MotionCapture
Latest
Hack turns Kinect into 3D video capture tool
We all knew this would inevitably happen, but seeing it in action is something else -- the Kinect transformed by the power of open-source drivers into a true 3D video camera for capturing oneself. UC Davis visualization researcher Oliver Kreylos fed the streams from his peripheral's infrared and color cameras into a custom program that interpolated and reconstructed the result, generating a mildly mindblowing 3D virtual reality environment he can manipulate at will. And if it makes him look a little bit like the proficiently penciled protagonists in Take On Me, that's just the cherry on top. Don't miss the videos after the break to see what we're talking about.
Motion capture game teaches tween girls to avoid the come-ons of boys from the Metaverse
The University of Central Florida has been awarded a $434k grant to develop a video game for tween girls. The game, which is still in development, is apparently designed to allow girls to "practice" rejecting peer pressure from boys for sex and make outs. Of course, the only natural way to immerse the player in such a game is to put her into a motion capture suit, where her jittery marionette of an avatar is surrounded by the most diabolical 3D models of teenage males obtainable on that $434k budget -- if it was paid to Neal Stephenson in 1992. "It's a place to practice where there aren't any social consequences," says Professor Anne Norris, who is heading the project. But who will protect them from the psychological consequences, Anne? And will there be any escape from the meta-virus? Check out the unintentionally hilarious video after the break.
VideoMocap creates 3D animation from any 2D clip (video)
If you've ever used a video editing program, you might be familiar with the concept of "keyframes," which define the beginning and end of a particular segment. Seeing where you came from and where you're going, the computer literally guesses what's in between, and creates smooth animation as a result -- the very same technique that students at Texas A&M University use to create motion capture that doesn't require arrays of cameras or ping-pong balls. Dropping the laws of Newtonian physics into their algorithms, Xiaolin Wei and Jinxiang Chai claim to have whipped up a computer program that can turn most any 2D video into simple 3D animation in real time, with just a few keyframes to start out. For instance, in a complex weightlifting segment 310 frames long where the camera panned, tilted and zoomed, animators had only to position eleven joints in thirteen keyframes (and make seven minute adjustments) to get the entire animation to turn out. See it in action after the break, or read their entire SIGGRAPH paper at our more coverage link.
Ford assembly line uses mo-cap tech to build cars years ahead of time (video)
Years ago, Ford would have to physically build all the parts for a new vehicle, and only discover afterwards whether it was feasible to have humans assemble the contraption. Now, it relies on the same motion-capture systems used to shoot your favorite 3D movies and games to test the vehicle's construction in virtual reality, years before a single scrap of metal needs to be cut. IDG got to see the system in action at Ford's Assembly Ergonomics Lab in Michigan; you can find their report at the source link and a video after the break.
OptiTrack mixes motion capture with a virtual camera for delicious, Avatar-esque results
We knew virtual camera systems are starting gain traction, particularly in the world of cinema and within James Cameron's little set of toys, but it's pretty wild to see one in action. NaturalPoint is showing off its OptiTrack motion capture system at GDC, a budget-friendly multi-camera setup (if $6k is your idea of budget-friendly), but it also has a prototype of sorts of its upcoming virtual camera system. The camera's orientation and movement is actually tracked in the same way a motion capture suit is, and if you're in the same tracking space as a motion capture actor you can do "real" camera work with a live 3D rendered preview of the action. The shoulder-mounted camera has controls for virtual tracking and dolly moves, along with zoom, and has zero problem delivering that shaky handheld look that's all the rage in visual effects these days. There's no word on much this will retail for, but despite the fact that we have absolutely zero use for it we totally want one. Check out a video of it in action after the break. %Gallery-88029%
Sony announces new PS3 motion controller
Sony just announced the rumored new motion controller for the PS3 -- the prototype looks like a wand with a color-changing ball on top. It's designed to work in conjunction with the PlayStation Eye, with the wand overlaid on-screen with a weapon or tool. Unlike Microsoft's Project Natal, Sony says they've learned "some experiences need buttons," which is why there's still a controller involved. The system is said to be "sub-millimeter" precise, and it was demoed drawing and playing a shooter -- it's sort of the middle ground between Natal and Wii Motion Plus. Sony says it'll launch in the spring of 2010, but we don't know what pricing will be like yet.Update: Video added after the break!
Microsoft's Project Natal demo video has us jumping with anticipation
We're itching to get our own, uh, body time with Microsoft's Project Natal real time motion-capture accessory for the Xbox 360, but until that happens we're eagerly soaking up every last bit of footage we can -- like this teaser video shown during this morning's keynote. Lots of little tidbits here, like voice and face recognition, custom texture scanning and mapping, video chatting, and all sorts of use-your-whole-body gameplay applications. Of course, we don't know how much of this is real and how much is TV magic, but it certainly seems like Natal's got tons of potential -- check the video after the break. [Via Joystiq]
Cheap sensors could enable next-gen mo-cap games
Now that the Wii's thoroughly indoctrinated everyone and their mothers (and grandmothers) into the joy of motion-sensitive gaming, it's only natural to ask what's next -- and a system of cheap accelerometers, gyroscopes, and ultrasonic sound emitters developed by a team at in Switzerland could provide some answers. The sensors are linked up and used like a rudimentary motion-capture suit -- only instead of needing a controlled environment and special cameras, microphones worn on the torso pick up beeps from the emitters to locate your limbs as you flail about. The system is flexible enough to be used during active sports like skiing or bicycling for more accurate motion capture or just to control video games, since no silly ping-pong ball suit is required. The team says the $3000 system is built from off the shelf parts, yet compares favorably to commercial mo-cap systems costing tens of thousands more -- and what's more, they expect the price to fall to "hundreds of dollars" soon. Excellent -- we were thinking it was about time to do some real damage in Wii Boxing. Check a vid of the system in action after the break.
Andy Serkis talks mo-cap in Heavenly Sword
Yeah, we're impressed by the emotion delivered by the motion captured performances in Heavenly Sword. Andy "the guy who played Gollum" Serkis talked about his role as Dramatic Director of the game to CVG. Playing the game's villain meant internalizing a different kind of mentality for the actor: "Well, Bohan was this dictator that created his own moral universe where he was right. Rather than just playing an evil guy, you have to sort of believe in what you're doing - most dictators do. So I've been reading about dictators."Unfortunately, it appears that Serkis' skill at acting far exceeds his ability to play games. "I'm pretty hopeless at games," he admits. "I love playing Shadow Of The Colossus, just riding round on my horse looking for colossi. I haven't actually found any yet, though." Andy, one clue to you: look for the moving giant in the distance.[Thanks, Random1448!]
Motion capture gets slightly less embarrassing
It looks like the profession of motion capture artist could soon become a slightly more dignified one, with one upstart company doing away with the trademark spandex suit and ping-pong balls in favor of a come as you are approach. That bit of of freewheelin' technology comes to us from Organic Motion, who showed off their wares at the big Games Developers Conference in San Francisco. According to the company, instead of relying on reflections from a few markers placed on a person's body, its system automatically visualizes and captures thousands of natural points on a subject, turning it into a complete 3D scan in real-time. On the downside, the current implementation of the technology (set to launch later this year) can only scan one person at a time, although a version that scans two people is apparently on track for 2008. On a related front, a team from Germany's Max Planck Institute for Computer Science have developed a system that can scan a high-resolution 3D image of a person and quickly turn it around into a model ready to be animated or, for instance, imported as an avatar into a game. It appears that it's slightly further down the line, however, with no indication given as to when, if ever, we might see it commercialized.Read - Newsweek - Level Up, "Organic Motion's Marker-Less Motion Capture"Read - New Scientist, "Animation tool puts you in the frame, or the game"
Seen@GDC: Mocap man! On the phone!
It's hard to tell from the picture, but this man was just standing in the middle of GDC's Moscone West Hall talking on a cell phone in a full motion-capture suit. We'd like to think he was filming an animation sequence for "X-treme Cell Phone Simulator 2: Voice Mail Hell." In our imaginations, the game is going to be released for PS3 and Xbox 360 but, ironically enough, not for cell phones.
Today's hottest game video: VGA 06 motion capture skit
Today's vid is from last night's Video Game Awards on Spike TV. Granted, the awards themselves were pretty lackluster and boring, but this motion capture skit was one of the funniest things from the whole show. It's about time we learned about the more glamorous jobs in the industry, like this guy's. Check it out after the jump. Say what you will, but the guy has balls (hey, you saw that one coming a million miles away).
