PUPPET MAGICPull those Strings

Types of Moton Capture Systems

As motion capture technology developed, several uniquely different types of motion capture systems evolved. The types of motion capture input systems are: mechanical, magnetic, and optical.

Mechanical:

Performer wears a human-shaped set of straight metal pieces (like a very basic skeleton) that is hooked onto the performer’s back; as the performer moves, this exoskeleton is forced to move as well and sensors in each joint feel the rotations. What is the apparatus? I t basically a large joystick. And this joystick is attaches to the body of the performer and moves according to the movement of the performer.

Advantage: no interference from light, well that removes the worry of wondering whether there will be a necessity for dim lighting , and from magnetic fields.

Disadvantage:

a) the technology has no awareness of ground, so please no aerobics no jumping, and moreover the data sometimes look like the performer was literally being swept of his/her feet.

b) equipment must be calibrated often

c) unless there is some other type of sensor in place, it does not know which way the performer’s body is pointing, resulting in the possibility if the person doing the post production doesn’t have the original video there is a great chance the character will end facing the wrong direction and creating many a red face.

d) absolute positions are not known but are calculated from the rotations

Optical:

Performer wears reflective dots that are followed by several cameras and the information is triangulated between them. Markers are either reflective, such as a system manufactured by Vicon or Motion Analysis, or infra-red emitting, many of which have been developed for musical applications (such as conducting). Developed primarily for sports injuries, analysis of athletic performance, games, animation, etc. New developments are allowing for real-time capture and work with animals.

Advantages:

a) performer feels free to move due to no cables connecting body to the equipment

b) larger volumes possible

c) more performers are possible

d) very clean, detailed data

Disadvantages:

a) It is prone to light interference

b) reflective dots can be blocked by performers or other structures, causing loss of data, or occlusion-this can be compensated for with software which estimates the position of a missing dot

c) rotations of body parts must be solved for and are not absolute

d) information has to be post-processed or ‘tracked’ before viewing so performer cannot see his or her image and so cannot be as creative or identify potential problems (a hand hitting a giant nose, for example)

e) higher cost than magnetic

Magnetic:

Performer wears an array of magnetic receivers which track location with respect to a static magnetic transmitter. Magnetic was used for the military, to track head movements of pilots. This type of motion capture is layered with animation from other input devices.

Advantages:

a) positions are absolute, rotations are measured absolutely; orientation in space can be determined, which is very useful,

b) can be real-time, which allows immediate broadcast as well as the opportunity for performers to puppeteer themselves with instantaneous feedback (more spontaneity in the performance)

c) relatively cheaper than optical

Disadvantages:

a) magnetic distortion occurs as distance increases

b) data can be noisy – it’s not as good as optical

c) prone to interference from magnetic fields – cement floors usually contain metal, so stages must be built

d) performers wear cables connecting them to a computer, which limits their freedom

e) sampling speed too low for many sports applications

In conclusion, as modern day motion capture has matured, optical and magnetic systems have proven to be the more popular systems. But the main disadvantage to magnetic systems is that they require wires and transmitter to be placed on the performer, which prevent him to move freely. Optical systems don’t have this problem, so they are the choice of most people in the entertainment industry.

About the Author

A Motion Capture Assistant of InnerEsteem Motion capture Studios

Skeleton Monster 2 – Return Of The Bird

Playmobil Lion with Skeleton $7.99 …

Crafty Kids Puppet Craft Kit – Glow-in-the-Dark Skeleton $21.62 A glow in the dark Skeleton puppet kit from the award winning Crafty Kids.  The kit comes with everything you need to construct and paint the puppet. This is a great gift idea for children who love to be creative. Includes: Spotted container, cardboard tubes, wooden ball, pipe cleaners, cotton ball, wooden dowel with threading tag, black threading tag, glow in the dark stickers, black paint, …

The Corpse Bride 12 Fashion Doll $16.99 Corpse Bride Fashion Doll. Corpse Bride carries on the dark, romantic tradition of Tim Burton’s classic films. Set in a 19th Century European village, Corpse Bride is a stop-motion animated film that follows the story of Victor, a young man who is whisked away to the underworld and wed to a mysterious Corpse Bride, while his real bride, Victoria, waits bereft in the land of the living. Highly deta…

Gunstringer $39.99 He’s a skeleton cowboy mariote on the bloody vengeance trailControl his every step gallop and pull of the trigger with Kinect as gamers face off against nefarious villains through 5 handcrafted old west worldsPlay with friends through same-screen co-op multiplay and even fill foes full of lead while sitting downMultiplayer in-room co-op bines solo platforming and shooting mechanics into fun petiti…

LEGO Castle Brickmaster (Lego Brickmaster) $16.24 Lego has brought building bricks and books together in this fantastic set. With more than 140 Lego bricks and two mini figures, anyone can build to their hearts content. The hardcover book features easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions on how to build castle or pirate models. Or, young builders can come up with their own fantasy castles or pirate lairs for the ages! Features: Makes 13 amazing …

Skeleton Rack-12spaces $130.99 SKELETON RACK-12SPACES

Skeleton Rack-16spaces $153.99 SKELETON RACK-16SPACES

Skeleton Rack-20ru-26deep $184.99 SKELETON RACK-20RU-26DEEP

Skeleton Rack-24u-26deep $184.99 SKELETON RACK-24U-26DEEP

Social Distortion Skeleton Sticker $4.99 SKELETON – STICKER

Machine Head Skeleton Sticker $4.99 SKELETON – STICKER

Skeleton $14.9 1 2 3 Lets go!

Blink 182 Skeleton Sticker $4.99 BLINK 182 SKELETON STICKER

Slash Skeleton Sticker $4.99 SLASH SKELETON STICKER

The Misfits Candleabra And Skeleton Sticker $4.99 CANDLEABRA AND SKELETON – STICKER

Skeleton Rack 12u-26deep $159.99 SKELETON RACK 12U-26DEEP