Objective
I aimed to explore capturing dance movements through a Motion Capture (Mocap) system, focusing on understanding its setup and workflow while creating an animation from the captured data.
Process
System Testing:
I used the Mocap Lab in the Hunt Library Basement. There are 10 motion capture cameras mounted to capture movement in the space.
- Challenges and Adjustments:
- Calibration was essential for accurate capture, involving a wand with sensors to determine the cameras’ locations.
- Initial calibration was poor due to system neglect.
- Solution: Adjusted camera positions to improve calibration.
- Result: Calibration accuracy improved but hardware issues persisted, making complex motion capture difficult.
- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kRd9X2ERyBjxDxj7PbBXGGeyQ92Uary9/view?usp=sharing
Recording:
I invited a friend, a costume design student from the School of Drama, to perform a short ballet routine for capture.
- Challenges:
- Hardware instability led to unreliable data capture.
- Export of the ballet data was unsuccessful due to system restrictions.
- Recorded video of the session was preserved for reference.
Rigging:
First Attempt:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/117iZ76MnFCeKrLIg_D61js7rksitm501/view?usp=drive_link
Second Attempt:
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- Model: Downloaded a pre-rigged character from Mixamo.
- Data: Used test data due to the ballet motion file’s export failure.
- Outcome: Successfully animated the pre-rigged model using test data.
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Next Steps
- Locate the original ballet motion data and reattempt the export process.
- Redo rigging and animation with the captured dance motion.
- Explore finding a model that better aligns with the my conceptual design and hopefully build a small scene.
Special Thanks to Sukie Wang – Ballet Performer