OptiTrack ships Motive 2.0
OptiTrack has released Motive 2.0, the latest version of its motion-capture software designed for use with its optical motion-capture hardware.
The update adds a new continuous calibration system, designed to ‘self-heal’ system drift, revamps the UI, and adds a number of features for use with OptiTrack’s new Active tracking solutions for VR work.
Calibrate, solve and stream data from OptiTrack optical motion capture systems
First released in 2013, Motive plays a similar role in OptiTrack systems to Vicon’s Blade and Shōgun software, handling system calibration and data solving, visualisation and processing.
It exports data in standard formats including BVH, C3D and FBX, and comes with integration plugins for streaming data live into Maya, MotionBuilder, Unity and Unreal Engine.
Continuous calibration uses standard capture data to ‘self-heal’ errors
New features in Motive 2.0 include a new continuous calibration system, designed to eliminate the need to recalibrate a capture set-up at the start of every recording session.
The system uses data captured during normal recording to “self-heal” errors due to factors like camera mount creep or temperature changes causing components to expand and contract.
OptiTrack claims that “little or no calibration maintenance is required after installation, and there is no longer a deterioration of the calibration over time”.
Revamped interface includes better graphing of channel data
The update also revamps Motive’s user interface. You can see the changes in more detail in the first half of the video above, but key changes include the new graphing capabilities and changes to the Gizmo Tool.
The former enables users to visualise any data channel as a graph, including inputs from external devices like force plates. Up to nine graphs may be displayed simultaneously, and the layout is user-configurable.
The latter enables the move/scale/rotate gizmo to be used with rigid body assets like props as well as character skeletons. Changes can also now be made in Live mode as well as during set-up.
New features designed for use with OptiTrack Active systems for live VR experiences
The update also introduces a number of features designed for use with OptiTrack Active, the firm’s new LED-marker-based active optical tracking solutions aimed at live VR applications like theme-park experiences.
These include a calibration tool for head-mounted displays – currently, it only works with the Oculus Rift – and a new IK skeleton defined by rigid bodies, for tracking players who aren’t wearing full suits.
OptiTrack claims that Active can track up to 100 objects like HMDs or props simultaneously, with latency “typically less than 10ms”.
Pricing and availability
Motive 2.0 is available for Windows 7+. The software is available in three editions.
Motive:Tracker, designed for object tracking, costs $999; Expression, designed for facial tracking, costs $1,999; and Motive:Body, designed for full-body capture, costs $2,999.
The integration plugins for MotionBuilder, Unity and Unreal Engine are free. Data streaming to Maya requires OptiTrack’s Insight VCS virtual camera system, and costs a further $1,000 for the integration plugin.
Read a full list of new features in Motive 2.0 in the online documentation
Find an overview of Motive’s features on the product webpage