Motion Capture: Games, Movies And Recent Progress

When you watch a film or play a game, it’s pretty difficult to look at the emotional, dramatic scene and see your beloved characters moving like robots underwater: slowly, with mechanical movements. It kills the vibe pretty quickly!

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Luckily, motion capture technology is here to make animations more real and to make life much easier for 3D animators. It’s actively used in both the modern film and game industry to create incredibly realistic animations, making characters’ movements life-like to fully immerse players and cinema-goers into the experiences.

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Motion design is also a necessary part of the production process if you’re aiming to create a high-quality blend of both cinematic and gaming experiences since it allows players to not only hear but also see the nuanced emotions of characters, making narratives more immersive. For example, a child exploring his long-awaited new home or a man grappling with despair yet determined to persevere can evoke a deeper emotional connection.

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In this article, we’ll talk about motion capture in detail and learn about its usage and its recent innovations.

What is Motion Capture?

Motion capture is a technology that records the precise movements of inanimate objects or people. 

If you had spent several days working really hard on 3D animation to make it look realistic and not robot-like, chances are you thought at least once: “I wish I could use motion capture technology instead.” Like motion capture’s precursor that is rotoscope technique in 2D, motion capture allows to cheat a little bit, and instead of creating movements from scratch, take a real person, make it move and then adapt these movements into the 3D digital world.

How does motion capture work?

In very simple words: the motions of an object are recorded with special sensors, these recordings are processed by a machine, and the final result in the digital form is adapted by models and ready to be used.

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The process of motion capture goes like this: 

1. Several sensors, or markers, are placed on the object. The best way to do it is to use a motion capture suit, which looks like a black long-sleeve with lots of small white lightbulbs. The cameras are also set up all around the stage to catch all movements. A calibration process allows the system to gather basic information and “warm up” a little before the main process of capturing. 
2. The subject performs required actions, which are recorded with precision by technology. Sometimes, you may need the assistance of a director, a person who will navigate the performer to get better results.
3. A software program creates a skeleton-like structure based on the sensor’s input, the data is being processed.
4. The final result is then placed “into” a 3D model, making it come to life on a monitor. 

From its creation back in the 1970s, motion capture technology has been an essential part of recording human movements to use in modern 3D media, be it movies or video games. Not only does it make the process easier for animators and 3D artists, but it also helps to make sure the movements and animations will feel as humane as possible since they are literally recorded off a real human being. 

Nowadays, even a motion capture suit is not required. What used to be a privilege of big studios, has slowly become available to everyone interested in cool new tech. Thanks to big improvements in this technology, motion capture using a webcam is possible at home. 

Did Motion Capture Begin in Games or Movies First?

Just like many other technologies, motion capture originated in the military sector, allowing medics to observe the way humans move. Soon after that, in the 1980s several experiments were made with motion capture in films. One of the most notable examples is TRON (1982). Later, it became a prominent tool in filmmaking, especially in blockbuster films, such as the Lord of the Rings series, Avatar franchise and Marvel movies. So, to answer a question: did motion capture begin in games or movies?” – it was the movies.

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Both industries were radically changed, thanks to the implementation of technology. It allowed filmmakers to implement animated 3D models into their films and not ruin the immersion due to unnatural, uncanny movement. Videogames have also had a drastic change in the quality thanks to motion capture allowing its characters to move like humans.

How Motion Capture is Used in Video Games

Games are an interactive medium that is supposed to absorb you fully, to put you in different believable scenarios powered by engaging visuals to help you get new experiences. 

Let’s take a look at some examples of motion-capture video games.

• In 1994, SEGA used motion capture for their fighting game Virtua Fighter 2, being one of the first prominent video games that used this new technology. 
• In the 2000s it became even more popular since the high-quality graphical fidelity’s demand has continued growing exponentially.
• In 2005, Quantic Dream made a game called Fahrenheit (Indigo Prophecy in Europe). They wanted to provide players with a gameplay experience deeply rooted in cinematic action films. It was done thanks to motion-capturing technology, and in the tutorial, you could even play as a robot who participates in the process of capturing.

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After that, games with motion capture became common among big-budget titles. Naughty Dog, an award-winning studio, has gained a reputation for making gaming experiences that are heavily influenced by films. They have been actively using motion capture in their game-making process, raising the bar of the quality standard in the video game industry. Uncharted series and The Last Of Us series both heavily use mocap technology to the max.

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L.A. Noire, a 2011 game published by Rockstar Games, is a cinematic game inspired by Hollywood noir films that ask players to participate in detective investigation. What makes it so interesting is that in addition to mocap, it also used a revolutionary facial expressions capturing method. This allowed developers to create an unusual twist: during the interrogation, you have to pay attention to subtle clues on people’s faces and see if they lie or tell you the truth.

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Another game by Rockstar, Red Dead Redemption 2, has been a successful example of how games can push boundaries: thanks to a lot of technological tools, including mocap, developers created a game that feels like a theatre play. Remarkable characters will stay with you for a long time after actually beating it, thanks to its incredible level of technical wizardry.

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One more perfect example is Death Stranding, a Hideo Kojima game. Kojima is famous for being in love with cinema, so, naturally, a lot of his games are influenced by movies. Death Stranding actually has Hollywood actors, such as Norman Reedus, Lea Seydoux, Mads Mikkelsen and others, playing roles in motion and facial capture, providing their likeness and voice to the game’s characters.

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Advances in Motion Capture Technology

Like other technologies actively used and expanded, motion capture has been drastically improved since its invention. Here is a short list of some of these improvements.

1. Facial motion capture: This allowed not only the capture of movements but also facial expressions to make the final result even more realistic and true to life. If a developer uses mocap these days, chances are facial mocap is also going to be implemented.
2. “VM motion capture”: A full-body motion capture can now be made via a simple webcam and AI power! Called a “virtual machine mocap,” it is very efficient in terms of production and budget if you’re looking for a solution for not very complex projects like a digital YouTube avatar for your videos. Still, if you’re aiming for professional standards of extra smooth movements, it can be a bit restrained in comparison to the full mocap studio experience. That being said, VM motion capture is probably the easiest way to use mocap at home, and it’s a miracle that it’s available to anyone with a camera and a computer.
3. AI and machine learning: The expansion of artificial intelligence has also touched the motion capture technology, which led to additional assistance in the post-production phase, removing the possibility of unstable capturing elements. It also allowed us to remove a complex setup and assign it to artificial intelligence.
4. Virtual Reality games’ motion capture: Another technology that has radically improved in the last several years is virtual reality, gaining a boost to tracking technologies, gyroscopic movement and so on. This virtual motion capture tech relies heavily on providing a realistic experience (not only because of immersion, but also because of health issues: jittery performance causes motion sickness in VR), so it’s natural to expect it to benefit from another technology rooted in producing realistic movements. Virtual reality motion capture has been an important aspect of new products made in this field of gaming.
5. No markers (algorithmic mocap): Getting rid of markers, little things you put on the artists’ bodies to track movement, allowed performers to feel more natural, creating a better performance. It’s a big step forward, leading to a tidier, light-weighted process. 

Final Thoughts on Motion Capture

Motion capture is an incredibly useful technology that enhances the experiences we have in entertainment to make it smoother, more comfortable and more captivating. What started as an interesting experiment in tracking movements has become an important part of making animated objects feel humane and believable, pushing films and video games even further. Hopefully, soon we will see additional advances in this technology that will allow us to reimagine what we know about precise and dynamic 3D animations.

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Wrapping Up

As you can see, motion capture technology has drastically evolved and helped shape a lot of gaming experiences, thanks to its precision and convenience. If you create a game that is cinematic and focuses on the immersive aspect, be sure to use mocap to create memorable scenes players won’t forget.

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Making a game is a complex, but rewarding process, especially considering that you can outsource the process.

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RocketBrush Studio has been working since 2016, gathering experience not only in 2D and 3D but also in full-cycle game production, co-development and prototyping. Collaborating with us leads to a tested workflow, regular communication and feedback, a dedicated project manager and internal reviews of edits and progress. Our extensive expertise in all kinds of genres and styles, along with our flexibility and quality assurance, leads to achieving the goals and deadlines you establish, resulting in a successfully shipped product.

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