Free Motion Capture Animation Tools

What is Motion Capture?

Motion capture, also known as MoCap or Mo-Cap is a technology where cameras record people in special suits to collect motion data. The recorded motion data can be used to animate digital characters or objects. A great example of this is in the film series Lord of the Rings where the character of Gollum was brought to life by an actor in a motion capture suit. His performances were used to create the digital Gollum. 

If you are looking to buy motion capture technology or are considering a motion capture suit, this is the article for you! In this post we will discuss the rise of AI Animation and how tools like Krikey AI provide a markerless motion capture animation solution that can be used at home without a fancy motion capture suit or motion capture studio. Now anyone can be a motion capture actor with just their phone or a webcam. Read on to learn how to create motion capture from video.  

The Ultimate Motion Capture Suit 

The first big question is - do you need a motion capture suit? It turns out that you already have one and are in it! With today’s AI motion capture technology, all you need to do is film yourself with a single camera and the AI motion capture tools can extract motion data from your video and help you apply it to a custom 3D character. 

The best markerless motion capture tool to use for this purpose is Krikey AI Animation. You don’t need an expensive motion capture suit to use Krikey AI tools. 

How to be a Motion Capture Actor

Depending on the story you are trying to create you may need to find a special individual (ie; a dancer or a friend who walks like a zombie) to help bring your character to life. You don’t need any special equipment or actor training to learn how to be a motion capture actor. 

Just record yourself or your friend and upload the video to Krikey AI Animation. In their 3D video editor you can convert video to Animation using their AI markerless motion capture technology. In less than 5 minutes you can create personalized animations for your custom 3D cartoon characters. Now you can animate faster than it takes to drink your morning coffee!

How to use Krikey AI to make Motion Capture Animation videos in minutes

First, go to www.krikey.ai and sign in for free. You can open the 3D video editor and navigate to the animations tab using the left hand bar of icons. Inside that tab you can click Generate animation and upload a video.

The video upload box will show you your uploaded video with colorful boxes around each of the full body humans in your video. Select one person whose motion you want to convert to 3D character animation, then click generate. This is the Motion Capture Animation process in action! In this process, the Krikey AI tool is extracting 2D motion from your video and applying that to a 3D character.

Within a few minutes you will have a new animation in the 'Mine' animations category - you can click to add it to the timeline and then play it back to see the animation on a 3D character. Then go ahead and customize your 3D character in the Avatars tab and add lip synced dialogue in 20+ languages using the Story tab.

Set the scene by changing the 3D backgrounds or AI image generated backgrounds behind your character. When you are ready you can export an MP4 or FBX file to share with your community on social media or edit further using other animation or motion capture software tools.

Benefits of Using a Markerless Motion Capture

Markerless Motion Capture refers to the ability to create animations without using a motion capture suit that has sensors and markers on it. The Krikey AI tool does not require any special motion capture suit. You can wear whatever clothes you have on now and record a video and convert it to 3D character animation in less than 5 minutes. 

With the Krikey AI video to animation tool there are only a few parameters to follow when recording your Markerless Motion Capture video: 

• Avoid flowy clothing (try to wear pants or shorts and a t-shirt so the AI tools can identify all the arms and legs on the human body) 
• Steady camera (shaky camera movements result in shaky animations) 
• Full body shots only (if you cut off arms or legs then the AI tools won’t know how to animate that part of the body for a portion of the video) 
• Stay away from quick camera cuts (if the camera cuts too quickly between shots it can be hard for the AI tools to figure out what they need to animate) 
• 15 seconds or less (keep your video short to convert it to 3D animation in less than 5 minutes) 

Within the Krikey AI tool you can customize your own 3D character or upload a character you have made elsewhere and then use their markerless motion capture technology to animate your character. 

Motion Capture Suit 

The best Motion Capture Suit is what you have on now! There is no better time to get started experimenting with Krikey AI Mocap tools. You can try out the Krikey AI video editor for free and explore the MoCap tool along with their other product features. Motion Capture Suits are really expensive and Krikey AI is a great alternative to the full Motion Capture Suits and Studio set up. 

Make your own Motion Capture Movies without a Motion Capture Suit. Use a webcam or phone and film yourself to create your first test animation today at www.krikey.ai - it’s easy and free to get started exploring the video editor! 

Motion Capture Actor

Now anyone can become a Motion Capture Actor - no fancy motion capture suits required. Just film yourself doing an action that you want your animated character to do and then upload it to the Krikey AI video editor. Within a few minutes you can see your animation on your custom 3D character. You can even add voice AI lip sync in 20+ languages and 3D scenes or AI generated image backgrounds to create your animated video. 

Webcam Motion Capture

There is an easier way to do markerless motion capture now with just your webcam motion capture set up or even a mobile phone. As long as you follow the parameters listed earlier in this article (ie; full body shot, no flowy clothes etc.,) you can quickly convert a 15 second video to an animated character using Krikey AI tools. 

Webcam Motion Capture is the new alternative to Motion Capture Studio Rental. Avoid the camera, lights and complex motion capture suit set up. Try out free motion capture software at home from Krikey AI. 

Motion Capture Software

There are many Motion Capture Software options available, and most require a motion capture suit, motion capture studio rental and in some cases special motion capture actors. With the rise of AI motion capture tools, you can now create animated movies at home using your webcam or mobile phone and markerless motion capture software from Krikey AI. 

The best way to test out this new markerless motion capture solution is to film a motion capture walk – basically film yourself doing a walk (ie; zombie walk, happy walk, scared walk). Ensure you have a stable camera, full body shot for less than 15 seconds and no flowy clothing in a well lit room. 

Upload your video to Krikey AI motion capture software and in less than 5 minutes you should have an animation replicating what you filmed! Now you can apply it to any custom 3D character in the Krikey AI Video editor. 

Motion Capture Camera 

Find your best angle with the most versatile motion capture camera – your phone! Easily film videos in seconds as creativity and inspiration strikes. Then upload your videos to Krikey AI motion capture video editor and convert them to 3D animation in minutes. No fancy camera or expensive motion capture studio rental required. 

AI Motion Capture and Motion Capture from Video 

How does AI motion capture work? It is essentially Motion capture from video to 3D animation. With Krikey AI tools you just have to upload a video of a human doing some motion and within minutes their AI Markerless Motion Capture algorithm can extract human motion data and apply it to your custom 3D character. This new technology empowers anyone to animate a talking, 3D character and opens up the field of animation and mocap to new storytellers. 

Motion Capture Animation Movies

From Lord of the Rings to Planet of the Apes to Avatar - motion capture has inspired us all to enter the world of 3D storytelling. Historically the access to technology like motion capture suits and motion capture studio rentals was cost prohibitive and complex to understand. Now, there are alternatives like AI motion capture and markerless motion capture that enable anyone to create their own motion capture movies. 

Motion Capture Walk 

Start with a motion capture walk to begin learning and experimenting with the Krikey AI mocap software. You can experiment with different walks and convert them to 3D character animation. Introduce your character with a unique twirl or an arm raise. To see your 3D character replicate your movements nearly identically is remarkable! 

Free Mocap Animations

Krikey AI also offers a library of animations, some of which are derived from their own Free Mocap animations library. They have curated special animations and made them available for use in your projects - these are another great place to start if you are not yet familiar with markerless motion capture or ready to try it out. 

Motion Capture vs. Animation 

Motion capture and animation are unique techniques used to create digital characters. Motion capture requires a real actor in a special motion capture suit to create movements that are then applied to a 3D character to create animations. Animation is a more traditional process of bringing characters to life. With new technology like Krikey AI markerless motion capture, these lines are blurred as motion capture can be used to generate 3D character animation. 

Final Thoughts on the Motion Capture Animation

The future of motion capture animation is bright as this new technology combined with AI motion capture has the potential to unlock opportunities for new storytellers who previously could not animate due to the technical and cost barriers to entry. Now anyone can animate and tell their stories using Krikey AI motion capture animation technology. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Motion Capture Animation

These are frequently asked questions on Motion Capture Animation. 

What does a motion capture do?

Motion capture, also known as MoCap or Mo-Cap is a technology where cameras record people in special suits to collect motion data. The recorded motion data can be used to animate digital characters or objects. Krikey AI markerless mocap enables people to record themselves and convert motion capture to 3D animation in minutes. 

What is the difference between animation and motion capture?

Motion capture requires a real actor in a special motion capture suit to create movements that are then applied to a 3D character to create animations. Animation is a more traditional process of bringing characters to life. With new technology like Krikey AI markerless motion capture, these lines are blurred as motion capture can be used to generate 3D character animation. 

How is motion capture filmed?

Now, with markerless motion capture, anyone can film themselves or a friend with just their phone and upload the video to Krikey AI mocap software. In less than 5 minutes you can generate a 3D animation and apply it to your custom 3D character to bring it to life. 

Is motion capture cheaper than animation?

Krikey AI Free Motion Capture software is a great place to start experimenting with markerless motion capture. There is no technical skill or animation skill required to use Krikey AI tools. Markerless motion capture by Krikey AI is less expensive than traditional mocap and animation methods. 

Is motion capture difficult?

Traditional motion capture is difficult and requires mocap suits and studio rentals plus mocap actors. Now, with markerless motion capture tools like Krikey AI, anyone can use motion capture technology to create 3D character animations.