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Dirty Mechanics Competitive High School Robotics/Animation Team Uses iPi Motion Capture To Create Stand-Out Short Film

Posted on: February 15th, 2022

Dirty Mechanics Competitive High School Robotics/Animation Team Uses iPi Motion Capture To Create Stand-Out Short Film

While most high school students are pushing parental boundaries, Keanu Brayman, a high school student and team co-captain and animation lead of the Dirty Mechanics Competition Team 3923, is more interested in pushing his motion capture creativity. Keanu and fellow members of the Dirty Mechanics team compete in FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a non-profit international youth organization that aims “to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders and innovators, by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering, and technology skills, that inspire innovation.”

Dirty-Mechanics-Team-2202

For the past three years, iPi Soft has been a team sponsor providing licenses of our markerless motion capture solution, iPi Mocap, as well as technical support.

Founded by Dean Kamen, the inventor and advocate for science and technology, FIRST has over 97,000 students and 29,000 volunteers. The Dirty Mechanics team is comprised of students aged 13 to 18 from 12 different schools, placing a heavy emphasis on teaching digital skills to those who are younger to ensure the sustainability of the team’s future projects.

While the Dirty Mechanics’ key focus is building 60kg robots for competition, the league also competes in FIRST animation competitions. In 2021, Dirty Mechanics submitted a sophisticated short animation film “Be Safe to Each Other” to the FIRST Robotics Safety Animation Award. The project fully utilized iPi Soft 3D motion capture technology and allowed the team to experiment with real-time virtual production by streaming mocap data from iPi Mocap Studio to Unity 3D and using an HTC Vive VR system for camera tracking. (behind the scenes video link).

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“We have used iPi Mocap to compete in FIRST competitions three years in a row and appreciate iPi Soft’s continued support of our animation projects,” Brayman says. “Learning as we go, my team has grown strong as has our knowledge and passion for animation.”

We spoke to Keanu about his team’s animated short films and how our technology helped bring them to fruition.

Q. How did the Dirty Mechanics team first hear about iPi Mocap?

KB: This will be the team’s third year using the software. While preparing to work on our submission for the FIRST Robotics Competition 2020 Digital Animation Award, I started searching for a motion capture solution that we could use without prohibitively expensive equipment, and quickly found iPi Soft’s website. iPi Mocap was exactly what we needed to perform achievable motion capture with amazing results.

Q. What was the creative brief for the film?

KB: The FIRST competition is sponsored by Underwriters Laboratories (UL). They were asking teams to “create an environment where everyone feels safe to do their best work. We know it is critically important that teams are physically safe by making sure work environments are clean, organized and hazard-free, but safety is also about caring for each other’s feelings and mental well-being – their psychological safety.” Film submissions were restricted to 40 seconds, including opening titles and credits.

Q. What is the storyline for the film?

KB: Our animated film “Be Safe to Each Other” shows a robotic astronaut walking through a derelict spaceship corridor while being stalked by a shadowy figure. Thankfully, the shadow turns out to be just another friendly astronaut. After this reveal, the ship’s astronauts work together to repair the corridor.

Q. Tell us about how the team fully utilized 3D motion capture and built a working real-time capture system and virtual production pipeline.

KB: Our real-time capture system used the iPi Recorder running two Microsoft Kinect V2 sensors with the distributed recording; real-time motion tracking in iPi Mocap Studio; live streaming mocap data to Unity; an HTC Vive VR system tracking a motion controller as a virtual camera; a phone attached to the controller streaming the virtual camera’s perspective. This system was developed and tested in conjunction with our “Safety Animation” film project, although we opted to use a more standard iPi Mocap workflow for our final submission. This decision was made due to lower framerates in the real-time stream.

Q. How long did the team work on the Safety Animation piece? What were the overall motion capture technical challenges that the team faced?

KB: Our team spent about three months writing a script, developing our mocap system, creating 3D assets, acting out scenes, and rendering the final product. Our greatest challenge was finishing all the complex character animations in our script before the competition deadline. Thanks to iPi Mocap, we were able to create refined, highly accurate animations using motion capture, a task that took only a few hours. Without iPi Mocap, such an undertaking would undoubtedly have involved weeks of tedious keyframe animation.

Q. How did the team improve on its mocap skillset since your previous films?

KB: We learned a lot in the time between the 2020 “Infinite Reef” film and our 2021 “Safety Animation.” First, our overall knowledge of animation and rendering improved immensely. For the 2021 film, we utilized ray-tracing to create a much more realistic look. Additionally, we gained a much better sense of scope, deciding to focus on a single scene with a small number of detailed assets rather than modeling as many things as possible. We also became much more experienced with iPi Mocap, allowing us to incorporate more complex motions in our script. The primary goal of these projects is for everyone on the team to learn as much as possible, and that goal is certainly being achieved.

Q. You mentioned Dirty Mechanics is planning to improve its real-time virtual production system even further by utilizing Unreal Engine 4 and switching to PlayStation Eye cameras for tracking. How will iPi Mocap be incorporated into this pipeline? Is there a project underway?

KB: We are excited to say that there is a project underway. Currently, we are in production for our FRC 2022 Digital Animation Award submission. Our newest pipeline utilizes iPi Mocap with 8 PlayStation Eye cameras arranged in a circle. This has facilitated a smoother workflow by allowing us to operate the entire mocap system with a single PC and avoid some annoyances present in the Microsoft Kinect Sensors. Once we have captured high quality motion capture data with iPi Mocap, we import the resulting files into Unreal Engine 4, then record the final render in real-time using our HTC Vive VR system to track a virtual camera.

Dirty-Mechanics-Team-2202-01

iPi Soft Announces Real-Time Integration for Unreal Engine

Posted on: March 24th, 2021

iPi Soft Announces Real-Time Integration for Unreal Engine

New Plug-in and Enhanced Features Deliver Immersive Experiences for Markerless Motion Capture in Game Development, Virtual Production

MOSCOW, RUSSIA – March 24, 2021 – iPi Soft, LLC, developers of the markerless motion capture technology iPi Motion Capture, announced a series of new enhancements supporting Unreal Engine suite of development tools for real time content creation. These iPi Motion Capture enhancements include a new plug-in that affords real-time motion tracking, motion transfer to 3D character and animation streaming into Unreal Engine.

Pavel Sorokin, iPi Soft’s recently named CEO, explains that closer integration with Unreal Engine via the new plug-in gives motion capture users the ability to stream tracking results to Unreal in both the live feedback and offline tracking mode, thus allowing creators to see how motion will look on their character in Unreal Engine and in their particular 3D setting. Additionally, users can have both iPi Mocap Studio and the Unreal Engine editor open simultaneously for viewing animation changes in real-time.

“We are excited about the creative possibilities the new plug-in will deliver to our customers already working with Unreal Engine,” Sorokin says. “Users can now preview captured motion in an actual game scene inside the Unreal Engine editor and integrate the animation stream from iPi Mocap Studio into Unreal Engine for a more seamless and immersive experience.”

Sorokin noted that previously iPi Mocap users working in Unreal Engine would have to export animation from iPi Studio to FBX or BVH files, then import assets to Unreal. “The tighter integration into Unreal is a huge benefit that will provide iPi Mocap content creators increased flexibility to create game, virtual production and other projects quickly and with more accurate results without the need to create custom code.”

Beta Results Prove Positive:

New Discovery, a full-service digital agency based in Mexico and the US, took part in the iPi Soft beta-testing program of the closer integration of iPi Mocap and Unreal Engine for a VR documentary entitled, “Northern Route, Border Identity.” Funded by the Secretary of Cultural Affairs of the State of Chihuahua, Mexico, the project takes an empathetic look at the refugee experience that has slowly become part of the border region’s social-economic fabric.

“We were incredibly impressed with the fidelity of the iPi Mocap data,” Jonalex Herrera, CEO and co-founder of New Discovery, says. “Even with two Kinect Azure sensors, the results were amazing. Best of all, we were able to push animation streams directly into Unreal to realistically share details of the refugees’ journey in search of a better future.”

Link to the press-relese on PR Web>>

Pricing and Availability:

iPi Motion Capture Version 4 is available as a perpetual license or subscription-based model. Prices range from $165 to $1995 depending on the version of the software (Express, Basic, Pro) and duration of the subscription. Additional information on iPi Soft pricing is available here.

About iPi Soft:

Moscow-based developer, iPi Soft, LLC, develops powerful markerless motion capture software technology that uses sophisticated image processing and computer vision algorithms to recognize and track the human body. The company’s software is used by creative professionals and prosumers around the world to digitize the movement of a human skeleton, rendering it expressive in 3D characters for video games, computer-generated films, as well as for medical, military and other applications. For additional information, on iPi Soft, product pricing, configurations or a 30-day free trial please visit http://www.ipisoft.com.

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All trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

 UE-Animated-site

iPi Soft Advances Capabilities For iPi Motion Capture

Posted on: November 20th, 2019

iPi Soft Advances Capabilities For iPi Motion Capture

Live Feedback And Integration With Unity Game Engine Among Latest Improvements; 30% Discount Available Through Holidays

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MOSCOW, RUSSIA — Nov 20, 2019 — iPi Soft, LLC, developers of the markerless motion capture technology iPi Motion Capture, announced enhancements to its iPi Recorder 4.4.4 and iPi Mocap Studio 4.3.0 software. New features include improved live feedback and foot tracking for depth sensors, further integration with the Unity gaming engine, as well as support for Azure Kinect sensors. iPi Soft is also offering a 30 percent discount on iPi Motion Capture throughout the holidays.

“The live feedback improvements are key capabilities that will accelerate the motion capture workflow for game designers and visual effects artists,” Michael Nikonov, Founder and Chief Technology Architect of iPi Soft, says. “Tighter integration with the Unity real-time game engine is a huge benefit that will provide content creators increased flexibility to create projects quickly and with more accurate results.”

Improved Live Feedback:

The new version of iPi Mocap supports higher resolution in tracking mode providing more motion capture accuracy with lower jitter, while the smoothing filter can now remove visual jitter during live feedback tracking. Users can also change target 3D characters for motion transfer without the need to stop and restart live feedback. Recent live tracking settings are now stored thus eliminating the need to reset every time live tracking feature is used.

Integration with Unity:

Closer integration with the Unity gaming engine gives users the ability to stream tracking results to Unity, in both live feedback and offline tracking mode, allowing them to see how the motion will look in a 3D setting. Animation can also be post processed in real-time via Unity.

Support For Azure Kinect Sensors:

Azure Kinect sensors recently released by Microsoft are a new generation of popular Kinect depth sensors that have better depth quality, wide field of view mode and other advantages over Xbox 360 and Xbox One Kinects. iPi Motion Capture now supports Azure Kinect giving customers improved tracking quality and the ability to use the system in spaces as small as 7-feet by 5-feet. (Depth sensors comparison is available here.)

Pricing and Availability: 

For the holidays, iPi Soft is currently offering a 30-percent discount for orders placed before December 31, 2019 (please use coupon code NY2020). This includes a discount off of iPi Soft’s perpetual license that includes two years of full support and software updates, as well as its subscription-based pricing model.

iPi Motion Capture Version 4 is available as perpetual license or subscription-based model. Prices range from $165 to $1995 depending on the version of software (Express, Basic, Pro) and duration of subscription.  Additional information on iPi Soft pricing is available here.

PDF version of this press-release is available here.

About iPi Soft: 

Moscow-based developer, iPi Soft, LLC, develops powerful markerless motion capture software technology that uses sophisticated image processing and computer vision algorithms to recognize and track the human body. The company’s software is used by creative professionals and prosumers around the world to digitize the movement of a human skeleton, rendering it expressive in 3D characters for video games, computer generated films, as well as for medical, military and other applications. For additional information, on iPi Soft, product pricing, configurations or a 30-day free trial please visit http://www.ipisoft.com.

All trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

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Media Contacts:

Vicky Gray-Clark, Ambient PR vicky@ambientpr.com 408-318-1980

Ray Ecke, Right Word Media ray@rightwordmedia.com 973-726-3797

iPi Mocap Plays Integral Role In “Dream Corp LLC” Series

Posted on: March 13th, 2019

iPi Soft Markerless Mocap Software Plays Integral Role In Second Season Of Adult Swim Series “Dream Corp LLC”

Mind-Bending Series Combines Live Action, CG And Motion Capture;  Season Three Scheduled for Production This Summer

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MOSCOW, RUSSIA – March 13, 2019 – iPi Soft is pleased to announce Los-Angeles creative studio Bemo, continues to leverage its advanced markerless mocap solution, iPi Motion Capture (iPi Mocap), for the extensive CG character animation on comedy series Dream Corp LLC.  Airing on Adult Swim, the live-action workplace comedy series set in a neglected Dream Therapy facility demands a fast-paced production pipeline and extensive motion capture technology to create the mind-bending animated sequences that distinguish between the show’s dreams and reality.

A huge hit for Adult Swim with a rare 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, the show’s third season was announced ahead of the premier of season two. Dream Corp LLC is created, directed and executive produced by Daniel Stessen (John Krasinski, Stephen Merchant are Executive Producers) and produced by Bemo, with seasons one and two currently available on Amazon Prime and YouTube. The show’s third season is slated to begin production this summer.

Click here to view a sample of how motion capture is incorporated into the show’s narrative.

Brandon Parvini, Designer/Animator for the show and a long-time iPi Mocap user explained that the show’s production moves very fast, and a flexible, real-time motion capture technology is critical to a post production pipeline that also includes Cinema 4D, AfterEffects and Zbrush.

Creative Shorthand:

Parvini notes that a typical production starts when they see the first rough cut of an episode. Much of the show’s creative is made via ”shorthand” between the animators, the editors and Stessen. The team studies the tone and shot selection and determines a reaction plan for each episode to see where there are opportunities or references to a character or figure that will need to be created. Much of the time the team knows only a day before if motion capture is required. Sometimes requests require capture that same day.

“We are given a rough notion of the creative direction for CG character development based on all the creative parameters that exist,” Parvini says. “We are pretty much run-and-gun. While the edit is still being locked down we are moving into 3D animation and solving tech and creative asks that come up. The moments where I need a capture, I pull out the Kinect, place it on a stool and capture action right there at my desk in roughly a 4×4 foot space.”

He added, the strength of iPi Mocap has been its ease of use and smooth integration with Cinema 4D, the studio’s central 3D application. “iPi Mocap doesn’t require a lot of fuss and setup to get rolling with recordings which has made it a durable and irreplaceable part of our pipeline arsenal. Having a motion capture solution that is accurate and works so easily in our production pipeline, encourages us to take risks and immerse ourselves in the creative process so that we can create a more jarring and visually engaging experience for everyone.”

Version 4.1 of iPi Motion Capture was released in December 2018 and features several enhancements to include real-time tracking for multiple depth sensors (connected to either a single computer or several computers connected via iPi Soft’s Distributed Recording feature), as well as automatic synchronization of action camera videos based on flash detection.

“iPi Mocap is designed to enable artists to go from creative idea to production with technology that is affordable and accessible without the need for expensive greenscreen studios and sensor suits,” says Michael Nikonov, iPi Soft Founder and Chief Technology Architect. “Our real time tracking function lets customers preview motion tracking results transferred to a 3D character at the time of performance, which optimizes workflow for fast-paced productions like ‘Dream Corp LLC.”

Pricing and Availability:

With the launch of iPi Motion Capture Version 4, iPi Soft introduced a perpetual license model. The perpetual license is not time-limited and includes two years with full support and software updates. iPi Motion Capture Version 4 is also available as a subscription-based model. Prices range from $165 to $1995 depending on the version of software (Express, Basic, Pro) and duration of subscription.

Additional information on iPi Soft license and pricing is available here.


About iPi Soft:

Moscow-based developer, iPi Soft, LLC, develops powerful markerless motion capture software technology that uses sophisticated image processing and computer vision algorithms to recognize and track the human body. The company’s software is used by creative professionals and prosumers around the world to digitize the movement of a human skeleton, rendering it expressive in 3D characters for video games, computer generated films, as well as for medical, military and other applications. For additional information, on iPi Soft, product pricing, product configurations or a 30-day free trial please visit http://www.ipisoft.com.

All trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

#   #   #

Media Contacts:

Vicky Gray-Clark, Ambient PR vicky@ambientpr.com 408-318-1980

Ray Ecke, Right Word Media ray@rightwordmedia.com 973-726-3797

Real-time Tracking Support Multiple Depth Sensors

Posted on: December 10th, 2018

iPi Soft Now Delivers Real-time Tracking Support in iPi Motion Capture Version 4.1 for Multiple Depth Sensors

Latest Enhancements To Advanced Markerless Mocap Solution Include Automatic Synchronization With Action Cameras For Improved 3D Character Content Creation; Up To 30-Percent Holiday Discount

MOSCOW, RUSSIA – December 10, 2018 — iPi Soft, LLC, developers of markerless motion capture technology, today announced several new updates to Version 4 of its popular iPi Motion Capture software application. Latest enhancements include real-time tracking for multiple depth sensors, as well as automatic synchronization of action camera videos based on flash detection.

Creative performance in iPi Mocap Version 4.1 now enables customers to use real-time tracking — in which users can preview the motion tracking result transferred to a 3D character at the time of performance — with multiple depth sensors connected to either a single computer or several computers connected via iPi Soft’s Distributed Recording feature.

According to Michael Nikonov, iPi Soft Founder and Chief Technology Architect, this is an important development milestone and one users have been anticipating since most iPi Mocap customers use the software with two or more Kinect sensors.

”We are excited to extend the benefits of real-time tracking to support customers using iPi Motion Capture with multiple depth sensors to obtain quality mocap data easily and quickly for an overall improved workflow without the need for multiple recording, tracking and motion transfer iterations,” Nikonov says.

Action Camera Synchronization:

Additional feature updates also include automatic synchronization of videos with action cameras like GoPro based on flash detection. The new algorithm detects flashes between separate videos and synchronizes them automatically. This greatly speed-ups the process of merging multi-camera footage into synchronized videos that can be used for motion tracking compared to time-consuming manual sync process  supported in the previous version.

Pricing and Availability:

For the holidays, iPi Soft is currently offering a 30-percent discount for orders placed before December 31, 2018 (please use coupon code NY2019). This includes a discount off of iPi Soft’s perpetual license that includes two years of full support and software updates, as well as its subscription-based pricing model.

With the launch of iPi Motion Capture Version 4, iPi Soft introduced a perpetual license model. The perpetual license is not time-limited and includes two years with full support and software updates. iPi Motion Capture Version 4 is also available as a subscription-based model. Prices range from $165 to $1995 depending on the version of software (Express, Basic, Pro) and duration of subscription.

Additional information on iPi Soft license and pricing is available here.

Press-resease PDF Version>>

Live-Preview-img1

About iPi Soft:

Moscow-based developer, iPi Soft, LLC, develops powerful markerless motion capture software technology that uses sophisticated image processing and computer vision algorithms to recognize and track the human body. The company’s software is used by creative professionals and prosumers around the world to digitize the movement of a human skeleton, rendering it expressive in 3D characters for video games, computer generated films, as well as for medical, military and other applications. For additional information, on iPi Soft, product pricing, product configurations or a 30-day free trial please visit, http://www.ipisoft.com.

 All trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

iPi Mocap Inspires Feature Length Machinima Horror Movie Ticket Zer0

Posted on: September 25th, 2018

iPi Soft Motion Capture Software Inspires Feature Length Machinima Horror Movie Ticket Zer0

Director Ian Chisholm Uses End-to-End Markerless Performance Capture Pipeline For Character Animation; Film Now Airing on YouTube

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MOSCOW, RUSSIA – September 25, 2018 – For his most ambitious project to date, the feature length horror film Ticket Zer0, motion capture director/writer Ian Chisholm once again leaned heavily on iPi Motion Capture, the advanced markerless motion capture technology from iPi Soft. The 66-minute animated machinima cinematic production is currently available for streaming on YouTube or Blu-Ray here.

Ticket Zer0 is a follow-up to Chisholm’s Clear Skies trilogy series (viewed by hundreds of thousands on YouTube), which also used iPi Mocap throughout for performance capture. Ticket Zer0 tells the story of the night shift at a deserted industrial facility. When a troubleshooter is sent in to fix a mysterious problem, something far more sinister emerges than any of them could have imagined.

Chisholm notes production for Ticket Zer0 took almost five years to complete and used iPi Motion Capture for recording movement in every single frame for all the characters in the film.

“iPi Soft technology has proven to be an invaluable creative resource for me as a filmmaker during motion capture sessions,” he says. “There wasn’t anything on screen that wasn’t recorded by iPi Mocap. The ability to perform the motion capture was exactly what I needed to expand and improve the immersive quality of my film.”

Workflow Details:

For motion capture production, Chisholm used iPi Mocap in conjunction with six Sony PS3 Eye cameras along with two PlayStation Move controllers to track hand movements. With the large amount of video data produced, captured footage was recorded to a solid-state storage device and a dedicated USB3 card. An older quad core PC with ample USB bandwidth and disk speed was sufficient; CPU horsepower was not a requirement.

Handling the motion capture performances, Chisholm broke the Ticket Zer0 script down into one-to-two-page scenes and created capture schedules for each character to block out where each was on set, and then described exactly what each was doing per line of dialogue. Chisholm often performed the motion capture months later, so it was crucial to know if a character was standing or seated and the direction in which they were looking further making accurate capture critical from the start.

Once the motion capture footage was processed, character action was imported into Set Builder, part of the Hammer mapping tool for the Half-Life 2 engine in the Source Valve SDK. Following, choreography scenes were built in Faceposer in the Source engine and motion capture footage recorded in the game engine using the Fraps screen capture and recording utility and then edited using Vegas Movie Studio.

Accurate Mocap:

Advances to iPi Mocap’s processing capabilities since Chisholm produced Clear Skies ten years ago, were key to meeting the motion capture challenges in Ticket Zer0.

“It was almost spooky how well the software was able to handle performance tracking with the six camera setup,” Chisholm notes. “The accuracy of the capture that could be achieved now in iPi Mocap motion allowed me to have many more physical interactions in my film, and it conveyed body language extremely well.”

Today, many working CG animators are turning to markerless motion capture systems like iPi Soft because it accurately captures human motion data using inexpensive, off the-shelf cameras that do not require clumsy sensor suits and greenscreen stages. Moreover, the captured animations don’t exhibit artifacts like jitter or foot skate; and can be easily exported into many leading game engines, 3D software and animation rigs.

Michael Nikonov, founder/chief technology architect of iPi Soft, first became a fan of Chisholm’s work when he saw the Clear Skies film projects, and remains impressed at the level of creativity filmmakers like Chisholm achieve with the company’s markerless motion capture technology.

“We are committed to developing the most reliable and powerful markerless motion capture solutions to help filmmakers, animators and video game developers address their production challenges efficiently and affordably,“ Nikonov says. “We’re thrilled that our iPi Motion Capture technology offered the ultimate accuracy and flexibility to let Ian achieve his creative vision with this epic new film.”

Ticket-Zer0-Making-Of-Slides

About iPi Soft:

Launched in 2008, iPi Soft, LLC is the Moscow-based developer of iPi Motion Capture™, a markerless motion capture software tool that uses sophisticated image processing and computer vision algorithms to recognize and track the human body. The company’s breakthrough technology digitizes the movement of a human skeleton, rendering it in expressive 3D characters for video games or computer. For additional information, on iPi Soft, product pricing, product configurations or a 30-day free trial please visit, http://www.ipisoft.com.

 

Web Resources:

Press-release in PDF:

http://ipisoft.com/pr/iPi-Soft-Ticket-Zer0.pdf

Click here for more info about iPi Soft:

http://ipisoft.com/

Click here to watch the “Ticket Zer0” Trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3V4db5gDsY

Click here to watch the full “Ticket Zer0” film:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qdj-xEDj0Q

For more info about Ian Chisholm:

https://ianchisholmva.wordpress.com/

All trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

Media Contacts:

Vicky Gray-Clark, Ambient PR vicky@ambientpr.com 408-318-1980

Ray Ecke, Right Word Media ray@rightwordmedia.com 973-726-3797

Version 4 Released

Posted on: July 3rd, 2018

iPi Soft Announces iPi Motion Capture Version 4

Advanced Markerless Mocap Solution Delivers Real-time Tracking For 3D Character Content Creation, Compatibility With Leading Sensor Technologies, GoPro Camera Support and New Perpetual License Model

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MOSCOW, RUSSIA – July 3, 2018  – iPi Soft, LLC, developers of advanced motion capture technology, today announced iPi Motion Capture Version 4 a comprehensive next version of its popular markerless motion capture software. Version 4 introduces a highly anticipated real-time preview capability for a single depth sensor.

Other new features and enhancements in Version 4 include support for new depth sensors (Intel RealSense D415 / D435, ASUS Xtion2 and Orbbec Astra / Astra Pro); improved arms and body tracking; and support for action cameras like GoPro and SJCAM. With Version 4, iPi Soft also introduces a perpetual license model.

   

New Depth Sensors

Real-time Preview Screenshot

We are delighted to introduce real-time tracking feedback in Version 4 that allows users to preview the motion tracking result transferred to 3D characters at the time of performance, Michael Nikonov, iPi Soft founder and chief technology architect, said . The combination of real-time tracking, expanded support for the latest in depth sensor technology and wide-angle action camera compatibility in Version 4 elevates the content creation experience for high-end film, television and games customers where a fast and reliable workflow is essential.

Benefits of iPi Mocap V 4 Real Time Tracking

The new real-time tracking feature in Version 4 uses iPi Recorder, a free software provided by iPi Soft for capturing, for playing back and processing video records from multiple cameras and depth sensors, to communicate to iPi Mocap Studio software that tracks in real-time speed and instantly transfers motion to 3D characters. This allows users to see how the motion will look on a 3D character, and improve motion accordingly at the time of acting and recording without the need to redo multiple iterations of acting, recording and offline tracking.

Live tracking results can then be stored to disk for additional offline post-processing, such as tracking refinement (to improve tracking accuracy), manual corrections and jitter removal to provide end users with an accurate, flexible and efficient workflow.

iPi Mocap Version 4 currently includes the real-time tracking feature for a single depth sensor only. iPi Soft is scheduled to bring real-time functionality for multiple depth sensors by the end of this year.

Development of plug-ins for popular 3D game engines, including Unreal Engine and Unity, is also underway.

Key features in iPi Motion Capture 4

Real-time Tracking and Other Tracking Improvements

  • Real-time tracking support of human performance for live preview for a single depth sensor (Basic and Pro configurations); motion can be transferred to a 3D character.
  • Improved individual body parts tracking: after performing initial tracking, users can re-do tracking for selected body parts, which allows users to fix tracking errors more quickly.
  • Tracking improvements of head and hands, when used in conjunction with Sony’s PS Move motion controller that takes into account joint limits.

Support for New Sensors and Cameras

  • Support for Intel RealSense D415 / D435 depth cameras, Asus Xtion2 motion sensors and Orbbec Astra / Astra Pro 3D cameras.
  • Support for action cameras like GoPro and SJCAM, including wide-angle cameras, which allows users to come closer to camera thus decreasing space requirements.
  • Ability to calibrate individual internal parameters of any camera, which can be used to correctly reconstruct 3D information from video for improved overall tracking quality.
  • Ability to load unsynchronized videos from multiple cameras and then use iPi Recorder to sync and convert footage to .iPiVideo format used by iPi Mocap Studio.
  • With support of action cameras, video framerate can reach up to 120 fps to allow for tracking extremely fast motions.

A complete list of the new feature enhancements in iPi Motion Capture 4 is available here.

Pricing and Availability

With Version 4, iPi Soft is introducing a perpetual license model. The perpetual license is not time-limited and includes two years with full support and software updates. Afterwards, users have the option to subscribe to a support plan to continue receiving full support and software updates. Alternatively, they can continue using their latest software version.

iPi Motion Capture Version 4 is also available as a subscription-based model. Prices range from $165 to $1995 depending on the version of software (Express, Basic, Pro) and duration of subscription. The Basic edition provides support for up to 6 Sony PS3 Eye cameras or 2 depth sensors, and tracking of a single actor. The Pro version features full 16-camera / 4 depth sensors capability and can track up to 3 actors. A free 30-day trial for Version 3.0 is available here.

Additional information on iPi Soft license offerings is available  here.

About iPi Soft:

Moscow-based developer, iPi Soft, LLC, develops powerful markerless motion capture software technology that uses sophisticated image processing and computer vision algorithms to recognize and track the human body. The company’s software is used by creative professionals and prosumers around the world to digitize the movement of a human skeleton, rendering it expressive in 3D characters for video games, computer generated films, as well as for medical, military and other applications. For additional information, on iPi Soft, product pricing, product configurations or a 30-day free trial please visit, http://www.ipisoft.com.

All trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

#   #   # Media Contacts: Ambient PR, Vicky Gray-Clark, vicky@ambientpr.com, 408-318-1980 Right Word Media, Ray Ecke, ray@rightwordmedia.com, 973-726-3797

GoldenLane Studio’s “Five Nights At Freddy’s” YouTube Series

Posted on: January 30th, 2018

GoldenLane Studio Turns To iPi Motion Capture For “Five Nights At Freddy’s” YouTube Series

Ukraine-Based Production Studio Relies On Markerless Motion Capture Solution For Character Animation; Video Series Attracts Millions Of Views

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MOSCOW, RUSSIA – What began as an indie mobile game in 2014, Five Nights At Freddy’s has grown into a multimedia franchise with multiple games, novel adaptations and even a feature film in the works. There is also an array of fan-inspired videos – none more popular than those produced by the Kiev, Ukraine-based GoldenLane Studio. Led by Co-Founder Roman Maltsev (along with Alex Portman and Oleg Smolyaninov), the studio’s “Five Nights At Freddy’s” YouTube video series relies on the iPi Soft markerless iPi Motion Capture software solution for reliable character animation. The series continues to be viewed by millions, including an astounding 25 million that watched the initial trailer.

Maltsev noted that among the key benefits of using iPi Motion Capture (in conjunction with a Windows PC running on an Intel Core i7 8700K processor and NVIDIA GTX 1080Ti graphics card) is not having to rely on expensive green-screens and motion capture suits, and that animations can be exported into either SFM (Source Filmmaker’s proprietary format) or the more universal DMX format, to ensure a quick post production workflow.

Ideal For Creative Studios:

The motion capture tracking and design process begins at GoldenLane with a rough pre-visualization (previs), without animation and lighting. All characters are first created in T-pose, a standard default shape for humanoid game model content creation, to understand where action is going to take place, character placement, etc. Following, iPi Motion Capture is used to record and track motion to the previs scenes and then transfer to each character.

“iPi Motion Capture is ideal for small, creative studios like ours as it helps to simplify and significantly speed up production,” Maltsev says, who serves as the sole actor in his videos, often performing multiple parts. “It’s also a lot of fun for me to get to play the hero in my own movies.”

Although Maltsev is currently the only actor featured in the video production, should that change, the capabilities in iPi Motion Capture (Pro version) provide tracking features of up to three multiple actors at the same time without the need for manual sync.

Complex Kiss:

One particularly challenging scene for Maltsev was playing two characters named Zoe and Ellis that kiss. “I recorded the kiss using the iPi Recorder independently for each character, as a single-actor motion,” he recalls. “To accomplish this, I had to stand in the center of the room twice, hug the air and pretend to kiss someone. After that I synced motions manually inside Source Filmmaker. This seemingly simple act proved the most complex, and also was pretty amusing.”

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The “Five Nights At Freddy’s” mobile game series is centered on the story of a fictional restaurant named Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, a pastiche of restaurants like Chuck E. Cheese’s. The game involves the player working as a nighttime security guard who must use several tools, most notably security cameras, to survive the night shift against animatronic characters that become homicidal after-hours.

350K Subscribers:

GoldenLane borrows from the basic premise of the original Freddy’s series, but introduces new characters, settings and scenarios, such as the HAZMAT team investigating the dilapidated state of the Freddy’s restaurant; or the wandering traveler who is stalked by one of the animatronic characters.

According to Maltsev, the original characters he creates run the gamut from those that will appear only once, to more nuanced ones that will inevitably play important roles as the series develops.

“iPi Soft is a key content creation tool that helps to visually ‘describe’ a character through the use of motion,” Maltsev says. “We develop characters with the aim to give each a unique style. How a person moves can be very revealing into who they are. A military person might be more sure-footed and stride confidently into extreme situations, whereas a civilian might move more cautiously and awkwardly.”

Maltsev’s passion for the project and level he puts into his characters and plotlines has clearly resonated with fans as evidenced by millions of views and 350,000-plus subscribers on YouTube. The popularity of the series has also spurred donations via the crowd-funding site Patreon.com, enabling Maltsev and his GoldenLane partners to work solely on creating content for YouTube.

For Michael Nikonov, Founder and Chief Technology Officer at iPi Soft, the company remains committed to motion tracking software development that delivers exceptional processing speed optimization and tracking accuracy.

“We’re pleased that recent enhancements to iPi Motion Capture are providing indie filmmakers, like Maltsev, with the near real-time feedback capabilities they need to quickly track results that can be transferred to 3D characters at the time of recording motions and improved animation export features for an optimized workflow.”

“When I uploaded the first Freddy’s trailer, there were no plans on developing it as a on-going series,” Maltsev adds.  “People clearly like our vision of this cinematic universe and when we saw how popular it had became, we decided to move ahead and will deliver new episodes later this year.”

About iPi Soft:

Launched in 2008 by CEO and Chief Technology Architect Michael Nikonov, iPi Soft, LLC is the Moscow-based developer of iPi Motion Capture™, a markerless motion capture software tool that uses sophisticated image processing and computer vision algorithms to recognize and track the human body. The company’s breakthrough technology digitizes the movement of a human skeleton, rendering it in expressive 3D characters for video games or computer generated films. For additional information, on iPi Soft, product pricing or a 30-day free trial please visit, http://www.ipisoft.com.

All trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

Media Contacts:

Vicky Gray-Clark
Ambient PR
vicky@ambientpr.com / 408-318-1980

Ray Ecke
Right Word Media
ray@rightwordmedia.com / 973-726-3797

iPi Soft Announces Faster Tracking And Enhanced Animation Export Features For iPi Motion Capture Software

Posted on: June 7th, 2017

iPi Soft Announces Faster Tracking And Enhanced Animation Export Features For iPi Motion Capture Software

Version 3.5 of Markerless Mocap Solution More Than Doubles Tracking Speed; Includes Faster, More Accurate Calibration

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MOSCOW, RUSSIA – iPi Soft, LLC, developers of advanced markerless motion capture technology, today announced significant upgrades to its iPi Motion Capture software application, including 2.5 times faster tracking speed when used with a Kinect sensor set-up, enhanced animation export functionality, as well as availability for single-actor projects and single-GPU configurations.

According to Michael Nikonov, founder and chief technology architect for iPi Soft, the new iPi Motion Capture tracking algorithm works faster than when the raw data is recorded via a Kinect sensor, with tracking speeds now available up to 60-70 fps (when using high-end video cards), versus previous Kinect recording rates of 30 fps. “The new enhancements to the software will allow us to implement a real-time feedback feature so users can see the tracking result transferred to 3D characters at the time of recording motions for optimized workflow,” Nikonov said.

Nikonov also noted that the new 3.5 version offers faster calibration for the Sony PS3 Eye camera set up, which now takes less than three minutes (dependent on the number of cameras used) when using a high-end video card. In addition, increased calibration precision has resulted in more accurate noise and defect filtering.

Customers working with Sony PS Move motion controllers to precisely track hands and head rotations, a process that used to take up to 10 minutes depending on length of recordings, now will enjoy nearly instant application of motion controllers data. iPi Soft development also continues to bring faster algorithms for use with Sony PS3 Eye and other RGB camera set-ups, scheduled for release later this year.

In addition to 2.5 to 3 times faster tracking speed (for Kinect sensors) – which is essentially real-time rendering, a long time benchmark for adoption with high-end users working in entertainment – the new 3.5 version features additional animation settings for working in third party applications for a smoother integration.

Other key features in iPi Motion Capture 3.5 include:

•    Availability for single-actor projects and single-GPU configurations.

  • New export tab controls allow users to rotate imported characters into proper orientation, useful for many popular characters, including standard Unreal Engine characters.
  • Motion can now accurately be transferred to imported characters with separate root bone and hips/pelvis bone. Users can map hip motions either to root or to hips/pelvis, which benefits game engine characters, including standard Unity 3D Engine and Unreal Engine characters.
  • Support for FBX format 7.5.
  • Added finger bones to motion transfer profile for Valve characters in SMD and DMX formats.
  • Users can select flashlight color for marker detection during calibration, useful in case of light backgrounds.
  • Timesaving hints added to GPU’s progress bar area during tracking.
  • Dialog with common actions available for the exported file shown after animation export and video export operations.
  • Numerous bug and “under-the-hood” fixes.

A complete list of the new feature enhancements in iPi Motion Capture 3.5 is available here.

Real-Time Feedback Development:

In addition to more than doubling the tracking speed with this latest version, the company remains focused on achieving real time rendering before the end of 2017.

“Our development efforts are focused on processing speed optimization and we expect to release a new version of iPi Motion Capture that will essentially offer real-time capability this year to deliver customers an overall improved markerless mocap workflow,” notes Nikonov.

Pricing and Availability:                                                              

iPi Motion Capture Version 3.5 is available on a subscription-based pricing model. Prices range from $45.00 to $2,495.00 depending on the version of software (Express, Basic, Pro) and duration of subscription. The Basic edition provides support for up to 6 Sony PS3 Eye cameras or 2 Kinect sensors, and tracking of single actor. The Pro version features full 16-camera / 4 Kinect sensors capability and can track of up to 3 actors. A free 30-day trial for Version 3.0 is available here: http://ipisoft.com/download/

About iPi Motion Capture:

iPi Motion Capture is a markerless motion capture software tool to track human body motions to easily produce 3D animation. The scalable system is capable of tracking of up to 3 actors and is compatible with first and second-generation Kinect sensors working at the same time on one or several computers to capture complex motions, including 360-degrees turns. It also supports other inexpensive off-the-shelf equipment such as Sony PS3 Eye cameras.

The software is also compatible with many leading game engines, 3D software applications and animation rigs, including MAXON Cinema 4D, Autodesk 3D Studio Max / Maya / MotionBuilder, Unity, Valve Source Filmmaker / Source Engine, DAZ Studio, Poser, iClone, Unreal Engine, and others. iPi Motion Capture supports motion transfer and export to popular animation formats including FBX, BVH and COLLADA.

About iPi Soft:

Moscow-based developer, iPi Soft, LLC, develops powerful markerless motion capture software technology that uses sophisticated image processing and computer vision algorithms to recognize and track the human body. The company’s software is used by creative professionals and prosumers around the world to digitize the movement of a human skeleton, rendering it expressive in 3D characters for video games, computer generated films, as well as for medical, military and other applications. For additional information, on iPi Soft, product pricing, product configurations or a 30-day free trial please visit, http://www.ipisoft.com.

All trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

Media Contacts:

Ambient PR, Vicky Gray-Clark, vicky@ambientpr.com, 408-318-1980

Right Word Media, Ray Ecke, ray@rightwordmedia.com, 973-726-3797

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iPi Mocap Aides Researchers At Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center

Posted on: April 25th, 2017

iPi Soft Markerless Motion Capture Technology Aides Researchers At Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center

Innovative Motion Capture Solution Helps Quantify And Improve Alzheimer’s                       

Biomechanical Data Collection Strategies  

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MOSCOW – April 27, 2017 – Researchers at the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center (the RADC), a department at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, currently focused on several large ongoing studies of aging and dementia that include more than 2,000 individuals, have found a new tool in their battle against Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia: markerless motion capture.

According to Bob Dawe, PhD, Assistant Professor of Radiology, there is an increasing recognition in the role gait, mobility and physical activity play in influencing the brain health and successful aging and quality of life in older adults. Because many of the seniors in the study are not able or willing to travel to the facility, a team of RADC researchers are using iPi Soft motion capture technology in conjunction with Microsoft Kinect motion sensor devices to go into different communities to meet with participants and conduct annual tests of cognitive ability, health status questionnaires, blood draws and other research with the goal, he says, of better understanding the factors most influential in staving off these diseases.

“Using iPi Motion Capture software paired with Microsoft Kinect we now have a very accurate digital record of participants’ motions as they complete different motor performances, from which we can better quantify myriad facets of gait, balance and mobility,” Dawe says. “We compared some of the metrics extracted with iPi Motion Capture to the gold standard optical tracking system in the motion analysis laboratory and the timing measures are spot on, and the accuracy of estimated joint angles is also very respectable. On top of that, the iPi Soft motion capture system is more user-friendly than the professional motion tracking rig.”

Dawe explained that the RADC first became interested in using the Kinect as a tool to capture aspects of mobility in its older research participants, but soon learned that the device alone would not be substantial enough to yield accurate results.

“iPi Soft’s iPi Recorder and iPi Mocap Studio are very polished products that did not require extensive programming knowledge,” Dawe notes. “I was thrilled when it worked right out of the box in just a few moments, with the installation package taking care of all the necessary components without any of the cryptic error messages I’d become accustomed to with some of the open source packages I’d worked with in the past.”

The RADC testing measures about a dozen performances, such as walking a straight line, rising from a chair, standing with eyes closed for 20 seconds, standing on one foot, etc. Dawe explained that iPi Motion Capture integrated perfectly with their current gait and mobility-testing collection strategies in that it imposed no additional testing burden on participants, such as the need to shed clothing or wear sensor suits.

Additionally, the systems worked intuitively so the RADC researchers were not preoccupied with the computer during the testing session and could therefore maintain their focus on the study participants. Using iPi Motion Capture with Kinect sensors also yielded better spatial and temporal resolution and a wider field of view and combined with its portability and easy set up made it ideal for conducting research, especially when going into the field into participant’s homes with limited open space.

“Adding iPi Soft and Kinect was just a matter of training our researchers and devising a consistent placement strategy for the hardware and figuring out how to handle all the data,” Dawe notes.

”We are particularly excited to know that the renowned Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center is relying on our markerless motion capture solution to advance meaningful research to help fight those afflicted with Alzheimer’s,” Michael Nikonov, iPi Soft founder and chief technology architect says. “As more medical and research professionals continue to become familiar with the benefits of markerless tracking and visualizing as a professional and reliable alternative for capturing human motion data without the need for expensive facility space, clumsy sensor suits with reflective markers or a team of technicians, we see endless possibilities for its use in solving important medical problems.”

 About iPi Soft:

Launched in 2008 by CEO and Chief Technology Architect Michael Nikonov, iPi Soft, LLC is the Moscow-based developer of iPi Motion Capture™, a markerless motion capture software tool that uses sophisticated image processing and computer vision algorithms to recognize and track the human body. The company’s breakthrough technology digitizes the movement of a human skeleton, rendering it in expressive 3D characters for video games or computer generated films. For additional information, on iPi Soft, product pricing or a 30-day free trial please visit, http://www.ipisoft.com.

 All trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

Media Contacts: 

Ambient PR, Vicky Gray-Clark, vicky@ambientpr.com, 408-318-1980

Right Word Media, Ray Ecke, ray@rightwordmedia.com, 973-726-3797

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