MOTION CAPTURE - A (very) quick primer
What is Motion Capture?
The process of recording the 3D movement of objects or people
How it's achieved
Actors wear small reflective sensors, often on the joints, that are then tracked by a number of cameras over time.
Location & movement data is captured from image sensors on the cameras, to triangulate the 3D position of a subject or subjects.
Motion Capture Software
- Blender - Free & Open source!
- Adobe Character Animator
- Adobe After Effects
- Snap Camera
- Snap Camera Lens Studio (for developers)
Some examples of Motion Capture
Animation & Gaming:
Big-budget feature films:
Some advantages of Motion Capture
- Real time previewing - More feedback can enhance an actor’s performance
- Provides the ability to capture complex movement and realistic physical interactions
- MOCAP Can reduce post-production costs when compared to keyframe-based animation
Some challenges in Motion Capture
- MOCAP can be VERY expensive - The cost of hardware, software, and personnel can be prohibitive for smaller productions
- “Fix it in Post” doesn’t work as well in this medium - When problems occur, it’s sometimes easier to reshoot rather than manipulate already-captured data