Setting up your cameras
When preparing for a shoot, it’s recommended that the capture devices are set up optimally depending on the number of cameras. Click here for more information on capture volumes.
When setting up the cameras, you need to be aware of the available capture space. Your entire body must remain in the frame for the duration of your captures. The system uses the human body itself to calibrate and capture motion. Without this information, the system will be unsuccessful in tracking your movements.
It is beneficial to have the cameras at a variety of heights, to provide as many different perspectives of your actors as possible. We don't recommend having the cameras below 1m, as it may be difficult for the camera to see the actor fully framed, or above 3m as a birds eye view can encounter excessive occlusion.
As a general rule of thumb, the actors should be no smaller than 250 pixels tall at all times.
Calibration
The calibration process is the most important stage of the workflow as this determines the quality of your motion capture. The actor doing the calibration should aim to cover all of the capture volume within the capture space. Making sure that their entire body remains in the frame throughout this process is important, hence why we recommend checking the framing of the cameras by holding a Y-pose. Marking out the capture volume will also help avoid the possibility of capturing a low-quality calibration.
Marking out your volume
After setting up the cameras, the next step is to make sure you have created a large enough capture volume for your actor(s). The best way to do this is to stand in the centre of the volume, and walk towards each camera in a Y-pose, until you reach the closest point at which the camera can still see you fully framed. Stand in the centre of the volume and begin to walk towards one of the cameras in your setup. Then, place a marker on the floor, to identify the perimeter of your volume. You may need to adjust the framing of your camera if, for example you cannot see the actors feet, but there is lots of space in the image above their hands. Repeat this process for each camera.
This marker can be any object as long as it serves its purpose of demonstrating the edge of the volume. If the actor leaves this volume, they will no longer be captured, and they will need to begin a new take.