Motion Capture for the Masses
Motion Capture for the Masses
MOSCOW, RUSSIA – The mobile gaming world is one of the fastest growing areas in media today and for game developers like the Farmingdale, NJ-based company Mission Critical one of their competitive advantages is their reliance on iPi Motion Capture™. The markerless multi-camera motion capture system has been incorporated into the studio’s production pipeline and has played an integral role in all of the games the company has developed.
Founded in 2007 by Erik “Foyleman” Guilfoyle and David Gonzalez, Mission Critical Studios Specializes in the development of exciting video game experiences for iOS, Android, PC, Xbox 360, PS 3 and Wii platforms.
“It’s fantastic to be able to come up with an idea and in a few minutes record exactly what you want and apply it to your characters,” Gonzalez says. iPiMotion Capture is what mocap should be all about – making your ideas reality in a matter of minutes.”
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Among those ideas Mission Critical used iPi Motion Capture™ to bring to life is a game called “Frantic Freddy,” (available on the iOS, and soon on Xbox Live), which centers on a mentally unhinged character named Freddy who is forced to face his fears, such as his fear of roaches that gamers must stomp on to collect points.
“Frantic Freddy is a good example of how we use iPi Motion Capture™,” Gonzalez notes. “Our character’s movement takes place inside a padded room so we created a faux room using plastic hanging from the ceiling and had our actor act out each of the movements and sequences. The Frantic Freddy character needed to be able to slap the walls (to kill the bugs) so the flexibility of using iPi Motion Capture™ to re-record the footage was a distinct advantage. So was the ability to be unencumbered while performing and not strapped into traditional motion capture suits was huge plus as well.”
Mission Critical’s workflow also incorporates other iPi Motion Capture™ compatible software such as 3DS Max, Maya, Lightwave, Zbrush, Motion Builder and Photoshop – all of which are compatible with iPi Soft.
But for Gonzalez one of the key benefits iPi Motion Capture™ brings to Mission Critical’s work is that the motion the software captures require very little cleanup, a competitive advantage that, according to Gonzalez, has played no small part in the company’s success.
“The motion that is generated through iPi Motion Capture™ is very clean,” Gonzalez notes.“It is the only mocap solution that we use at our studio, and now with the multi-camera setup, which basically eliminates any occlusion issues we might have had in the past, we truly have become iPi fans.”
Mission Critical is also using iPi Motion Capture™ on a music performance game that involves recording their client’s performance and then compositing it into animated avatars of the band members.
iPi Motion Capture™ is a markerless motion capture software tool that uses sophisticated image processing and computer vision algorithms to recognize and track the human body. The scalable system supports dual Kinect cameras working at the same time on the same PC capturing complex motions, including 360-degrees turns. It also supports other inexpensive off-the-shelf equipment such as PlayStation Eye cameras and webcams.
iPi Motion Capture™ brings a totally new workflow paradigm to filmmakers, CG animator broadcast motion graphics designers, videogame developers and prosumers in entertainment, military and other vertical markets. Captured animations do not exhibit artifacts like jitter or foot skate and can be exported in popular animation formats including FBX, BVH and COLLADA. The software is compatible with many leading game engines, 3D software applications and animation rigs, including MAXON CINEMA 4D, Autodesk Maya, Autodesk 3D Studio Max, DAZ 3D DAZ Studio, Poser, Valve Source Engine, Unreal Engine, Unity and others. It also includes an integrated motion transfer engine and supports accurate motion retargeting for custom rigs. For more information, click here
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 https://www.ipisoft.com.
Vicky Gray-Clark/Ambient Public Relations
p. 408-243-8880 e. vicky@ambientpr.com
Ray Ecke/Right Word Media
p. 973-726-3797 e. ray@rightwordmedia.com
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