Overall Intro 

Our motion capture clothing with embedded IMU sensors was used in a proof-of-concept (PoC) project to demonstrate the potential of using cutting-edge technology to capture realistic and accurate motion data in real-time. This PoC aimed to explore the possibilities of motion capture clothing and to test the viability of using the data for creating digital avatars in Blender software.

The Customer

The customer for this project was… us because we needed a high-quality promo video, and also a digital animation studio that specializes in creating high-quality animations for film and video games. They were interested in exploring new technologies that would allow them to create more lifelike and realistic animations and saw our motion capture clothing as a potential solution.

The Problem

The problem that the customer faced to create high-quality animations was a time-consuming process that is needed to create realistic animations when using, for example, traditional animation techniques or optical motion capture systems.

There are also limitations in and accuracy of the data that could be captured, based on external factors, like lightning, location, etc. Moreover, in order to capture high-quality data with existing solutions costs are often high and it is required to have a dedicated space to set up. There are companies providing budget-level solutions, but it is at a cost of the quality of captured data.

We wanted to test if our motion capture suit can do the work – it’s more accessible to larger audiences due to price and captures qualitative data as any high-end motion capture suit.

Traditional animation techniques refer to the methods used to create animations manually, without the use of motion capture or other advanced technologies. These techniques involve creating a series of drawings or frames that are then played in sequence to create the illusion of motion.

Traditional animation techniques can be time-consuming and require a high level of skill and expertise. They can also be limited in terms of the level of detail and realism that can be achieved. However, they remain a popular method for creating animations, particularly in certain genres such as children’s television shows and feature-length animated films.

Optical motion capture systems use high-speed cameras to track reflective markers that are attached to the subject’s body or clothing. The cameras capture the movement of the markers in 3D space, allowing for highly accurate and detailed motion capture data. The data is then processed and used to animate digital characters or objects.

While such an approach provides high accuracy and reliability, it usually costs more than 20 000 USD and requires a long setup time and a highly qualified team.

The Solution

To address these challenges, we proposed using our smart clothing. This solution allowed for quick and efficient motion capture, as the clothing was worn to capture real-time data by the user without the need for additional equipment or dedicated space. The IMU sensors embedded in the clothing captured the orientation and motion of the body parts in real-time and in 3D space, providing detailed motion data that could be sorted out, aligned, and later used for digital animation.

The Result

The result of our PoC project was highly encouraging. We were able to capture realistic and accurate motion data. This data later were exported in .bvh format and imported into Blender software to create digital avatars. The resulting animations were highly realistic and lifelike, demonstrating the potential of this technology for creating high-quality digital animations.

Down below are video examples of the process – on the left side are raw motion data that we gathered and simply put on top of the production company’s recorded video in a real environment. There’s a little shift between a stick figure and a real environment video, because of stick figure parameters (the distance between body parts is set differently from a real user’s body parameters).

This is something that can be easily changed, taking into account specific use cases – for example, in remote physiotherapy, it is crucial to align avatar body parameters to real users’ body parameters.

On the right side is the example of an avatar that is recreated in Blender software, using our motion data.

The Outcome

Thanks to this PoC we are now able to offer VFX, movie production, and animation studios quick and easy-to-integrate solutions for motion capture.

Moving forward, we plan to explore further applications of this technology in digital animation and refine the process for capturing motion data. We also plan to work closely with our customers to identify additional use cases and potential areas for improvement in the technology.

By doing so, we hope to continue pushing the boundaries of what is possible in digital animation and to provide our customers with the tools they need to create high-quality, lifelike animations.