Motion capture is an animation technique involving capturingand applying information to 3D digital models to create complex and realisticanimations. Using intricate, multi-camera systems, animation companies canfully capture body and facial movement in real-time, breathing life intoanimated characters while cutting back on the hours of complex animation thatwould have otherwise been necessary. Motion capture is to animation as stringsare to marionettes and has become a vital part of the modern animation process.
Motion capture essentially involves the frame by framesampling of an actor or object’s movement. In the early days of motion capture,the recorded movements were projected over an animation table frame by frame, wherebyanimators would then painstakingly trace the outlines of the movement and fillthem in with the animated character or object; after which the completedanimations would be individually captured and compiled to perfectly match the actor’soriginal movements. Thankfully, technology has advanced tremendously since thenand nowadays the data captured by the motion capture cameras is digitally mappedonto 3D models using specialized software.
Over the years, motion capture has revolutionized the filmand animation industries and has advanced to the point where even cameramovements and props can be captured. This allows for 3D-rendered models andeven entire sets to be captured from different perspectives and enables thecreation of the intense and ultra-realistic animations we’ve become used toseeing in feature films like Avatar and Pirates of the Caribbean.
Despite the technological advancements, motion capture isstill a lot more complicated than just simply filming an actor and applyingtheir movements to a 3D model – that’s the easy part. The entire motion captureprocess requires hours of careful planning, thousands of dollars’ worth ofequipment, and an expert team of animation specialists. The last point isparticularly important, but before we get into why it’s important to highlightsome of the advantages of motion capture animation.
Motion capture offers several inherent advantages over someof the other more traditional techniques used by animation companies inSingapore and across the globe including:
An influx of immersive, 360-degree 3D animation for blue-chip experience centers saw Untitled Project take a massive leap and upgrade their motion capture system to feature 18 high-end Prime 17W camera systems. Maintaining our reputation as a leading Singapore animation studio, this high-tech solution is arguably the most advanced mocap system in Singapore and allows us to rapidly prototype animation, watch real-time previews, and puts the footage directly into the director’s hands using our virtual camera – negating the need for our CGI animation directors to be technical. Speaking of directors, just like we mentioned above, motion capture is nothing without an expert team which is why we’re proud to announce our new collaboration with legendary feature film producer and BAFTA winner, Ben Lock. Ben will be joining us to produce our new animation series using our state-of-the-art mocap system and will be a huge part of Untitled Project’s exciting future as we expand our production team and take on more high quality, serialized CGI animation projects. Connect with Untitled Project to find out more about the advantages of working with Singapore’s best animation company.
