Exclusive Revelation | Breaking the Bottleneck of Complex Prop Motion Capture Technology to Achieve

At the opening ceremony of the MCP Motion Capture Creation Base on November 10th, a breathtaking dual-cyclist performance drew cheers from the audience. Through a dynamic demonstration combining virtual and real elements, the precise capture technology for cycling props was showcased to its fullest extent. Currently, the industry has basically matured in capturing rigid bodies and human bodies, but capturing complex props like bicycles still faces many technical challenges. How to ensure precise capture of props and real-time interactive performance of human-prop combinations? Let's unveil the technology behind it one by one!

1、How to ensure precise capture of bicycles during the performance?

General rigid body capture involves capturing the data information of reflective markers on the rigid body to obtain position information, motion trajectories, and other data in three-dimensional space. However, bicycles have different shapes and structures, multiple moving parts, and multiple contact points with the actors, which can easily lead to issues such as occlusion during the capture process, resulting in the loss of capture points, penetration of models, and unsmooth motion capture, thereby affecting the final presentation.

To solve this problem, adequate preparation is required for marker placement in the early stages. By capturing rich data from different performance forms and motion states during the cycling performance, the optimal marker placement method is selected to achieve the effect of "few but precise, reasonable layout, and accurate capture." Meanwhile, with the help of the software's custom marker placement feature, custom skeleton templates are set up according to needs, relying on core algorithms and intelligent repair to ensure precise matching between the bicycle and the model. This ensures the stability and smoothness of capture data for bicycles in various motion states.

2、How to ensure precise synchronization of high-difficulty, complex actions during human-bicycle interaction?

In this impressive dual-cyclist talent showcase, the two actors challenged high-difficulty actions such as single-wheel hops, riding, tail swings, and obstacle jumps, frequently interacting with props, making the capture objects complex and diverse. To accurately reproduce these actions, CHINGMU's optical motion capture system demonstrated its powerful multi-target capture capability—not only capable of easily capturing human dynamics but also supporting rigid bodies, soft bodies, and other object forms, as well as intricate motion data down to fingers and quadrupeds. Additionally, its technology supports capturing 40+ characters and 1000+ rigid body targets, fully meeting the needs of multi-target scenarios.

During the extreme cycling performance, CHINGMU's motion capture system recorded and analyzed every detail of the actions of the two actors and the bicycles in real-time. Through motion capture software, the captured data of the actors and bicycles were used to create skeletal structures and precisely match and bind them to digital models. At the same time, relying on real-time redirection functionality, the actors and bicycle rigid bodies could seamlessly connect with the corresponding models, achieving a shadow-following, integrated effect, thereby achieving a high degree of synchronization between the animation effects on the screen and the live performance during the demonstration, presenting a smooth, natural, and real-time consistent dynamic image.

3、How to precisely capture a bicycle wheel moving at high speed during the demonstration?

While the bicycle as a whole is a rigid structure and relatively straightforward to capture, its wheels pose a significant technical challenge during the performance. When moving at high speeds, the wheels not only have their own independent dynamic patterns but also need to maintain precise association with the frame. This places extremely high demands on the performance of the motion capture system and the layout and optimization of reflective markers (marker placement).

To achieve precise capture, an in-depth analysis of the bicycle's overall structure is first conducted to clarify the dynamic positional relationship between the wheels, hubs, and front and rear frames, and skeletal modeling is performed in the motion capture software. Subsequently, through multiple rounds of testing, the marker placement layout is optimized to find the best capture solution that balances motion details and global consistency.

CHINGMU's high-frame-rate, high-precision motion capture system, specifically designed for high-speed moving targets, can achieve precise dynamic capture of objects ranging from arrows traveling at 40m/s to high-speed rotating fans. For high-speed motion capture of bicycle wheels, the system can also accurately reproduce their rotational trajectories, matching them 1:1 with digital skeletal models to present smooth and natural animation effects in real-time.

4、How does virtual previz (Previz) contribute to the perfect presentation of extreme cycling performances?

During extreme cycling performances, CHINGMU uses virtual cameras to record every detail of the cycling performance. Through virtual shooting, the real cycling performance and virtual scenes are seamlessly integrated, accurately capturing the interactive details between actors and props, directly presenting a "what you see is what you get" dynamic image effect.

The introduction of virtual cameras breaks through the limitations of traditional shooting in terms of the live environment and spatial position, allowing creators to freely adjust perspectives and compositions, easily generating images that are highly connected with real scenes. This flexible shooting method provides new possibilities for capturing complex performance actions and creating imaginative scenes.

The dual-cyclist extreme performance not only demonstrates CHINGMU's strong capability in capturing complex props but also opens up more possibilities for creative applications such as film and television animations. As a leading optical motion capture brand in the industry, we are always committed to technological innovation and breakthroughs, providing comprehensive and high-quality services to clients. If you want to learn more about motion capture technology and its applications, please follow our official account for the latest updates.

At the opening ceremony of the MCP Motion Capture Creation Base, multiple technical demonstrations, including optical finger tracking and complex prop capture, received enthusiastic responses from the audience. In the future, we will bring you deeper insights into the principles and applications behind these technologies through more revealing content.

Introduction to MCP Motion Capture Creation Base

As one of Shanghai's top-tier motion capture studios with large-scale and high-quality technical standards, the MCP Motion Capture Creation Base not only boasts top-notch hardware equipment, cutting-edge technical support, diverse service scenarios, and comprehensive full-process production services but also has a professional project team that has participated in renowned projects including "Strike Back," "Inverse Cold," "The Outcast," "Game For Peace," "Honor of Kings," "Fantasy Westward Journey," and "Dungeon & Fighter."

It provides diverse creative support for films, CG animations, game production, anime production, film previz (Previz), large-scale virtual live events, motion capture teaching and training, teaching simulation design, AI digital actors, digital performance doubles, virtual idol packaging, anime IP incubation, martial arts design, military tactical simulations, wire design and installation, and more.