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ABOUT US

"DAE-Research offers an attractive information service for organizations facing challenges, for which game technology might offer a solution"

DAE-Research is the research cell of the bachelor study program Digital Arts and Entertainment of Howest Kortrijk, where both demand-driven applied research projects and applied research projects on its own initiative are set up.

The research projects are oriented on exploring new game, VFX, animation & film technology (hard- and software) and transferring that knowledge to the bachelor program as well as companies in different sectors. Besides entertainment purposes, technology can be used in multiple ways to stimulate innovation tracks in companies, social-profit organizations as well as a partner in research consortia.

What is applied research? Scientific findings from university and other research labs, combined with experts’ experiences in the respective professional field and expectations of the envisioned end users, are creatively translated into innovative solutions and prototypes. This offers a surplus value for achieving the goals within the industry and/or social impact.

In addition to projects on demand, DAE-Research also conducts exploratory research on its own initiative. Hereby, the potential surplus value of new technology, whether this is hardware or software, is mapped out to work out innovative solutions for the various sectors.

Recent research topics are linked to our 6 majors within the DAE bachelor program: game development, game graphics production, independent game production, interactive sound production, VFX and 3D animation.

Research topics include immersive technology (VR/AR) and metaverse, spatial computing, applied games, artificial intelligence, conversational AI, motion capture, immersive sound, pose estimation and body tracking, procedural 3D content and automation (Houdini, photogrammetry, …)

Do contact us for more information on project ideas.

OUR LATEST REEL

HIGHLIGHTED USE CASES

Virtual link: watch cross-platform in VR
We developed a collaborative platform with the Unity game engine with which a supervisor can support the person wearing a virtual reality headset with his tablet or smartphone. We have the option to watch from a first person perspective or to choose a position in the virtual space. This prototype shows how we can easily interact with multiple users within an isolated experience such as virtual reality, even without having to wear a headset.
Panamarenko AR
Panamarenko AR Trail is an augmented reality proof of concept developed as part of the Proeftuin Media XR & 5G project. In collaboration with the Panamarenko Foundation and researchers from the Immersive Lab (AP Hogeschool), DAE Research explored how AR technology can be used to connect people with cultural heritage in a more direct and location-based way.
Lumicrowd
Lumicrowd is a proof of concept that emerged within the Proeftuin Media XR & 5G project from a student group work assignment and explored new forms of collective audience interaction at live events. The concept started with a simple question: at concerts, sport matches, and large gatherings, visual effects are often focused on stage screens or lighting rigs, but the audience itself remains a passive observer. What if every attendee could become part of the visual show?
Component based shape synthesis
Component based shape synthesis can be useful to facilitate rapid design exploration and reuse of existing 3D models. There is enormous potential in this technique to expand 3D content libraries or even simply to divide existing models into modular components.

CONTACT US

Vicky Vermeulen – Research manager
vicky.vermeulen@howest.be

Jan Pauly – Project manager
jan.pauly@howest.be

Howest Campus The Level
Digital Arts & Entertainment

Botenkoperstraat 2
8500 Kortrijk
Belgium

Howest Campus The Square
Digital Arts & Entertainment Research Lab

Luipaardstraat 12A
8550 Kortrijk
Belgium