iPi Soft announces iPi Motion Capture 2.0
iPi Soft has announced version 2.0 of its low-cost markerless iPi Motion Capture products.
iPi Motion Capture 2.0 promises improvements in tracking accuracy, including better tracking of multiple characters – and, interestingly, more accurate tracking of female characters: the first time we’ve seen an announcement specifically about this.
The software will also gain support for data recorded with Microsoft’s new Kinect for Windows hardware, and Asus’s Xtion Kinect clone, building on its existing support for Kinect for Xbox 360 and PlayStation Eye.
According to the company’s website, pricing will change slightly from version 1.0 of the iPi Motion Capture product line: the entry-level Express edition falls $100, to $295, while the Standard edition rises $200, to $1,195. The Basic edition remains unchanged at $595.
All three products will be available commercially later this spring.
PRESS RELEASE (Excerpts)
iPi Soft LLC, announced that iPi Motion Capture™ Version 2.0 — the next generation in the company’s scalable line of markerless motion capture technology — is scheduled for availability in Spring 2012. Featuring improved accuracy and workflow enhancements, the new version increases support for female characters, as well as an array of motion sensor devices, including ASUS Xtion and Kinect for Windows.
Introduced in 2009, iPi Motion Capture has been gaining momentum as a professional and reliable alternative for capturing animation data without the need for expensive facility space, clumsy sensor suits with reflective markers or a team of technicians. The software uses sophisticated image processing and computer vision algorithms to recognize and track the human body and lets users shoot video using one or two MS Kinect motion sensing input devices or three to six Sony PlayStation Eye cameras. The digitally captured movement is then applied to a 3D character and rendered as part of a video game or a computer generated movie. One area of growing interest is with machinima, the animation genre in which filmmakers use iPi Motion Capture and existing graphics from videogames to create something wholly original.
For David Gonzalez, President of Mission Critical Studios, a New Jersey-based developer of mobile games, the software has proven to be a game-changer in how they work.
“iPi Motion Capture is so powerful and cost effective,” Gonzalez says. “It’s fantastic to be able to come up with an idea and in a few minutes record exactly what you want and apply it to your characters. iPi is what mocap should be all about — making your ideas reality in a matter of minutes.“
Key Highlights of iPi Motion Capture Version 2.0
With the new iPi Motion Capture Version 2.0, customers can take advantage of:
- New actor appearance models and skeleton structure with improved accuracy in multiple person tracking, props tracking and head/hands tracking
- New project file format, including data for fingers and props
- Improved tracking accuracy
- Optimized tracking of female characters
- New custom “iPi Video” format with useful features specific to motion capture use
- Better video compression offering higher compression ratios, a plus for users dealing with large amounts of recorded video
- Support for new devices: ASUS Xtion and Kinect for Windows
- Depth and RGB video recording for ASUS Xtion sensor
- Support for latest official Kinect for Windows drivers
- Workflow improvements such as “New project” wizard that makes it easy for new users to get started, and “Recent files” caching for advanced users.
Pricing and Availability
iPi Soft makes available three editions of its entry-level markerless motion capture technology – Express, Basic and Standard – that differ by the set of available features and complexity of motions that can be tracked. The new iPi Motion Capture Version 2.0 is scheduled for release in Spring 2012. iPi Soft products are available directly from the web site and its worldwide distribution channel.