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Cinema is a constantly changing environment. Certain technological advancements (including Motion Capture) have opened endless avenues for filmmakers throughout history. Colorized motion movies were introduced by Technicolor, green screens introduced new worlds, and mocap introduced endless personalities. What exactly is mocap, and how does it function to generate memorable characters? Let’s have a look.
What does mocap mean?
One aspect of visual effects is motion capture. What is mocap, and how is it different from other sorts of visual effects? Let’s have a look at the definition of mocap.
What exactly is mocap?
Movements capture, often known as “mocap,” is a technology-driven way of capturing an actor’s motion and physical performance in order to transfer it into a computer-generated character. Mocap is capable of tracking a variety of motions, including facial expressions and body movements. Mocap can be used in animated films, although it is most commonly utilized in live-action films to create CGI characters.
>>>Read more: What is Motion Capture?
Famous motion capture technology characters
- Thanos in “Avengers: Endgame”
- Smaug in “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug”
- Caesar in “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”
Motion capture’s history
On the technical side, mocap has a long history that can be traced back to the study of biomechanics. The technology proved to be a useful tool for researching how the human body moves and functions.
In terms of creativity, mo-cap is a descendant of rotoscoping, which is the process of tracing motion pictures to create realistic animated motion.
Actors were captured dancing and moving in early Disney films like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs so that artists could easily doodle over the footage to produce realistic, animated movements.
In the 1990s, mo-cap became an important aspect of developing video game characters. It was used by video game developers to digitally capture an actor’s performance.
Filmmakers began adopting mocap animation and pushing the technology forward almost simultaneously. When the world saw Gollum in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, played by the renowned Andy Serkis, Peter Jackson demonstrated just how iconic CGI mo-cap characters can be.
One of James Cameron’s best films, Avatar, was responsible for propelling mocap animation forward and paving the way for today’s CGI figures. mocap performances had to be done in specific studios prior to Avatar for technical reasons.
For Avatar, new technology was needed to get mocap actors on set with other actors. The picture was able to capitalize on an actor’s interpretation and complete emotional performances as a result of this.
Mocap is now a standard tool in some of Hollywood’s greatest blockbusters. Let’s take a look at the different aspects of mocap as they relate to today’s movies.
>>>Read more: Lean and Mean 3D animation Production – Mocap the new hero
Motion capture components
Technology lies at the heart of motion capture. However, this technology has progressed to support actor performances and create a more realistic motion capture persona.
Suit with motion capture technology
A mocap suit is an initial step in motion capture. An actor’s bodily motions are captured via a mocap outfit. To fully record movement, a mocap suit requires a number of sensors (usually 15-20) that measure gravitational pull and rotation.
The motion data is then digitally transferred to software that captures it in real-time.
>>>Read more: Pros and Cons of Motion capture? The development of Motion capture Asia
Head-mounted camera
The capacity of motion capture to capture the intricacies in an actor’s face is one of the most amazing aspects of the technology. Emotional elements like an actor’s lip quivering or eyes shifting are all collected and transformed into a CGI character.
This has played a critical role in the creation of iconic mocap figures such as Caesar from the Planet of the Apes or Thanos from Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
In the video Here, you can see how mocap was used to produce Thanos’ details.
Software
After filming, the VFX team would use mocap data from an actor’s facial expressions and performance to build a fully-realized digital character, to which they would then add details to. VFX teams use software to accomplish this. Autodesk software, such as Autodesk MotionBuilder or 3DS Max, is most typically used.
Conclusion
Motion capture is a game-changer for filmmakers, not just a tool. It allows filmmakers to explore a wide range of character possibilities and bring them to life in minute detail.
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Animost – Vietnam 3D Animation Studio
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