"Snakehead" films James Bond dogfight footage
The Concord office of SolidWorks Corp. said today that its 3D computer-aided software was used to design an aerial periscope that has filmed footage for a dogfight sequence in an upcoming James Bond movie, "Quantum of Solace."
The periscope is called "Snakehead," and it was designed by SpaceCam Systems Inc. in collaboration with engineers from another California company Ballista Inc., SolidWorks said.
With a 360-degree remotely controlled spherical range of view, the patented Snakehead is the first plane-mounted gyroscopically stabilized periscope, compatible with various movie and HD cameras and providing super high quality resolution, SolidWorks said.
In filming footage for the new Bond movie, which features Daniel Craig (left) as Bond, a Piper Aerostar 700 with Snakeheads on the nose and tail filmed two planes in a aerial chase sequence and dogfight, SolidWorks said.
With the Snakehead, "pilots for the first time can fly as aggressively as they dare without sacrificing the drama of the shot," SolidWorks said in a statement.
SolidWorks' parent company of Dassault Systemes S.A., a French company that develops and markets software for design, analysis, and product data management.
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)