining proprietary Mk2 hardware (Camera Bar, Server, Connection Box) with Ncam Reality software that delivers 6DOF tracking for virtual production in film, broadcast, and live events. The Ncam AR Suite and AR Suite Lite plugins extend the system into Unreal Engine 5 workflows for LED volumes, virtual studios, and broadcast graphics, with hardware sales and tiered software subscriptions as the commercial model.
Is NCam a public or private company?
NCam is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was NCam founded?
NCam was founded in 2012. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is NCam based?
NCam is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does NCam make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Hardware Sales are the primary driver. The others are software Subscriptions, AR Suite Licensing and equipment Rental.
Who are NCam's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are OptiTrack, Vicon and Vizrt. Emerging players are disguise and Boris FX / SynthEyes. Direct peers are Zero Density, Pixotope, Mo-Sys Engineering, Stype Group and TrackMen.
Does NCam have an API?
No public API is recorded for NCam.
What industry is NCam in?
NCam's product category is Virtual Production Camera Tracking Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPADAHAB, Virtual Production & LED Volume Services (Stage Ops, ICVFX, Real-Time Camera/Tracking), with a secondary code of MPAHADAL, VP Hardware: LED Panels, Processors, Media Servers & Render Nodes. Its NAICS code is 33431 and its SIC code is 7812.