Lightstorm Vision, James Cameron’s 3D production studio, has acquired STEREOTEC, a 3D camera maker that’s powered a number of films and multi-camera immersive concerts.
Details of the deal are still under wraps, however Lightstorm Vision says the acquisition will help integrate Stereotec’s technology directly into its 3D production pipeline, enabling capture, processing, and delivery of 3D video.
“By capturing consistent ‘ground truth’ depth data at the source, the technology unlocks downstream automation, AI processing, and the scalable 3D workflows that Lightstorm Vision is bringing to cinematic, broadcast, and immersive platforms,” the companies say in a press statement.
Stereotec is most recently known for providing the camera tech behind 3D concert ‘Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour’, which Lightstorm says was one the “largest and most complex live 3D capture deployments ever executed,” having included more than 17 stereo camera systems (34 cameras) across fiber and RF into a unified pipeline under live tour conditions.
That sort of tight integration allowed editorial teams to begin cutting synchronized 3D multi-cam footage while the performance was still underway, the studio says, something aimed at reducing reliance on post-production reconstruction and lengthy editing times.
“Capturing accurate depth at the source produces results no downstream process can recover after the fact—and provides the foundation for the scalable, production-ready 3D workflows Lightstorm Vision is establishing as the new standard across cinematic, broadcast, and immersive platforms,” the studio says.
Established in 2024 as Lightstorm Entertainment’s dedicated 3D studio, Lightstorm Vision’s stereoscopic tech has supported over 27 feature films, 9 concert films, and 140 sports broadcasts worldwide, generating in excess of $8 billion in global box office. It also most recently struck a multi-year deal with Meta to produce spatial content across multiple genres, including live events and full-length entertainment.
Founded near Munich by stereographer and engineer Dr. Florian Maier in 1997, Stereotec produces precision-engineered 3D rigs, having supported feature films including Ang Lee’s Gemini Man (2019) and Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk (2016), Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two (2024), as well as immersive titles for Quest and Apple Vision Pro. To date, the company holds twelve Lumiere Awards from the Advanced Imaging Society for excellence in stereoscopic 3D production.
