iPi Motion Capture user's guider

iPi Motion Capture consists of the following products:

iPi RECORDER

software for making records

 

 

iPi MOCAP STUDIO

paid software for processing records

 

 

iPi BIOMECH ADD-ON

in-depth biomechanical analysis of human motions

 

 

iPi AUTOMATION ADD-ON

allows to control iPi Recorder and iPi Mocap Studio from external application

 

possible configurations:

Multiple RGB Cameras Configuration

The configuration with multiple (up to sixteen) RGB cameras is the most powerful option. It allows you to track very complex motions in a big capture area: up to 20 by 20 feet or 7 by 7 meters.

Web Cameras

Sony PS3 Eye cameras are recommended as they give good-enough quality of video at up to 60 FPS. Logitech C922 web camera is also good option but it is more expensive.

 

Action Cameras

You can use almost any stand-alone camera models with fixed focus, high FPS and wide view-angle. We recommend GoPro or SJCAM action cameras because of their popularity.

 

Multiple Depth Sensors Configuration

Multiple depth sensors configuration combines ease of use and flexibility of a single depth sensor with power of multi-camera system. With two or three or four depth sensors like Microsoft Kinects 2 (Kinects for XBOX One), or other depth sensors animators can accurately capture complex motions including 360-degrees turns.

Single Depth Sensor Configuration

iPi Soft uses its own tracking algorithms that give much better accuracy than other Kinect/Orbbec/Xtion-based motion captures available in the market. This configuration is very easy to use, as it does not require calibration. For those who haven't had experience with motion capture systems before, it is a good option to start from.

Common Features for All Configurations

 

Distributed Recording

Using two or more computers one can record synchronized video from multiple devices part of which are connected to one computer and others are connected to different computer(s).

Motion Controllers

Using motion controllers like PS Move, Wii Remote with MotionPlus and Wii Remote Plus one can track hand, prop and head movements.

Hand Keyframing

iPi Mocap Studio includes keyframing feature to manually set poses for fingers.

Manual Clean-up

Tracking errors usually happen in a few specific video frames and propagate to multiple subsequent frames. iPi Mocap Studio provides capabilities to correct such errors in a manner of seconds.

Automatic Refinement and Filtering

To achieve high quality results one can use build-in motion refinement and filtering tools. This allows to obtain realistic jitter-free animation without need to use special 3d-party packages like Motion Builder.

Animation Export

iPi Mocap Studio can export result animation in various formats including FBX, BVH, Collada, DMX and SMD. Also iPi Mocap Studio supports various rigs and has build-in motion transfer capabilities.

Pro Edition Exclusive Features

 

Multiple Actors

Pro edition supports multi-person tracking. This feature allows to track dancing, fighting, etc.

Sample Video and Project

Multiple GPUs

Using Pro edition you can use multiple GPUs to speed up tracking.

Batch Processing

Instead of being "babysitter" for iPi Mocap Studio you can "record" a set of all required actions to batch and then start them by one click.