Racetrace Virtual Race Engine

Description	As VP of Graphic Systems Development at RaceTrace (2000-2001), I led all system design and development efforts to create the data visualization components and end-user applications of the RaceTrace system, a real-time tracking technology platform for capturing data from live events, most notably horse-racing. Our goal was to deliver racing fans a new kind of remote virtual experience of horse-racing live over the Internet – a real-time, interactive recreation of actual races. In particular, a key aim was to capture the younger demographic that had grown up playing video games, and introduce them to horse racing through gaming technology. To demonstrate this personalized multimedia experience to clients and investors, I developed an interactive browser-based prototype of the “Virtual Race Engine”, the game-engine technology underlying the application. Data from the tracking system was delivered to the engine and converted into a form suitable to drive the CG animation of horses around the track. A just-in-time data handling sub-system ensured that all horse models and jockey colors (uniforms) were accurate to the race about to take place. The first four images in the gallery are screenshots of the interactive prototype in action. Besides various graphical indicators showing the running order and other important race data, users could interact with the race using a set of controls to: • Select any of the horses to be their chosen horse (highlighting the horse by color, and/or showing a floating marker above the horse) • Highlight the (betting) Favorite • Pick from several different camera views (including “Be the Jockey” -- the user could experience being on the horse, in the race) • Pause the race, and replay the action forward and back in slow motion The last image in the gallery is a high-level systems diagram of the Virtual Race Engine, illustrating the various sub-systems involved.

Description

As VP of Graphic Systems Development at RaceTrace (2000-2001), I led all system design and development efforts to create the data visualization components and end-user applications of the RaceTrace system, a real-time tracking technology platform for capturing data from live events, most notably horse-racing.

Our goal was to deliver racing fans a new kind of remote virtual experience of horse-racing live over the Internet – a real-time, interactive recreation of actual races. In particular, a key aim was to capture the younger demographic that had grown up playing video games, and introduce them to horse racing through gaming technology.

To demonstrate this personalized multimedia experience to clients and investors, I developed an interactive browser-based prototype of the “Virtual Race Engine”, the game-engine technology underlying the application. Data from the tracking system was delivered to the engine and converted into a form suitable to drive the CG animation of horses around the track. A just-in-time data handling sub-system ensured that all horse models and jockey colors (uniforms) were accurate to the race about to take place.

The first four images in the gallery are screenshots of the interactive prototype in action. Besides various graphical indicators showing the running order and other important race data, users could interact with the race using a set of controls to: • Select any of the horses to be their chosen horse (highlighting the horse by color, and/or showing a floating marker above the horse) • Highlight the (betting) Favorite • Pick from several different camera views (including “Be the Jockey” -- the user could experience being on the horse, in the race) • Pause the race, and replay the action forward and back in slow motion

The last image in the gallery is a high-level systems diagram of the Virtual Race Engine, illustrating the various sub-systems involved.