For Fox Sports, the Biggest Challenge in New NASCAR Virtual Studio Is the Infinite Possibilities Graphics execs discuss the opportunities and challenges in using Epic Games' Unreal Engine By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital
Friday, November 9, 2018 - 1:54 pm
Print This Story
Story Highlights
Last month, Fox Sports dropped jaws across the sports-video industry when it unveiled plans for a new virtual studio for its NASCAR coverage driven by the Unreal Engine software system developed by Epic Games, the gaming company best-known for the wildly popular Fortnite online game.
The super-flexible and customizable 60- x 60-ft. facility can generate 3D racetracks, cars, shops, pit rows, and more, taking the concept of an augmented-reality or virtual-studio space into a new stratosphere.
Fox Sports' virtual studio for NASCAR coverage will debut at the start of the racing season.
Although the set won't debut until the beginning of the 2019 NASCAR season, Fox Sports graphics execs are hard at work running the system through tests in preparation for the on-air debut in February. It's an extremely daunting task but one that top executives seem to be enthusiastic about.
The biggest challenge is that the opportunities are endless for us, says Michael Dolan, SVP, design and creative services, Fox Sports. Every time we sit down and talk about a concept that we want to do for the set, it turns into 10 other things that we want to do. Then you talk to production, and they have their ideas. It's fun, but it can spiral out of control.
It's a major graphics effort, so Fox Sports brass, even up to President Eric Shanks, wanted to ensure that it was truly innovative and, frankly, worth the effort.
The real challenge, says Gary Hartley, EVP, graphics and creative services, Fox Sports, was that, if the former set had a touchscreen in the physical world and all we're doing is re-creating that touchscreen, then we've failed. So we needed to know what the pieces of the show are and figure out how can we reestablish that reality and present that information in a different way.
According to Fox Sports SVP, Graphics/Integration, Zac Fields, the new set isn't a huge obstacle for the tech and operations folks working behind the scenes: rehearsals have shown a relatively seamless transition.
From a production standpoint, a lot of the workflow is the same, says Fields. While [the crew] may not necessarily see the real output, [camera operators] do have it in their viewfinders. They will be able to see the return of the virtual set and see the composite. In the control room, the workflow is completely the same [as with the physical set]. The way the cameras track, the automation systems we use, and even the graphical playlist elements are the same.
There has been a lot of work, he continues, that we've had to do behind the scenes getting our artists up to speed and trained on the software, along with our software-engineering team. We need to create applications to bridge the gap between creation and playout.
As for those that might be the most affected, the show's on-air talent, a lot of work has already been done to prep those folks for working in a vastly different environment from the physical set they've come to know.
The biggest challenge with our talent was, obviously, how are they going to react when they are in just a large green room? says Hartley. Part of the effort was to reorient their focus to the composited playback, so they know where they are in the space and what they should be reacting to. Surprisingly, it was pretty smooth.
Adds Fields, There was a huge amount of optimism from the talent. They were really excited to try something new. They recognized, immediately, the possibilities that are there with this. They are all in on it.
In the months leading up to the set's debut next year, the minds behind it will continue to tinker, but perhaps the most important takeaway is that this will remain, at least for the short term, a work in progress.
Day 1 is only Day 1, says Hartley. We need to have a constant and evolving vision of where we want to go with the technology. We're never settling. However, we also have to manage the expectations of directors and producers that want to do everything on the first day.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
14/11/2026
Marcelo Dai's Live Session Captured with URSA Cine Immersive
Brie Clayton November 14, 2026
0 Comments
Artist takes viewers on an immersive journe...
14/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
14/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
14/11/2026
Newest Lenses, Horizon Anamorphic Seminar & Guided Lens Character Experience Highlight Creative Possibilities
At the 2026 Toru CAMERIMAGE Film Festival, ZEISS...
14/11/2026
Sonnet Announces Black Friday Sale on Select Products
Brie Clayton November 14, 2026
0 Comments
WHAT: Sonnet Technologies is having a sale on a select...
14/11/2026
Berklee Alumni Shine at the 2026 Latin Grammy Awards This year's winners included songwriters, engineers, and performers who contributed to acclaimed reco...
13/11/2026
The UIM E1 Series wraps its third season this week with the Bombay Sapphire E1 Miami GP, Nov. 11-14, on Biscayne Bay at the Miami Seaplane Base on Watson Island...
13/11/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
13/11/2026
Singer-songwriter Benson Boone will headline entertainment for the Discover NHL Winter Classic between the Utah Mammoth and Colorado Avalanche at Rice-Eccles St...
13/11/2026
Blackmagic Design has announced the Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone, a 7th order ambisonic microphone array that captures spatial audio for immersive video prod...
13/11/2026
SMPTE has announced that The Studio B&H and Riedel Communications will provide the video infrastructure and communications technology for the Solutions Hub at t...
13/11/2026
The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) has announced the theme and program focus for the 2027 HPA Tech Retreat, which takes place Feb. 14-18, 2027, in La ...
13/11/2026
Football Manager 27 Touch is available on Apple Arcade starting today. The game ...
13/11/2026
MotoGP has announced a two-year media rights agreement with ESPN covering the Un...
13/11/2026
Apple Sports, the free iPhone app, has added the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to its lineup of supported sports, in time for Saturday's UFC 334. The...
13/11/2026
The NBA and Fanatics Studios, the joint venture between Fanatics and entertainme...
13/11/2026
ESPN held its annual EDGE Innovation Conference last night and offered up an ove...
13/11/2026
Regional sports network gives Ithaca College, SUNY Cortland students a platform to thrive
One of the biggest games in Division III college football will be pla...
13/11/2026
Studer-inspired 500-series PWM compressor unveiled
The HLabs range already includes a couple of Studer-inspired offerings in the form of the PRE169 and EQ16...
13/11/2026
Download Now!
To view the white paper, please enter the following details:
--
First Name* First Name
Company*
Country* Please select your countryA...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Blue Lucy, the workflow orchestration and integration platform for broadcasters, rights owners and localisation companies, today announced an integration with c...
13/11/2026
Krotos announces Black Friday offers on Studio Pro and Studio Max
Brie Clayton November 12, 2026
0 Comments
First-year annual plans start at US$195.99...
13/11/2026
Blackmagic Design Announces Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone
Brie Clayton November 12, 2026
0 Comments
New 7th order ambisonic microphone with 108 MEMS...
13/11/2026
Meet the Berklee Student Setting Planetary Motion to Music With his compositional platform SoniKosmos, Javier Roqueni aims to make the universe the ultimate i...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , er...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , er...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Amagi, the media industry cloud company, today announced a partnership with Golden Times Media Technology (stock code 920021.BJ), a Beijing-based media and tech...
13/11/2026
CGI (TSX: GIB.A) (NYSE: GIB), one of the largest independent IT and business consulting services firms in the world, together with its Malaysian partner, Cedar ...
13/11/2026
SMPTE, the home for media professionals, technologists and engineers, today announced that The Studio B&H and Riedel Communications will provide the video infra...
13/11/2026
iWedia, a global leader in connected TV software solutions, will present its software-first approach to DRAM optimization at Android TV APAC Summit 2026 in Bang...
13/11/2026
Beginning today, November 13, Apple HomeView is available for purchase at Apple Store locations, on the Apple Store online, and in the Apple Store app in select...
13/11/2026
From pediatric research to smart hospitals, AI is helping care teams spend less time on routine tasks and more time with patients.
Health systems and startups...
12/11/2026
Industry leaders examine how Dynamic Media Facility, Media eXchange Layer, and c...
12/11/2026
The junior Tar Heel is embracing the technical and creative challenges of live production while emerging as a leader and mentor in the control room...
12/11/2026
Gracenote, Nielsen's content intelligence business, has released its fifth a...
12/11/2026
RTL Deutschland will bring the NHL to free-to-air TV in Germany starting Nov. 30...
12/11/2026
Clear-Com supported On Air 2026, a 24-hour student-led broadcast connecting 45 u...
For Fox Sports, the Biggest Challenge in New NASCAR Virtual Studio Is the Infinite Possibilities Graphics execs discuss the opportunities and challenges in using Epic Games' Unreal Engine By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital 
