DeepMotion launches DeepMotion Animate 3D 5.0
DeepMotion has released DeepMotion Animate 3D 5.0, the latest version of its browser-based AI motion-capture tool.
The update adds full support for single-actor capture on mobile, plus the long-awaited option to track multiple actors simultaneously from a single source video.
One of the original browser AI mocap tools, and also one of the most fully featured
Founded in 2014 by games industry veteran Kevin He, DeepMotion is one of pioneers in the field of AI motion capture, and paved the way for other recent browser-based mocap tools.
Its Animate 3D platform extracts animation data from uploaded video footage of an actor.
Users can then retarget the animation to an uploaded 3D character, then download the result in FBX, BVH or GLB format for use in DCC apps like Blender and Maya, or game engines like Unity and Unreal Engine.
Unlike some of its newer rivals, it supports both hand tracking and facial capture – facial animation is exported as blendshapes – plus automatic foot locking to stop a character’s feet from sliding.
Unique features include the Rotoscope Pose Editor, which enables users to refine the results of the AI capture process by manually ‘tracing’ the motion of the character in the source video frame by frame.
Animate 3D 5.0: support for multi-actor capture
The main new feature in Animate 3D 5.0 is multi-person tracking, making it possible to track multiple actors within a single source video.
Depending on their subscription tier, users can track between two and eight people simultaneously, including full-body, hand and facial tracking.
It’s possible to select only those actors you want to track from the source footage, and to assign separate 3D characters to each.
However, the system is still officially in beta, and has a number of limitations: notably, that actors can’t interact, and should not touch in the footage.
Support for mobile browsers, plus updates to the online portal
Other changes include ‘full support’ for single-person capture on mobile devices, making it possible to use Animate 3D within mobile as well as desktop web browsers.
The online Animate 3D Portal has also been updated, reorganising the Character Library and adding a new search system.
Users can also now add background environments when exporting videos from animations in MP4 format, and export images of character poses with transparent backgrounds.
3D avatars generated using Avaturn, support for which was introduced in Animate 3D 4.2, now support Animate 3D’s face tracking.
Price and system requirements
Animate 3D should run in any standard desktop or mobile web browser.
Usage is priced on a credit basis, with one credit corresponding to one second of full-body animation. Face and hand tracking cost 0.5 credit per second extra.
Free accounts now get 60 credits per month, and can process video clips up to 20 seconds long, at up to 1080p resolution, and up to 30fps. They are limited to non-commercial use.
Paid accounts now cost between $15/month and $300/month, or $108/year and $996/year, with higher tiers supporting higher-resolution and higher-frame-rate clips, and advanced features like motion smoothing.
Read a full list of new features in Animate 3D 5.0 on DeepMotion’s blog
Read DeepMotion’s FAQs about multi-person tracking
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