AI-powered motion capture and real-time 3D creation tools developer Radical has announced a single-camera real-time markerless performance capture solution.
This release, now in public beta, enables finger tracking, as well as higher fidelity facial mocap, alongside a new upper body mode that will exist together with the company’s full body motion capture solution. All of it works with a single camera, through any consumer-grade device, in real-time, requiring no suits, gloves or other hardware.
“Giving our users the ability to capture in 3D, and in real-time, the motion of their hands, fingers, face and upper body elevates and truly democratises motion capture – including those with mobility restrictions, who previously had limited ability to enjoy performance capture due to its conventional requirements for full body calibration,” explained Radical CTO and co-founder Matteo Giuberti, who previously spearheaded development for Movella’s Xsens motion capture product suite. “Our goal is to democratise the motion capture industry, and this means for everyone.”
“We understand that motion capture has a purpose and an appeal to more diverse market segments beyond filmmaking and game development,” said Radical CEO and co-founder Gavan Gravesen. “This release brings multi-person motion performance capture to new markets with a particular appeal to the live streaming community. With a simple connection to our cloud server, users will receive live animation data within any consumer-grade device using Radical Canvas, or any other industry-standard tools such as Unreal Engine, Maya, Unity, WebGL, and Blender. No code, specialist equipment or APIs required.”
Key features:
- Real-time all-new finger and hand tracking, a new Upper Body (UB) mode, as well as higher fidelity facial tracking.
- Seamless real-time integration with Radical Canvas, Unreal Engine, Maya, Blender, Unity, Replikant, and WebGL applications.
- A simplified setup for those who don’t have the space for full-body motion capture.
- UB mode empowers mobility-restricted users with easy-to-use, chair-based motion capture.
- UB mode is also optimised for vloggers, live streams, and virtual events.
The public beta can be accessed via the Radical website and will see further development over the coming months with the company’s team continuing to fine-tune and optimise the experience. Access is included in its free Personal plan.
This latest release focuses on upper body motion capture, coinciding with the company’s first release of finger and hand tracking features, as well as delivering greater fidelity in facial animation in UB mode. UB mode is particularly beneficial for those with limited space or physical mobility.
Wider use cases include podcasting, vlogging, live streaming, and interactive virtual events. Both hobbyists and professionals benefit from the AI-powered high-precision capture that UB mode, finger tracking and advanced facial tracking has to offer taking 3D animations and characters into real time with the simple use of a webcam or smartphone.
The public beta of the upper body motion capture feature in Radical Motion is available immediately, on both free and premium plans.