Facial motion capture (eyes closing, eyebrows etc)

Here is basically what's needed. A PDF guide is associated with the build:
http://code.google.com/p/monet/downloads/list

This guy (I think) helped developing the software:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09oEfXyUQkA
He used an older version there)

Also check http://www.blender.org/ and the online Blender Manual out for help with motion capturing and tracking.

Have fun testing

- Lukas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kFY_xdoXzw Here's a tutorial.

That clip with the guy having the small green dots/markers on his face has been replicated by several people in several ways. Even with motion tracking (which is far easier and faster with 2.62 now )

- Lukas

question: is autodesk motion builder similar to mosion capture?

I honestly don't know that, but studios using Autodesk software uses motion capture, which is the name of the technique, not the software

yeh i know its just i have recently got alot of autodesk software and i only really know what 3ds max; maya and mudbox.

but motion cature is a good way to go if we can actually impliment it into our movies

Motion capture is not just a good way to go, it's pretty much the only way to go unless we have some amazing animators, which we don't.

then we need people to start recording generic movements.

You have to wear a tracking suit, though, or it's pretty hard for Blender to track your movements. Google "Mocap suit" for images, or get a black morphsuit and tape ping pong balls to it, which is what I'll be doing next weekend.

DethRaid wrote:Motion capture is not just a good way to go, it's pretty much the only way to go unless we have some amazing animators, which we don't.

Many major studios - not including Pixar - actually use motion capture and when animate it slightly afterwards to fix things up, which is way I think we should do it.

And about animators: We just got those new people, Nathan and Ethan, they are extraordinary at modeling, texture and animating

DethRaid wrote:You have to wear a tracking suit, though, or it's pretty hard for Blender to track your movements. Google "Mocap suit" for images, or get a black morphsuit and tape ping pong balls to it, which is what I'll be doing next weekend.

Sorry, but I Think you've misunderstood a big chunk of this conversation: There's tons of great alternative to that one mocap technique.

But please try do that anyways Maybe you could become one of our "mocap actors" if we chose fo it that way

any animator especially the new ones who art working on a short should do atleast one mo cap generic animation (if they have the stuff to do it with) that way things might get done alot easier.

And Kinect motion capture is generic
So, Jupiter, please do try it out

i shall try my hardest to try it out asap. it may not be untill after next week tho coz im wanting to catch up on my course that week in off work. but i shall try

The black suit with white trackers is the only mocap technique I am familiar with, that's why I spoke as if it was the only one.

DethRaid wrote:The black suit with white trackers is the only mocap technique I am familiar with, that's why I spoke as if it was the only one.

Ah... That's understandeble. It is the most well known after all

So far, I've had no luck at all with Blender. I was thinking of making each bone a separate object and doing some fancy Vertex Group-ing to make it all work, but Blender needs 8 tracking points for each object, and I don't quite have 8 for each bone. I'm going to try out some other software, but if not, I'll have to re-film the thing, which I'd rather not do if it can be avoided.

That's too bad.
I should look some more into it. The Kinect would be one of the Best solutions though, I think

Probably, but the animations it produces are pretty rough and will need a lot of cleaning up. Don't get me wrong, it's a great piece of technology at a great price, but it's not perfect by any means.

nothing is perfect

What Jupiter said.
It's basicslly the same; almost. And both techniques need a lot of sweating? afterwards. And I mean A LOT.
Jupiter, when do you think you can test it? Just roughly.

it could be any time this weak as soon as my brother lets me on it and as soon as i have a spare min when im not working on my course work. dont worry i will try to get something by the weekend

this is an oldish topic but i though i would share something to keep everyone interested.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVPcT0dJmoY

camera tracking in blender 2.62 from andrew price.

Awesome! I'm going to try and do mocap again this weekend, I'll post results here.

Can't wait to see the results!

Neither can I... The biggest problem is that one needs eight tracking points for each object, in this case each bone, so you'll barely be able to see me through all the ping-pong balls