Green Hippo Adopt SPNet Integration into Hippotizer Products Green Hippo recently integrated Stage Precision's SPNet protocol into its Hippotizer media server products, expanding the capabilities of both hardware and software offerings. "Together with the product manager, we determine the direction of the product: what to add and why," explains Zep Mouris, Hippotizer product architect at Green Hippo. "The product manager focuses on the user point of view, whilst I focus on the tech point of view and help the developers implement the features we need to offer the most value. I see my role as a bridge between the product manager and development, making sure we deliver features effectively." Hippotizer is a software suite that is deployed on five different media server models and is also available as a standalone software-only product for planning and pre-programming. Hippotizer supports both 2D and 3D workflows, with SPNet integrated into the 3D workflow tool SHAPE, which is used for designing, previsualizing and executing project mapping activations. The Green Hippo product team had been aware of Stage Precision and its software for years, following its installations and the adoption of SP as a creative tool within the industry. As Mouris notes, "We've been making a big push on new hardware and accompanying software at Green Hippo. We saw the uptake of SP in recent years, and more recently, we had the chance to add new features and integrations. We knew we wanted to partner up with Stage Precision and create something cool." SP by Stage Precision provides a range of powerful workflow tools for camera calibration, lens correction, automation and sensor-based tracking. These tools act as a unifier between hardware and software, enabling both automation and creative control in ways not previously possible. SPNet is Stage Precision's own protocol which can be used to communicate with SP software tools. Through integration of SPNet into the Hippotizer, Green Hippo's products can now be incorporated into the SP workflow and benefit from the platform's rich feature set. "The integration with SP allows us to leverage extra tools for lens calibration and other advanced features. The user workflow becomes more creative with the capabilities of connecting sensors and creating automation," continues Mouris. "It enables Hippotizer users to deliver more creative projects and opens up a more visual way for our customers to deliver custom experiences using our media server products." While traditional automation tracking tools remain useful, SPNet adds advanced functionality for lens calibration and complex sensor-driven workflows. This allows Green Hippo to deliver solutions that are both technically sophisticated and creatively flexible, the company says. For users, the new SPNet integration allows for advanced visualisation and automation of their projection mapping workflows from SHAPE, enabling them to create highly customized experiences that leverage the full power of the Hippotizer product range. This integration has already been deployed in a recent project with a long-term customer. The client required precise camera calibration and advanced mixed reality support, particularly focused on obtaining precise camera tracking data. Hippotizer with the new SPNet integration allowed the client to achieve superior tracking and lens calibration that other solutions alone could not deliver, the company says. "The integration of SPNet aligned perfectly with a customer's projection mapping project," says Mouris. "We prototyped, tested, and finally integrated SPNet. The client then utilised SP for tracking and lens calibration, and our integration allowed all data to come together in one automated workflow, including data from our SHAPE 3D projection mapping tool and Notch." From a development standpoint, the integration itself was efficient. SP provided documentation that simplified the programming process, allowing Mouris and the team to incorporate SPNet into the Hippotizer product line more quickly than anticipated. Green Hippo sees the SPNet integration as a step toward deeper integration within the AV and experience creation ecosystem. "As a manufacturer, the market needs to drive value, and it needs to allow users to do something they couldn't do before," confirms Mouris. "Being able to do more with tracking and automation data is just the beginning." Green Hippo is now exploring the development of an SP Grid Extension Plug-in to further simplify integration of their products within show-control setups, and to break down barriers between software, hardware and creativity. The SPNet integration shows that the Green Hippo product team is dedicated to meeting the evolving demands of creators and live experience professionals. "It's a tool for creativity," concludes Mouris. "I see it as a glue between different products which allows them to connect in ways that add real-world value." 
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