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How to Buy a Motion Capture System

By: Ben Needles

Im not going to go through the obvious steps in buying a motion capture system like analyze your requirements, your budget, your application, and your space. All of that is easy. What is not so easy is separating the good motion capture systems from the bad. While it can be a matter of opinion what is good and what is bad, there are some aspects of motion capture you should think about before committing to a motion capture system.
Who does it fit?
When you see a demonstration of the motion capture system, who is wearing the system and what are they wearing. Is it a tall sleek person that is meant to catch your eye? Are they wearing a tight-fitting spandex outfit? Do the people that are going to use the system look like the model? Will they want to wear spandex? Make sure the system you are going to buy fits everyone that is going to use it.
Have you seen it working?
There are some motion capture companies that show up every year at trade shows like Siggraph and GDC but never get their system running. If they are running then they may be on an inaccessible stage. Are they moving in slow motion? Are they doing a predefined set of moves? Can you interact with the motion capture artist? If you cannot ask the artist to do some motions you pick then no, you have not seen the system working.
Does the character walk across the floor?
A normal walk is one of the hardest motions to capture because everyone has a sense of what it should look like. There is no valid reason for having a character pinned to the wall. If a company tries to explain why, walk away, they are hiding something. Before I buy a system I want to see the character, as raw data, walking across the floor.
How much space do I need and what is the size of the motion capture area?
Vicon is the leader in motion capture but the system needs a large, stable area. There are some systems that claim they need no markers, just video cameras. Ask how much space is required for how much capture area. It probably needs a large space for a small capture area. Ask about the footprint of the capture area. This is the area on the floor the artist is able to move about in. Also ask about the vertical capture area. Can you capture below the knees, can you jump? Some systems have small footprints and small vertical areas making them unusable. Space required and capture area are two important aspects of a motion capture system.
Motion capture can be fun and productive, or not. Ask these important questions before you buy a system. It will make a huge difference to your motion capture experience. Visit us online at http://www.measurand.com.

Im not going to go through with the perceptible steps in buying a apparent motion bewitch system like analyze your requirements, your budget, your application, and your space. All of that is easy. What is not so easy is separating the good gesture seizure systems from the bad. While it can be a matter of vox populi what is good and what is bad, there are some aspects of motion capture you should think about before committing to a motion entrance system.
Who does it fit?
When you see a demo of the motion beguile system, who is wear the system and what are they wearing. Is it a tall sleek person that is meant to catch your eye? Are they wearing a tight-fitting spandex outfit? Do the people that are going to use the arrangement look like the model? Will they want to wear spandex? Make sure the scheme you are going to buy fits everyone that is going to use it.
Have you seen it working?
There are some motion capture companies that show up every year at trade shows like Siggraph and GDC but never get their system running. If they are running then they may be on an inaccessible stage. Are they moving in slow motion? Are they doing a predefined set of moves? Can you interact with the motion capture artist? If you cannot ask the artist to do some motions you pick then no, you have not seen the system working.
Does the character walk crossed the floor?
A normal walk is one of the hardest motions to capture because everyone has a sense of what it should look like. There is no valid argue for having a character reference stapled to the wall. If a company tries to explain why, walk away, they are concealment something. Earlier I buy a system I want to see the character, as raw data, walk across the floor.
How much space do I need and what is the size of the motion capture area?
Vicon is the leader in move capture but the system needs a large, static area. There are some systems that claim they need no markers, just video cameras. Ask how much space is required for how much capture area. It likely needs a large space for a small seizure area. Ask about the footmark of the captivate area. This is the area on the floor the creative person is able to move about in. Also ask about the vertical enamour area. Can you capture below the knees, can you jump? Some systems have small footprints and small vertical areas making them unusable. Space mandatory and capture area are two crucial aspects of a motion capture system.
Motion capture can be fun and productive, or not. Ask these important questions in front you buy a system. It will make a huge divergence to your motion capture experience. Visit us online at http://www.measurand.com.

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