Thursday, August 16th, 2012 Posted by Jim Thacker

OptiTrack ships high-end Prime 41 mocap camera


OptiTrack mocap performers at Siggraph. The stage is rigged with 20 of the company’s new Prime 41 cameras.

OptiTrack has announced its Prime Series: a new range of optical motion-capture cameras designed to offer VFX studios and game developers high-end features at much lower prices than previously possible.

The first camera in the series, the Prime 41, offers 4.1MP resolution and a maximum marker-to-camera distance of more than 80 feet. It costs just $4,999.

PRESS RELEASE (Excerpts)
The OptiTrack advantage now extends to the high-end motion capture market with today’s announcement of the Prime Series — a new family of motion capture cameras tailored specifically to large-volume capture. Offering capture volumes that extend up to 150’ with unmatched pixel-for-pixel tracking precision throughout, the 4.1 MP Prime 41 provides VFX studios, game developers, universities and labs with the tracking technology necessary for the most ambitious motion tracking and capture applications—all at the accessible pricing that OptiTrack is famous for. At one-third of the cost of the nearest competitive product, the Prime 41 enables massive capital cost savings and higher camera coverage with the same investment.

“The Prime Series rewrites the rules around performance and usability for high-end motion capture projects,” said Brian Nilles, OptiTrack’s Chief Strategy Officer. “We listened to our user base, and then designed a camera series that simply and elegantly goes to work from the moment it comes out of the box. It’s simpler to set up, easier to operate and is best in class in terms that matter for precision 3D tracking. And because we ship more cameras than anyone else in the world, our component buying power and in-house manufacturing facilities enable us to provide this level of performance at 1/3 the price of others.”

Key Features
Built for full-scale, large-volume motion tracking, the Prime 41 enables capture volumes of up to 75′ x 150′.

  • 4.1 MP resolution
  • More than 80’ camera-to-marker range
  • Infrared strobes usable with other film/video/photography
  • 180 FPS capture rate
  • Global shutter
  • GigE and PoE+
  • Simultaneous body and finger tracking
  • Outdoor motion capture
  • Aim Assist button offers simple, rapid single-user setup
  • Genlock, SMPTE Time Code and external sync

This launch marks another milestone in a year that also saw the release of the Flex 13, the world’s first megapixel mocap camera for under $1,000.

“After democratizing mocap at the entry-level with our V100 cameras, and then expanding into megapixel mocap with the Flex 13, we set our eyes on large-volume performance,” added Jim Richardson, OptiTrack CEO. “The Prime value proposition is so stunningly different from what people have come to expect. They have been trained to expect to pay a lot to get a lot. Like all of our motion capture products, the Prime 41 will turn heads for bucking that trend so aggressively. The Prime series is such a great performing camera and the way it fits in with our customers’ workflow is second to none. The fact that it is 1/3 of the price of others in its resolution class provides a massive commercial advantage for OptiTrack customers.”

Pricing and Availability
The Prime 41 is available now and is priced at $4,999 ea.

Read more about the Prime 41 on the OptiTrack website

Full disclosure: in my other life as a freelance writer, I helped draft the Prime 41 press release.
CG Channel and the Gnomon School of Visual Effects have no connection with OptiTrack.