The Art of MoCap

As the entertainment software industry continues to grow in popularity, so too does the technology that streamlines the process of making video games. Such technology ranges from simple to use animation software like Zbrush that produces amazing results to enhanced speech recording software that syncs the audio to animations for unprecedented “lip-syncing” quality (check out Speech Graphics for more info on this juicy piece of technology). There’s also motion capture (or MoCap) technology that, as one might guess, uses various methods to capture a wide range of movements for translation to animations that creates a much more realistic and versatile character in the end. For those of you who do not yet know about motion capture technology, I have one declaration that may put your mind at ease: that rock your living under should completely erode away any day now, and you’ll have no choice but to greet the modern world.

So how does motion capture work? There are various methods, but the most common motion capture methods (up until recently) consisted of suiting up an actor and pinning “markers” to them that would be picked up by a camera or computer software. These markers are typically reflective for camera use, or LED operated for software detection. There is now technology that allows movement to be captured without the use of markers, such as Xsens. The goal is obviously to capture as many different movements of an actor as possible in a short amount of time and process that information for animating purposes. For those of you who are wondering how character animations in today’s video games (particularly with fighting and sports games) are so realistic, the answer is here.

Of course, when you have software that can capture the movements of people and create a stellar video game character from said movements, you need stellar athletes, dancers, martial artists, and gymnasts to get the best quality motion. So, for those of you who consider yourselves exceptional at any of the aforementioned physical activities, perhaps you should be considering a career in video games after all. There have even been motion capture artists who have launched formal careers in acting with motion capture roles. Have you ever heard the name Joseph Gatt? If that’s not familiar, then maybe you remember the name Kratos, the protagonist from Sony’s God of War series. Gatt is the actor that brought Kratos to life, and has since snagged roles in major motion pictures like Thor and the upcoming Star Trek II.

The advent of motion capture has brought about a new wave of management services, as well. If you’re looking for help in launching a career in motion capture acting, perhaps you should check out an agency like A-Max that specializes in managing MoCap actors. As I mentioned in my most previous blog post, it never hurts to have representation when dealing with entertainment contracts and negotiations, and you will have your fair share of both in this industry.

For a better understanding of motion capture and all its greatness, check out this video of iPi Desktop Motion Capture video (below) using Kinect Sensors featuring the "Scout" and the "Heavy" from Valve's Team Fortress II. Markerless MoCap is the new craze, after all.