iPi Soft releases iPi Motion Capture 4.4
Originally posted on 14 July 2018. Scroll down for news of the 4.4 update.
iPi Soft has released iPi Motion Capture 4.0, a new update to its markerless motion-capture software suite, adding support for previewing capture data in real time, and for tracking individual body parts.
The update also adds support for action cameras like those made by GoPro and SJCAM – and bucks an industry trend by reintroducing perpetual licensing on top of the previous rental-only model.
A two-part markerless mocap system for indie studios
iPi Motion Capture systems provide indie studios with a full-body mocap set-up based around commercial depth sensors and cameras.
That used to mean Microsoft’s now-defunct Kinect sensors or Sony’s PS3 Eye cameras, but you can also use other cameras that can reliably capture footage at 60fps, like Logitech’s C922 Pro webcam.
Each system consists of iPi Recorder, a free software package for capturing and playing back footage; and iPi Mocap Studio, the commercial software used to process the recordings into animation data.
Data processing is done offline, with data exportable in FBX and BVH formats.
New in iPi Mocap Studio 4.0: real-time capture preview, option to retrack individual body parts
New features this time round include the option to preview the capture in real time, with iPi Recorder streaming data to a 3D character inside iPi Mocap Studio.
Final-quality data processing is still done offline.
The update also introduces the option to fix problem tracks by retracking individual body parts – the head, the torso, or any individual limb – while retaining the original track for others.
Support for action cameras makes it possible to track wide-angle footage up to 120fps
In addition, the update adds support for action cameras with wide-angle lenses, making it possible to track actors closer to the camera, and to enable tracking at frame rates of up to 120fps.
iPi Recorder can also now load unsynchronised videos from multiple cameras and sync it automatically.
Updated 11 December 2018: iPi Soft has released iPi Motion Capture 4.1.
The update makes it possible to use the real-time preview with data captured simultaneously from multiple sensors, either connected to a single computer, or to multiple computers.
Other changes include automatic synchronisation of action cameras via flash detection, speeding up the process of merging multi-camera footage for data processing.
Updated 2 December 2019: iPi Soft has released iPi Motion Capture 4.3.
The update adds support for streaming motion-capture data to Unity, making it possible to preview capture sessions inside the game engine in real time.
There are also improvements to tracking accuracy and stability: you can find details via the link below.
Since we last wrote about the software, iPi Soft has added support for Microsoft’s new Azure Kinect sensor.
Updated 26 March 2021: iPi Soft has relesaed iPi Motion Capture 4.4.
The update adds a long-awaited feature: the option to stream motion-capture data to Unreal Engine in the same way already possible with Unity.
Tracking results can be streamed to UE4 in both the live feedback and offline tracking modes.
Pricing and availability
iPi Mocap Studio 4.4 is available for Windows 7+ only. iPi Soft has reintroduced perpetual licences for the software, previously dropped in version 3.0.
The Express edition now costs $195, and supports a single depth sensor; the Basic edition costs $695 or $345/year, and supports up to two depth sensors or six cameras.
The Pro edition costs $1,995 or $995/year, and supports up to four depth sensors or 16 cameras. It also adds support for tracking up to three actors simultaneously and for multi-GPU processing.
Live streaming to Unity and Unreal Engine is only available in the Basic and Pro editions.
Further add-ons provide automation and biomechanical analysis tools.
Read more about the new features in iPi Mocap Studio in the online changelog