Technabob » mo-cap

MikuMikuDance: Kinect Does Dance Mo-Cap

Technabob — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 22:39:12 +0000

Well, it was only a matter of time before we’d start to see some serious motion-capture done using Microsoft’s Kinect.

This incredible choreography demo by Higuchuu shows off the precision with which individual dance moves can be recorded from a subject standing in front of a Kinect camera, then played back onto a 3D avatar. In this particular case, your body movements are applied to the skeleton of iconic J-Pop sensation Hatsune Miku:

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Sure, there are several Kinect games already which let you use your body movements to manipulate an onscreen character, but this is the best and smoothest movement demo I’ve seen yet. If you want to give it a whirl for yourself, just hit the download page and grab “DXOpenNI” and “MMD ver 7.24″ to try it out.

Image Metrics Emily Cg Facial Animation Blows My Mind

Technabob — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 11:40:28 +0000

The other day, I showed you guys what I thought was some really impressive computer generated facial animation. Then, the guys over at Image Metrics sent me a video clip of their latest CG creation, Emily, and I was bowled over.

Emily is a truly monumental achievement, recreating every nuance of human facial expression, even though what you’re actually looking at is the face of a digital actor. Created through a partnership with USC’s Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT), the team’s primary objective was to create a completely convincing, animated computer-generated face, and I think they succeeded.

Using ICT’s special scanning system that can capture facial details down to the individual pore, the face of actress Emily O’Brien was transformed into a digital representation of herself, which could then be entirely machine-manipulated. A special spherical lighting rig captured O’Brien in 35 reference facial poses using a pair of high resolution digital cameras. The facial maps were then converted into 3D data using Image Metrics’ proprietary markerless motion capture technology.

Image Metrics then generated a new animation sequence and precisely superimposed it onto the live actress’ head. As you can see from the video below, you’d be really hard-pressed to tell the difference between digital Emily and real-world Emily.

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Amazing, no? Be sure to check out some of Image Metrics’ other CGI projects, which include work on Grand Theft Auto IV, Devil May Cry 4, and a most excellent Gnarls Barkley video featuring a anthropomorphic singing heart.

Alter Ego 3d Facial Animations Are Really, Really, Real

Technabob — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 13:43:24 +0000

This amazing combination of technology and graphical artistry makes for some of the most realistic and precise 3D animated facial expressions I’ve ever seen come out of a computer.

Pendulum Studios’, AlterEgo division combines facial expression software, precision motion capture, and good old-fashioned artistry to reproduce the most minute facial movements you’ve ever seen on a digital actor. Every wrinkle, crinkle and twitch is reproduced with startling accuracy.

The guys over at AlterEgo have developed proprietary “facial performance software”, which combined with special mo-cap hardware, can produce unbelievably real digital faces in record time. Their work has been featured in motion pictures, commercials, animation and video games including Dark Sector and the forthcoming Silent Hill 5.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

After you’ve watched the lo-res video above, be sure to check out AlterEgo’s Hi-Res demo videos to see just how amazing this stuff truly is.

[via TechEBlog]