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GLBBudget Motion Capture Options Worth Considering
0Article by Yuri Ilyin
Motion capture, or MoCap, is the process of high-resolution sampling (or recording) of movement of objects and/or people with consequent mapping of the acquired data to a 3D model.
This technology has long become a staple for major cinema production and game development, even though for quite some time it has been, and still is to a degree, expensive and challenging. A premium class motion capture process requires special equipment for capturing and storing data, special rooms, and, quite often, involves specialist actors trained to perform movements of particular kinds.
Clearly, a 12ft tall stone golem or a short-legged dwarf will move in a very different manner than an average human. So a professional actor needs to adjust their movements appropriately, to leave an impression of something large that weighs a ton, or something fast, and nimble, and short.
In fact, MoCap is quite often a source of income for stuntspeople, martial artists, and practitioners of historical fencing. In general, these are people of exceptional skill.
Just like many other things pertaining to computer graphics, MoCap experienced some level of democratisation, becoming more accessible to amateurs and professionals on a budget. With the advent of AI the MoCap tech has become even more affordable. Basically, a couple of decent smartphones may be enough for at least basic tasks, although this is a gross oversimplification.
But let us skim over the more budget offers. There are quite a few of them.
Plask
An AI-based tool for transforming 2D videos into 3D animations that appears to actually extract motion data mappable to a custom 3D model.
Developers claim that just one camera source is enough and no markers on the characters are needed. Compatible with Unreal, Unity, Maya, and Blender, it also offers automated lighting and camera controls, as well as Hollywood-grade post-processing. Animation data can be exported in FBX, GLB, and BVH formats.
Plask is offered as a subscription-based service starting at 18 dollars per month. There is also a free tier, but it is very limited. The daily limit is 15 seconds.
FreeMoCap
According to the project's description it 'began as a panicked attempt' during the Covid-19 pandemic, when Dr. John Matthis's original research plans collapsed due to the quarantines. Dr. Matthis is a professor studying human perceptual and motor neuroscience in Boston, MA.
His original plan was 'to create a tool that would make it possible to study the neural control of human movement without access to the expensive, specialized motion capture equipment of his official research lab.'
However, already early in development the project took a different turn. Now it is a large-scale public facing project, a non-profit one, and apparently donation-supported.
On the practical level it will require building a Python environment before deploying the software that runs locally, which is neat, but the whole process of installation and using FreeMoCap is documented well.
It is compatible with Unreal and Blender, at the very least. Markers are not necessary.
MocapForAll
This one promises MoCap using minimal setup. A middle-range PC, two or more webcams or smartphones, and a room sized 2.5 m by 2.5 m are ostensibly all that is needed. A PC with a GTX 1080 Ti GPU can do 30 to 60 fps.
The software supports export to BVH and FBX formats, as well as network streaming via VMT and VMC protocols. With receiver plugins it is possible to translate the motion to Unreal and Unity.
It is a commercial offering available on Steam for $119.99, which makes it affordable for on-a-budget users.
Flow Studio
Autodesk Flow Studio was formerly known as Wonder Studio before being purchased by Autodesk. In its present form it is a cloud-based AI-powered 3D toolset capable of transforming live-action footage into editable CG scenes.
Developers claim no markers and no complex setup are required, and that the scenes can be exported to Maya, Blender, Unreal Engine, and USD.
Just like many other Autodesk products, it is a subscription-based service starting at $10/month, although there is a limited free tier.
Move.ai
Move.AI offers a number of solutions for MoCap ranging from budget and free ones all the way to corporate-level multicamera systems, and lists Ubisoft and Sony among its clients.
The basic offering is Move One, a single-camera markerless solution that is capable of extracting motion data from any video and mapping it onto a custom model.
The tech is AI-powered and based on the custom model developed in-house.
By now the system allows full-body and finger movement capture, although there is no option to add a user-made custom rig so far. Move.AI utilizes their own.
DeepMotion Animate 3D
This is another AI-based MoCap-from-video tool that is capable of not only full-body and hand tracking but also facial tracking. There is also multi-person tracking in the beta stage.
The company lists Intel, Nvidia, MIT, Samsung, Epic, Qualcomm, and more among its partners, which looks encouraging.
Users are required to upload FBX, GLB, or VRM characters, or create them via the built-in editor. The AI will do the rest.
The software's features also include physics simulation, foot locking, hand to ground contact, and motion smoothing.
Prices start at $9/month, but an annual payment is required, making the actual minimum $108. Besides, it is a credits-based system where body poses or animations cost one credit per second. Not much.
A free tier exists, but only 25 credits per month are available.
Rokoko
Rokoko is a vendor of full-spectrum motion capture solutions that include smartsuits, gloves, and much more. The full complex costs north of 4,000 dollars.
But there is also Rokoko Studio, which includes AI MoCap tools. The software itself is free and has plugins for real-time integration with Blender, Houdini, Unity, Unreal, Maya, Cinema 4D, Reallusion, and MotionBuilder.
The catch is that the fully featured version is a subscription-based service that costs $50/month with an annual commitment. An economy-level version is $20/month, , whereas the free Starter tier is limited to 15 seconds of video recording.
Blender
Blender is not exactly a MoCap tool per se, but it has fairly powerful motion tracking. With some preparation and fiddling it is possible to use Blender for at least basic MoCap routines.
Besides, it is compatible with most of the software listed above, and together they work well.
Conclusion
It is hard to forecast exactly where things go next, but for now the AI-based markerless MoCap looks like the most probable way forward.
Free and low-cost systems are unlikely to replace dedicated hardware and software for now, but there is more and more room for affordable solutions as they become increasingly capable.
Still, high-fidelity facial MoCap will likely require dedicated equipment, at least for the time being, and you can stay informed on its progress by subscribing to the RenderHub Blog.
