Motion capture systems

This paper describes a framework for exploring the boundaries of interactive whole-body improvisational performances using the Orient-3 Wireless Motion Capture System in collaboration with composers and musicians. The requirements for improvisational performances are explored and the choice of the Orient-3 motion capture system is justified from among mechanical, acoustic, magnetic, optical and inertial motion capture methods.

The development of digital three-dimensional characters, inside the field of animation, and the constant demand for compelling technology solutions, allied to a very singular esthetic, has contributed to the success and the affirmation of three-dimensional animation in the entertainment industry. However, all the work that seeks or exploits the digital/3D language becomes 'victim' of limitations due to rendering image sequences, to rising financial and human costs, as well as the influence and difficulty involved in achieving the objectives and deadlines.
Real-time has increasingly assumed a predominant role in the interactive animation industry. With the evolution of technologies, there has been more surching for an appropriate methodology to boost real-time and low budget 3D animations, even with open source software for cost reduction, to enable the discarding and dependence of offline render in 3D animation. Real-time character’s development enables the rise of a new approach, the interactivity in the art of animation, which can introduce a wide range of new applications and consequently contribute to increase interest and curiosity by the audience. However, insertion, implementation and (ab)use of technologies in the field of animation, raises contemporary issues about the role of the animator.
This dissertation seeks to analyze those aspects, supporting to a 3D animation project in real-time, called 'PALCO'.

In this paper we explore the relation between the physical body movement and the digital manipulation of acoustic sound within the concept of Whole Body Interactive Performances. Instead of the traditional camera based systems for motion capture we propose the use of Wireless Inertial Measurement Units (WIMU) attached directly to the body. Although the use of camera based systems had taken this field of research to a certain level, the new methods based upon current technologies allow the analysis of an extensive range of movements in higher resolution and detail, as those are specifically designed for motion tracking applications.
Having in mind that an optimum goal in these experimentations but also in Human Computer Interaction (HCI) in general, is the transcription of the body movement to a digital machine using transparent technology, this research aims to investigate the potential of the existing technology to assist artistic practices in particular Live Art and Digital Performances. Through experimentations and interdisciplinary collaborations we explored several design concepts and defined a basic framework for studying these applications and validating our results.

With the emergence of new technologies such as Kinect, HumanIK, Keyframing etc. it has become easier than ever to create Motion Capture data and animate a human character.

Having all of these various options available, it is difficult to determine which technology is best for one’s project.
This paper compares current (low-end) Motion Capture systems based on several factors which are common for these types of animation projects (practicability, costs, type of project, know-how, equipment and time) and offers an overview of ease of use of current low-budget systems.

I expect the best results in comparing the key factors with the Microsoft Kinect system.

The author's artistic practice as a composer and performer is transdisciplinary. The body as a vector associated with electroacoustic sound, gesture, video, physical space, and technological space, constitute the six founding elements. They give rise to works between music and dance, between musical theater and multimedia works leading to a new hybrid performative practice. These works are realized using a motion capture system by computer vision, SICMAP (Système Interactif de Captation du Mouvement en Art Performatif – Interactive Motion Capture System For The Performative Arts). This system allows the body to be free of any sensors and electronic component while performing in the scenic space. This performative hybrid practice is supported by the three pillars of transdisciplinary research methodology: the levels of Reality and perception, the logic of the included middle and the complexity These transdisciplinary concepts propose a new approach where the auditory, visual, and
proprioceptive body is at the center of a sensorial universe.

Visual culture has embraced the visual glitch as just one of
many aesthetics associated with digital media. A glitch is
often associated with noise in a technological system. Some
motion capture systems experience noise and glitches as
they process human movement. Under normal conditions, a
glitch is undesirable because it decreases the usability of the
capture. This short paper and demonstration introduce our
research into the non-traditional use of motion capture data
for the generation of artistic animated works.

This article reports on a project that uses unfettered gestural motion for expressive musical purposes. The project involves the development of, and experimentation with, software to receive data from a Vicon motion capture system, and to translate and map that data into data for the control of music and other media such as lighting. In addition to the commercially standard MIDI---which allows direct control of external synthesizers, processors, and other devices---other mappings are used for direct software control of digital audio and video. This report describes the design and implementation of the software, discusses specific experiments performed with it, and evaluates its application in terms of aesthetic pros and cons.

L’émergence de nouvelles technologies de captation numérique des corps depuis le début des années 2000 au cinéma dans le but de créer des personnages virtuels à l’écran a suscité de nombreuses questions concernant l’incidence de ces procédés – motion capture, performance capture – sur le jeu d’acteur. Ces corps vêtus de combinaisons de lycra noir recouverts de marqueurs et évoluant au sein d’un espace vide (le « Volume ») incitent en effet à s’interroger sur la manière dont les comédiens adaptent leur méthode à ce dispositif en apparence très contraignant. Mais l’impact de la présence toujours réelle de leurs corps sur les choix de « mise en cadre » désormais censés s’opérer au moment de ce que l’on avait jusqu’à présent coutume d’appeler la « postproduction », n’a en revanche pas été véritablement interrogé.
En effet, si l’un des enjeux de la performance capture est de procurer une forme de « libération » des possibilités de découpage offerts au réalisateur qui peut désormais tester de nombreux axes de prise de vue ou réaliser des mouvements de caméra physiquement impossibles dans des décors irréalisables en prises de vues réelles – et tout cela a posteriori de la phase de « mise en scène » –, il n’en reste pas moins que le « tournage » doit la plupart du temps préparer le terrain aux infographistes en charge de la mise en images définitive du film. L’espace du « Volume » accueille ainsi des dispositifs variés (plateformes mouvantes, matelas, estrades, blocs empilés, tréteaux, structures métalliques, etc.) qui constituent autant de points de repère pour des acteurs adoptant leur jeu aux conditions physiques de la situation qu’ils sont censés vivre. Dès lors, la mise en scène, au sens théâtral (positionnements, mouvements, déplacements, interactions), des acteurs dans un espace finalement contraint ne détermine-t-elle pas dans une large mesure les choix de mise en cadre, c’est-à-dire de mise en scène cinématographique, pourtant réputées illimitées dans le cas de la performance capture, contredisant le principe même du dispositif ? En outre, la primauté généralement accordée au visage comme lieu de la performance actorale et donc centre de l’attention spectatorielle, qui plus est dans un contexte hollywoodien dominé par le star system, ne restreint-elle pas davantage encore ces possibilités, jusqu’à imposer une approche relativement « classique » à un médium plus enclin à des velléités attractionnelles, voire exhibitionnistes ?
Afin d’interroger cet apparent paradoxe, nous nous intéresserons particulièrement au film La Légende de Beowulf (Robert Zemeckis, 2007). Réalisé avant que les évolutions technologiques ne permettent des captations en décors naturels (voir par exemple La Planète des singes : L'Affrontement, Matt Reeves, 2014), ce long-métrage illustre en effet une histoire mythologique nécessitant l’interaction de nombreux personnages incarnés par des stars (Angelina Jolie, Anthony Hopkins, John Malkovich, Robin Wright, Brendan Gleeson, Ray Winstone, Crispin Glover, etc.) dans des environnements diversifiés (château, champ de bataille, grotte, etc.).