http://www.inition.co.uk

Inside Inition

Inition is the story how four young British entrepreneurs with a passion for 3D graphics went to annual sales of £1m in just two and a half years. Inition provides its customers with a range of virtual reality (a.k.a. VizSim) and graphics products and services. For the founders, Stuart Cupit, James Gant, Chris Sutton, and Andy Millns, the passion for 3D began early.

 Andy Millns, for instance, was experimenting with 3D applications on his PC when he was a youngster – even converting an old winter glove into his own virtual reality device! His interest grew into an ambition when he read Howard Rheingold's Virtual Reality (1991) at the age of 14. With a degree in Computer Science and Advanced Graphics from Leeds University, Andy was on his way.

Meanwhile, Christopher Sutton's interest in the field developed whilst finishing his first degree in Zoology. Studies of leaf cutter ants in the jungles of Central America led to his first experiments with visualization. The new interest took over and Christopher traded cutter ants for a Masters in Computer Graphics and Animation. And that's more-or-less the way it was for the other James and Stuart (except for the ants). All four Inition founders worked with another virtual reality firm before deciding to strike out on their own in 2001. At first they shared cramped quarters with another company, but things were soon looking up.

With the prices for 3D graphics tools dropping, and the capabilities growing by leaps and bounds, virtual reality is an exciting business to be in these days. As 3D becomes an increasingly economical option for a whole range of industries, the demand for it is going up. Inition does stereoscopic 3D presentation work for corporate clients, supplies medical and research facilities and, of course, the entertainment industry. The Inition team especially enjoy bringing virtual reality "to the masses." 

"Most people have never seen this before, but when they do, they don't forget it," says creative director Andy Millns. "This is what I like most about this work."

Today Inition occupies a spacious converted warehouse space in London's Shoreditch, an area which is home to many of the UK's leading creative companies. They boast an impressive (and growing) list of clients. Inition's customers appreciate that they are approachable and informed and often call on them to learn about the latest developments in 3D technology. It's no surprise then that Inition knew about IRIDAS and its cutting-edge stereoscopic playback software (see Starlight Express story). "We are impressed with their playback technology, but what we appreciated most about IRIDAS was how quickly they responded to our needs," according to James Gant, Inition's technical director. "

"Working with IRIDAS felt more like a collaboration than a vendor-client relationship. We like that because that is the way we like to work with our own customers."

Indeed it could be the beginning of a long relationship between the two young and growing companies. "We look forward to working with IRIDAS in the future, says managing director Stuart Cupit. They're doing great stuff and they seem to be a natural fit for us."

Part of the Inition team pose in full stereoscopic regalia (left to right):

Andy Millns, Christopher Sutton, Jeff Ferguson, Patrick Daly

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