RIGS & MOTION

CAPTURE

By: Jennifer Marcial and Juan m. lopez

A presentation on animation film-

making, and how it works.

DEFINITIONS

*Rigs-Steadicam is a brand of camera

stabilizer mount for motion picture cameras that

mechanically isolates it from the operator's

movement. It allows for a smooth shot, even when

moving quickly over an uneven surface. The

Steadicam was invented by cameraman Garrett

Brown and was introduced in 1975.

DEFINITIONS

*Motion Capture-Motion capture (Mo-cap for short)

is the process of recording the movement of objects or people. It is

used in military, entertainment, sports, medical applications, and for

validation of computer vision and robotics. In filmmaking and video

game development, it refers to recording actions of human actors, and

using that information to animate digital character models in 2D or 3D

computer animation.

HISTORYYou probably know motion-capture as the thing with

the ping pong balls and the silly lycra suits. Well,

you're not wrong. In actual fact, rudimentary motion-

studies have been around since the 19th century, pre-

dating cinema itself, and were primarily used for

understanding better how humans and animals move.

Late in the 20th century, before it was co-opted by

Hollywood, motion-capture was a photogrammetric

analysis tool in the field of biomechanics, and was

used for sports, education and even videogames.

CONTINUATION

Sinbad: Beyond the Veil of Mists was the first

movie made primarily with motion capture.

The first fully computer generated feature film was

1995's Toy Story however the first animated film to

use CGI was 1983's Rock & Rule.

WHAT MAKES A MOTION CAPTURE MOVIE?

You need a specific camera in order to capture

each move the actor/ subject makes. It looks like

this.

HOW THE MOTION CAPTURE WORKS

The simplest rundown is that live actors' motions are digitally recorded and then

applied to 3D models. The physical recording itself can be done through one of two

methods: the actor can wear a cumbersome bodysuit wired with complex sensors that

detect their movements, or they can attach smaller singular sensors at pivotal points to

capture the motion of those particular joints and interpret it into full-limb motion. these

digital readings are fed into linked computers, where they are recorded and interpreted

into motion sequences by programs like MetaMotion's Kaydara. From there the

recorded sequences can be imported into 3D animation programs such as 3D Studio

Max, and then applied to character models by mapping recorded motion data onto key

points defined on the 3D models. There is still a great deal of work involved in

interpreting the data correctly, and if even one mistake is made in recording the

motions, sometimes the entire scene must be re-shot.

WHAT MAKES A RIG ANIMATION?

The process of making a rig animation is by using a

computer. It looks like this.

HOW RIG ANIMATION WORKS

The animator uses a computer to generate a sequence of

still images, that give the illusion of motion through three

dimensional space when you play them. You require a 3D

animation software, such as 3DMax or Maya, and a good

computer. Instead of drawing every detail in the frame by

hand, you draw every frame using a computer! The

animator gives the software a set of parameters that

describes how the elements should look and move.

PICTURES

PICTURES

VIDEO LINK

EXTRA