RE: A question.... 'motion capture' confusion

From: Robert Wechsler (robert@palindrome.de)
Date: 01/06/02


Richard,

thank you for your thorough letter and for correcting my "real-time" mistake.

i loved your reference to Diego Velasquez's "The Tapestry Weavers"!  
you said though that the _term_ dates back to him.  can this be true?

in any case, your suggestion that we use the expression "performance
capture" sounds good to me.  still, i wouldnt expect too much in terms of
discipline either within the dance-tech community or the english language
as a whole.  words and expressions tend to float about with volitions of
their own.

regards,
robert 


At 14:49 05.01.2002 -0000, you wrote:
>Robert,
>
>Nearly all the "motion capture" systems are now real-time.  There is a trade
>off for frame rate / markers in some systems - so fewer markers, the higher
>the frame rate, but all have a good rate for most applications.
>
>In 1994 I dervied the term "Performance Capture" for reasons explain in the
>article I refered to in my previous mail to David, which I hope people will
>adopt to prevent this confusion.  The term "motion capture" originates back
>to the painter Diego Velasquez for his painting "The Tapestry Weavers"
>c.1654 in which he was the first artist to record 'blurred motion' in the
>form of spinning-wheel's spokes. Up-until that picture all 'clasical'
>artists had recorded movement as a static snapshot with no visual reference
>to time other than posture (e.g. a horse drawn cart would be depicted with
>the spokes as clear straight lines).    Photography broke new boundaries, as
>did video capture.  Now there are some new exciting technologies that don't
>have "2D eyes" such as a CCD chip.
>
>The application for the technology has varied though - where "motion
>capture" I belive should refer to the scientific recording and measurement
>of movement such as biomechanics or machine quality control analysis, and
>"performance capture" should refer to the recording and subsequent use of
>humann and animal theatrical performances for film/tv/games/dance/stage...
>Some may find the distinction pedantic, but I hope it's use would emphasise
>that the performance is the focus of the work (in our cases) not the
>scientific data - after-all you can 'motion capture' a performer that can't
>act/dance...
>
>I have not yet used EyeCon yet and would very much like to see it in
>action - please could you refer me to someone locally in the S.East/London
>UK.
>
>Regards,
>Richard Widgery
>richardw@kinetic-impulse.com
>
>
>KINETIC IMPULSE - Digital Performance Art & Science
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>-----Original Message-----
>From: owner-dance-tech@lists.acs.ohio-state.edu
>[mailto:owner-dance-tech@lists.acs.ohio-state.edu]On Behalf Of Robert
>Wechsler
>Sent: 04 January 2002 00:11
>To: dance-tech@lists.acs.ohio-state.edu
>Subject: Re: A question....
>
>
>At 07:48 03.01.2002 -0800, you wrote:
>>Sal,
>>
>>What kind of motion capture are you referring to?
>
>
>i've noticed this confusion as well.
>
>the term "motion capture", if i am not mistaken, was traditionally used for
>
>the systems film makers use to make animated film figures move more
>realistically.   there may be some exceptions, but these are generally not
>real-time systems and involve quite elaborate specially-built studios and
>sensor hardware/software systems.
>
>I've noticed a tendency to use the term to refer to systems such as Antonio
>Camurri's and ours (EyeCon) as well.  That is, systems which have nothing
>directly to do with generating animated films, but instead which are used
>in live performance situations to analyze and translate human motion or
>dance into other media.
>
>Maybe its confusing, but I too have started calling such systems, "motion
>capture".  They do, after all, "capture" the dancer's motion and make it
>available to do something with it.
>
>
>yours truly,
>robert wechsler
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>>If I read David
>>correctly, he is considering about  Motion Capture animation which  has
>>nothing to do with iMovie or Firewire Ports until you are very far along in
>>the pipeline and ready to output... which means after the capture, clean up
>>of data and rendering.
>>
>>David, I wrote a paper that describes the basic hardware/software....etc.
>>I'll send it under separate cover.  Also, check on the dance-tech archives.
>>There has been some discussion about motion and I believe there references
>>to sites such as Vicon, Motion Analysis (both optical systems) and others.
>>
>>Hope this helps,
>>Lisa
>>
>>
>>>David
>>>
>>>I would take the time to consider a low end Mac for simple motion capture.
>>>
>>>Every Mac ships with iMovie and FireWire Ports (for Digital Video
>Cameras).
>>>
>>>There is an apple in the UK which you can ask questions of.
>>>
>>>Their website is: http://www.apple.com/uk/
>>>
>>>Not trying to sell you anything, just asking you to consider alternatives.
>>>
>>>Kind Regards,
>>>
>>>Sal Abohamed
>>>
>>>Apple Computer Australia Pty Ltd
>>>16 Rodborough Rd, Frenchs Forest NSW 2860
>>>TEL:    02 9641 8579
>>>FAX:    02 9641 8160
>>>ABN:    46 002 510 054
>>>
>>>> From: David Yoken <David.Yoken@turkuamk.fi>
>>>> Reply-To: dance-tech@lists.acs.ohio-state.edu
>>>> Date: Sat, 22 Dec 2001 08:56:51 +0200
>>>> To: dance-tech@lists.acs.ohio-state.edu
>>>> Subject: A question....
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Hello,
>>>>
>>>> Would any one have the time or interest to respond to this seemingly
>simple
>>>> (perhaps not) question:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> What basic hard/software is/are required for "Motion Capture": specific
>>>> brand and model numbers....?  We are working with Life Forms in Windows
>NT
>>>> format.
>>>>
>>>> Many thanks and warm holiday greetings from up north,
>>>>
>>>> David
>>>>
>>>> David Yoken
>>>> Arts Academy
>>>> Turku Polytechnic     Linnankatu 54        20100 Turku FINLAND
>>>> tel: 358 (0) 10 553 5237  mobile: 358 (0) 50 598 5217
>>>> FAX: 358 (0) 10 553 5200   email: david.yoken@turkuamk.fi
>>>>
>>
>>=====================================
>>Dr. Lisa Naugle
>>Assistant Professor
>>Dance and Technology
>>University of California, Irvine
>>School of the Arts, Department of Dance
>>MAB 300
>>Irvine, California  92697-2775
>>email:  lnaugle@uci.edu
>>tel:  (949) 824-3209
>>fax:  (949) 824-4563
>>http://www.arts.uci.edu/lnaugle/
>>
>>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>Robert Wechsler
>Artistic Director
>PALINDROME Inter-media Performance Group
>Johannisstr. 42
>90419 Nürnberg
>fon: 49 911 39 74 72
>fax:  49 911 377 8311
>mobile:  49 179 511 0400
>
>http://www.palindrome.de
>
>
>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Robert Wechsler 
Artistic Director
PALINDROME Inter-media Performance Group
Johannisstr. 42
90419 Nürnberg
fon: 49 911 39 74 72  
fax:  49 911 377 8311  
mobile:  49 179 511 0400

http://www.palindrome.de



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