For my first Unreal scene, I built a golden robot king, and the landscape becomes its cloak. I used plant tool to create countless windows to make it feels like flying.
MOTION CAPTURE LAB DOCUMENTATION:
Project: Calibration and Rigid body Lab
Date: 2019.09.14 4 p.m.
Location: NYU Black Box Theatre
Participant: Yundi Jude Zhu, Dana Elkis, Mingna Li, Calvin Shiwei Lee
Goals:
Take a video of the team member in mocap and their data. Make sure you save your projects and your takes. You will be using this data next week.
Things to think about:
What actions don’t work in the space?
How can you use rigid bodies and full body tracking?
Try “breaking” the body in different ways
Try moving around markers while the body is tracking
Steps:
Get model dressed with all the markers
Set up skeleton
Output to Unreal
Record body movement and collect data
Dressing
Key notes:
There are 37 markers per person. A reference can be found in the Motive.
Make sure the model is in T-pose, and look for all the bones and key spots.
The markers don’t have to be symmetrical. The goal is to let the software recognize the 37 markers at the same time.
This is me getting dressed by Mingna Li. The screen shows the software successfully captured 37 markers.
Select all the markers and the cameras are able to capture a human shape
Ready, Action, Cut
Key notes:
When setting up the skeleton, there should be only one actor/actress in the room.
Set different colors for each model so it’s easier to know who is whom.
Be careful don’t drop any marker during the performance. The human shape may be collapsed if any marker is gone or covered.
We created a rigid body to be the camera, and using the stick to be the shoulder rig.
We did a music video with live output data in Unreal.
We also made an action movie.
We also did first-person perspective shots.
Of course there was accident. When Calvin was doing a super fancy spinning kick, he accidentally kicked off the “camera”. But the good news is, we are Motion Capturing in Unreal world! Camera is fine!
We used the ladders to create an in-air slow motion shots. Super cool!
The slow motion shot of me drawing swords.
Danna did a lower angle shot of me flying in the air. Dope!
Of course, we did virtual selfie.
When taking off the markers, we found out that funny gestures will happen to the models in Unreal. The markers on Calvin’s legs and ankles were removed, and his avatar was spinning in the air with weird legs. We had so much fun.
Summary
Be careful to make sure all the 37 markers are in right place, and no missing marker when making movements.
Making movement in suits is very hot and sweaty. Make sure bring them to the laundry when finished everything.
Things to think about:
What actions don’t work in the space?
Too rapid movements that will get rid off the markers
How can you use rigid bodies and full body tracking?
Rigid bodies can be virtual camera, and the full body can make all the gestures. We are missing facial recognition at this point.
Try “breaking” the body in different ways
Just take off the markers and funny things will happen.
Try moving around markers while the body is tracking
The avatars will show strange things. Like the ankles might be in reverse if I twist the suit.