‘FC Schalke 04’ realizes virtual Veltins Arena through 3D developer Bitmanagement

Traditional soccer club orders 3D model of its stadium / 3D model becomes platform for stadium box management, merchandising, e-commerce and much more / Online model offers walk-in accessibility and enables entrance for fans to all stadium sites / Bitmanagement was selected for 3D model development and visualization versus strong international competition / Bitmanagement is also involved in the development of the 3D television of the future with the example of soccer

After the eventful history of the former ‘Glückauf-Kampfbahn’ in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, which was modernized for the world cup to the ‘Park stadium’ in 1974, the arena could no longer fulfill the expectations of a modern soccer stadium. The traditional soccer club ‘FC Schalke 04’ then received, after multiple planning phases, a new stadium, the ‘Veltins-Arena’ for Schalke. This Arena was completed in August in 2001 after an almost three-year-long construction period and is considered nowadays as one of the most modern stadiums in Europe. Now, a virtual three-dimensional model of the Veltins Arena, with which the ‘FC Schalke 04’ completely entered the modern 3D marketing age, was developed by the 3D Software developing company Bitmanagement from the upper Bavarian town Berg near Munich.

The demand of the client for the software developer was versatile and challenging. The virtual 3D arena should be interactive, walk-in accessible, online-ready to be available through the Internet and thus accessible for everybody, display all details of the arena in high definition and with life-like images, and must thus be in outstanding image quality. Also, the client demanded the possibility that further developing steps in the future could be undertaken in the form of so-called Avatars – whether they are virtual stewards or stewardesses – that could lead the visitor through the Veltins Arena. The 3D software developer Bitmanagement Software GmbH was able to outrun other strong international competition due to the fact that the performance profile of the company with their ‘content construction’ and their own 3D software could fulfill the demands of Schalke 04. And so, the upper Bavarian software provider was selected by the management of ‘FC Schalke 04’.

With the ability of the model of the Veltins Arena to be used online, the club will be able to manage the selling of their seats and boxes more efficiently in the future, which includes offering, distribution and reservation with full transparency of all bookings. On top of that, the club wants to bundle their merchandise activities on the platform, and thus strengthen the area of e-commerce. And certainly, the virtual Veltins Arena will fulfill a secret dream to many a fan that once desire to enter the Arena through the player’s tunnel and to enjoy the feeling that only players get to feel when the eyes of thousands of fans are directed towards you.

The UEFA gave the Veltins-Arena the status of an elite stadium, with which the arena is allowed to host final games of the UEFA Champions League as well as the UEFA Europe League. The arena is able to hold up to 62 000 people for soccer games. But this multifunctional stadium also serves as a venue for concerts and opera productions, as well as the biathlon that takes place regularly. For such events, the viewer capacity of the stadium can be increased to even hold almost 80 000 people.

• Capacity: 61,127
• Seats: 44,813
• Stance: 16,214
• Capacity during international games: 53,334
• Opening: 13th of August 2001
• Cost: 192 million Euros

On top of the visualization of stadiums, Bitmanagement is currently engaged in a development project that is co-financed by the EC, in which as an application example, soccer players are tracked from 16 different cameras in the stadium and displayed as avatars in real-time and in video quality. This is an example of soccer as a scenario for the 3D television development of the future. For more information, go to:

FINE project http://www.projectfine.eu

FINE video http://vimeo.com/bitmanagement

Press
i.A. Norbert Böcker
Bitmanagement Software GmbH
Oberlandstrasse 26, D-82335 Berg

Tel.: 08151-97170-8
Mobile: 0171-3337719
norbert.boecker@bitmanagement.de
www.bitmanagement.de

About Bitmanagement Software GmbH

Bitmanagement is a provider of multimedia software with a focus on online interactive 3D visualization. The multimedia technology for 2D/3D, audio and video is real-time and Internet-ready. Based on the ISOstandard formats VRML/X3D, CityGML and COLLADA, and Java, it allows an Interactive visualization of concepts and products.

Bitmanagement develops and markets a product portfolio of visualization software, which is composed of visualization software (BS Contact VRML / X3D, MPEG-4, Geo, Stereo and Mobile), documentation (BS SDK Package) for animation and different programming tools up to Workflow optimization such as BS Encrypt.

Besides software development the company specializes on content production. The focus is here on creation of interactive online capable 3D models - mainly high resolution city models – based on a cost efficient offshore team of 3D artists.

Bitmanagement was founded in 2002 by three former employees of the Blaxxun Interactive AG, Munich. The company achieved sales growth and positive results in 2011 and is "cash flow positive" since its founding.

Bitmanagement is a board member of the "Web3D Consortium" (USA), which is responsible for the standardization and dissemination of 3D ISO standards for the Internet. Bitmanagement is also simultaneously a member of the" 3D Consortium "for the dissemination of stereoscopic visualization.

More information at: http://www.bitmanagement.com
Company Profile at: http://www.bitmanagement.de/en/company/profile