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v3.2
v3.2
  • OptiTrack Documentation
  • WHAT'S NEW
    • What's New in Motive 3.2
  • QUICK START GUIDES
    • Quick Start Guide: Getting Started
    • Quick Start Guide: Prime Color Camera Setup
    • Quick Start Guide: Precision Capture
    • Quick Start Guide: Tutorial Videos
    • Quick Start Guide: Active Marker Tracking
    • Quick Start Guide: Outdoor Tracking Setup
  • HARDWARE
    • Cameras
      • Ethernet Cameras
        • PrimeX 120
        • PrimeX 41
        • PrimeX 22
        • PrimeX 13
        • PrimeX 13W
        • SlimX 13
        • Prime Color
        • VersaX 22
        • VersaX 41
        • VersaX 120
      • USB Cameras
        • Slim 3U
        • Flex 13
        • Flex 3
        • V120:Duo
        • V120:Trio
        • Adjusting Global Origin for Tracking Bars
    • Prepare Setup Area
    • Camera Mount Structures
    • Camera Placement
    • Ethernet Camera Network Setup
      • General Overview and Specs
      • Windows 10 Network Settings
      • Cabling and Load Balancing
      • Switch Configuration for PrimeX 120
      • NETGEAR ProSafe GSM7228S: Disabling the Broadcast Storm Control
      • White/Blacklisting Cameras
    • USB Camera System Setup
      • USB Camera Network Overview and Specs
      • V120:Duo and Trio Setup
      • Tracking Bar Coordinate System
        • Transforming Coordinate System: Global to Local
    • Aiming and Focusing
    • Camera Status Indicators
  • MOTIVE
    • Installation and License Activation
    • Motive Basics
    • Calibration
      • .mcal XML Calibration Files
      • Continuous Calibration
      • Continuous Calibration (Info Pane)
      • Calibration Squares
    • Markers
    • Assets
      • Gizmo Tool: Translate, Rotate, and Scale
    • Rigid Body Tracking
      • Aligning Rigid Body Pivot Point with a Replicated 3D Model
    • Skeleton Tracking
    • Trained Markersets
    • IMU Sensor Fusion
    • Data Recording
      • Data Types
    • Labeling
    • Data Editing
    • Data Export
      • Data Export: BVH
      • Data Export: C3D
      • Data Export: CSV
      • Data Export: FBX
      • Data Export: TRC
    • Data Streaming
    • Camera Video Types
    • Audio Recording
    • Motive HotKeys
    • Measurement Probe Kit Guide
    • Motive Batch Processor
    • Reconstruction and 2D Mode
  • MOTIVE UI PANES
    • Settings
      • Settings: General
      • Settings: Assets
      • Settings: Live Pipeline
      • Settings: Streaming
      • Settings: Views
      • Settings: Mouse and Keyboard
      • Settings: Audio
    • Assets Pane
    • Builder Pane
    • Constraints Pane
      • Constraints XML Files
    • Calibration Pane
    • Data Pane
    • Devices Pane
    • Edit Tools Pane
    • Graph View Pane
    • Info Pane
    • Labels Pane
    • Log Pane
    • Probe Pane
    • Properties Pane
      • Properties Pane: Camera
      • Properties Pane: Force Plates
      • Properties Pane: NI-DAQ
      • Properties Pane: OptiHub2
      • Properties Pane: Rigid Body
      • Properties Pane: Skeleton
      • Properties Pane: Take
      • Properties Pane: Trained Markerset
      • Properties Pane: eSync2
    • Status Panel
    • Toolbar/Command Bar
    • Control Deck
    • Viewport
  • PLUGINS
    • OptiTrack Blender Plugin
      • OptiTrack Blender Plugin
    • OptiTrack Unreal Engine Plugin
      • Unreal Engine: OptiTrack Live Link Plugin
        • Quick Start Guide: Real-Time Retargeting in Unreal Engine with Live Link Content
        • Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN): OptiTrack Plugin for Live Link Hub
        • Unreal Engine: Live Link Camera Stream Setup
        • Live Link Content: Active Puck Static Meshes
      • Unreal Engine: MotionBuilder Workflow
      • Unreal Engine: HMD Setup
      • Unreal Engine VCS Inputs
    • OptiTrack Unity Plugin
      • Unity: HMD Setup
    • OptiTrack OpenVR Driver
    • OptiTrack MATLAB Plugin
    • Autodesk Maya
      • Autodesk Maya: OptiTrack Insight VCS Plugin
    • Autodesk MotionBuilder
      • Autodesk MotionBuilder Plugin
      • Autodesk MotionBuilder: OptiTrack Skeleton Plugin
      • Autodesk MotionBuilder: OptiTrack Optical Plugin
      • Autodesk MotionBuilder: OptiTrack Insight VCS Plugin
      • Autodesk MotionBuilder: Timecode Data
    • OptiTrack Peripheral API
    • External Plugins
      • Houdini 19 Integration
  • ACTIVE COMPONENTS
    • Active Components Hardware
      • Active Puck
      • Wired AnchorPuck
      • CinePuck
      • Wired CinePuck
      • BaseStation
      • Information for Assembling the Active Tags
      • Manus Glove Setup
    • Configuration
      • Active Batch Programmer
      • Active Hardware Configuration: PuTTY
      • Active Component Firmware Compatibility
    • Active Marker Tracking
      • Active Finger Marker Set
  • SYNCHRONIZATION
    • Synchronization Hardware
      • External Device Sync Guide: eSync 2
      • External Device Sync Guide: OptiHub2
    • Synchronization Setup
    • OptiTrack Timecode
  • VIRTUAL PRODUCTION
    • Unreal Engine: OptiTrack InCamera VFX
    • Entertainment Marker Sets
    • PrimeX 41
  • MOVEMENT SCIENCES
    • Movement Sciences Hardware
      • General Motive Force Plate Setup
      • AMTI Force Plate Setup
      • Bertec Force Plate Setup
      • Kistler Force Plate Setup
      • Delsys EMG Setup
      • NI-DAQ Setup
      • Multiple Device Setup
    • Movement Sciences Marker Sets
      • Biomechanics Marker Sets
      • Biomech (57)
      • Rizzoli Marker Sets
    • For Visual3D Users
    • Prime Color Camera Setup
      • Prime Color Setup: Required Components
      • Prime Color Setup: Hardware Setup
      • Prime Color Camera Setup: Camera Settings
      • Prime Color Camera Setup: Prime Color FS Calibration
      • Prime Color Setup: Data Recording / Export
      • Prime Color Camera Setup: FAQ / Troubleshooting
      • Prime Color Camera Setup: Windows Network Settings
  • VIRTUAL REALITY
    • VR Plugins
      • VR Unreal Engine
        • OptiTrack Unreal Engine Plugin
        • Unreal Engine: OptiTrack Live Link Plugin
          • UE5.1 Live Link Retarget External Workaround
        • Unreal Engine VCS Inputs
      • VR Unity
        • OptiTrack Unity Plugin
      • VR OpenVR
        • OptiTrack OpenVR Driver
    • VR HMD Setup
      • Unreal Engine: HMD Setup
      • Unity: HMD Setup
      • Manually Calibrating the HMD Pivot Point
      • Sync Configuration with an HTC Vive System
    • SlimX 13
    • Active Marker Tracking
      • Active Finger Marker Set
    • Synchronization Hardware
      • External Device Sync Guide: eSync 2
      • External Device Sync Guide: OptiHub2
  • ANIMATION
    • Autodesk Maya
      • Autodesk Maya: OptiTrack Insight VCS Plugin
    • Autodesk MotionBuilder
      • Autodesk MotionBuilder Plugin
      • Autodesk MotionBuilder: OptiTrack Skeleton Plugin
      • Autodesk MotionBuilder: OptiTrack Optical Plugin
      • Autodesk MotionBuilder: OptiTrack Insight VCS Plugin
      • Autodesk MotionBuilder: Timecode Data
  • ROBOTICS
    • MoCap4ROS2 Setup
    • OptiTrack Robot Applications
    • Outdoor Tracking Setup
  • DEVELOPER TOOLS
    • Developer Tools Overview
    • Camera SDK
      • Class: cCameraModule
      • Class: cUID
    • Motive API
      • Motive API: Quick Start Guide
      • Motive API Overview
      • Motive API: Function Reference
      • Motive API Camera Calibration
    • NatNet SDK
      • NatNet 4.1
      • NatNet: Class/Function Reference
      • NatNet: Creating a Managed (C sharp) Client Application
      • NatNet: Creating a Native (C++) Client Application
      • NatNet: Data Types
      • NatNet: Matlab Wrapper
      • NatNet: Migration to NatNet 3.0 libraries
      • NatNet: Remote Requests/Commands
      • NatNet: Sample Projects
      • NatNet: Unicast Data Subscription Commands
      • Latency Measurements
    • VRPN Sample
    • Peripheral API: Glove Devices
  • SKELETON MARKER SETS
    • Full Body
      • Baseline (41)
      • Core (50)
      • Biomech (57)
      • Conventional (39)
    • Full Body + Fingers
      • Baseline + Passive Fingers (49)
      • Baseline + Active Fingers (57)
      • Core + Passive Fingers (54)
      • Core + Active Fingers (62)
    • Upper
      • Baseline Upper (25)
      • Conventional Upper (27)
    • Lower
      • Baseline Lower (20)
      • Helen Hayes Lower (19)
      • Conventional Lower (16)
    • Hand and Fingers
      • Left/Right Hand (4) Active
      • Left/Right Hand (10) Active + Passive
      • Active Finger Marker Set
    • Glove Device Setup
      • Manus Glove Setup
      • StretchSense Glove Setup
    • Rizzoli Marker Sets
    • Entertainment Marker Sets
    • Rigid Body Skeleton Marker Set
  • GENERAL TROUBLESHOOTING
    • Licensing Troubleshooting
    • Windows 11 Optimization for Realtime Applications
    • Network Troubleshooting
    • Troubleshooting Q&A
    • Running Motive on High DPI Displays
    • Firewall Settings
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On this page
  • Overview
  • Version Requirements
  • Blender Setup (Client)
  • Import Plugin Package into Blender
  • Enable the Plugin
  • Motive Data Streaming Setup (Server)
  • Blender Plugin Connection Setup
  • Apply Motive Streaming Data to Objects
  • Assign Assets - Rigid Bodies
  • Using the Recorder
  • Recording
  • Record a Frame Range
  • Record Multiple Actions
  • Managing Actions with Dope Sheet
  • Access Help

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  1. PLUGINS
  2. OptiTrack Blender Plugin

OptiTrack Blender Plugin

Learn to setup and use the OptiTrack Blender plugin.

PreviousOptiTrack Blender PluginNextOptiTrack Unreal Engine Plugin

Last updated 6 months ago

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Overview

The enables streaming of real-time Rigid Body data from Motive to Blender.

Version Requirements

  • Blender Version: 4.1 or above (recommended)

  • Motive Version: 3.1.0 or higher

Blender Setup (Client)

To install the plugin:

  • Download the Blender Plugin from the site.

  • DO NOT unzip the downloaded file.

Import Plugin Package into Blender

  • In Blender, select Preferences from the Edit menu.

  • Select Add-ons from the menu on the left.

  • Use the dropdown arrow in the upper right corner to select Install from Disk...

  • Browse to the downloaded zip file and Install from Disk.

Enable the Plugin

  • Click in the Search bar at the top of the Preferences pane and search for Motive.

  • Search will return the Motive Blender Plugin. Check the checkbox to enable it.

  • Once the plugin is successfully enabled, it appears as a tab in the Sidebar.

If the Sidebar is not visible, click the small arrow (highlighted, below) in the upper right corner of the 3D Viewport, or use the hotkey "N" to toggle it open or closed.

Motive Data Streaming Setup (Server)

Start by configuring the data streaming settings in Motive. Once configured and enabled, Motive broadcasts tracking data to the designated network interface where client applications can receive it.

The OptiTrack Blender Plugin is designed to configure the necessary streaming settings automatically. This section covers the Motive settings needed for the Plugin to work effectively.

  • Enable - Toggle this setting on to enable streaming in Motive.

  • Local Interface - This is the Local Host IP address. Motive is the Server and Blender is the client.

    • When running Motive and Blender on the same machine, select loopback. This sets the IP address for both Server and Client to 127.0.0.1.

    • When streaming to a different PC, select the IP address that connects the Motive (server) computer to the network where the Blender (client) computer is located.

  • Transmission type - Set to Multicast. The Blender Plugin is currently unable to use Unicast.

  • Rigid Bodies- Enable Rigid Bodies.

  • Skeleton coordinates - Set to Global.

  • Bone Naming Convention - Set to FBX.

  • Up Axis - Set to Y-Axis. The plugin automatically converts the Up-Axis to the Z-axis.

  • Remote Trigger - Keep this setting disabled.

Once these settings are configured correctly, prepare your live Motive session or a Take to get ready to stream data into Blender.

Blender 1.0.0 only supports Rigid Body data.

Blender Plugin Connection Setup

The Blender Plugin panel includes a Properties section for assigning assets.

Apply Motive Streaming Data to Objects

Assign the Server IP and Client IP

  • Server IP: enter the IP address for the Motive PC.

  • Client IP: enter the IP address for the Blender PC.

  • Enter 127.0.0.1 in both fields when Motive and Blender are running on the same computer.

Set Transmission Type

Update Blender Configuration (optional)

As needed, Blender settings can be changed in the plugin panel for the following settings:

  • Unit System

  • Unit Scale

  • Frame Rate

Once changes are made, click the Apply Configuration checkbox to override Blender's settings with those selected. Deselect the checkbox to revert settings back to Blender's default.

Start Connection

Select Start Connection to obtain the data stream from Motive.

When connected, the Connection settings will display the assets streaming from Motive. Assets will be labeled by Streaming ID: Asset Name.

  • Use the Refresh Assets button to update the asset data after switching Takes in Motive.

  • Click Stop Connection to stop streaming data entirely.

Assign Assets - Rigid Bodies

  • Open the Object Properties for the 3D Mesh you wish to link to the Rigid Body.

  • In the Motive: Assign Assets section, select the Rigid Body that you want to track with the mesh from the Cube dropdown list.

  • In the Motive plugin panel, select Start Receiver. The 3D Mesh will start ingesting the Rigid Body data directly from Motive.

  • Use the Pause button to stop the data from streaming into the object, and the data will stop being written to the 3D mesh.

Using the Recorder

The Recorder function of the plugin allows you to plot keyframes on the tracked object in Blender's timeline. Keyframes will plot on the Location and Rotation Transform values of the object's properties.

Rotation values are plotted in Quaternion angles. Data can still be modified in post-processing in Blender using the rotation gizmo, which uses Euler angles.

Recording

  • Keyframes will begin moving forward and plotting on the timeline.

Record a Frame Range

Use the Record a Frame Range function when data needs to be recorded within a set time limit.

  • Click Select Frame Range, input the desired start and end frames to record within, and click OK.

  • Whenever this option is toggled on, Blender will record the data only within the selected Frame Range when recording is in progress.

  • Uncheck the box to toggle the Record Frame Range function off.

Record Multiple Actions

The Create New Action function allows you to record multiple actions in one Blender session. This function swaps the current action and keyframes in the timeline with a new action containing no keyframes. To start recording in the new timeline, click Start Record.

Managing Actions with Dope Sheet

The Dope Sheet Action Editor shows all of the Actions in the file.

  • Select the dropdown clock icon in the upper left of the Timeline window.

  • Select Dope Sheet from the popup menu.

  • In the Mode dropdown, select Action Editor.

  • The preferred method for making new actions is to use the “Create New Action” button in the plugin’s panel rather than creating them through the Action Editor.

When moving to the next action, Click the Delete Action button to remove all the key frames from the previous recorded action.

Access Help

The Info section of the plugin includes linked buttons to access the OptiTrack website and the Blender documentation in our online user guide (coming in release 1.1).

Click the button in the right corner of the Control Deck to open the in Motive’s window. Configure the following settings:

The Motive Blender plugin works in Multicast only. Make sure that Multicast is set in both Blender and Motive, as .

Click the Start Record button to begin recording.

Click the Stop button to stop plotting the key frames.

Check the box to toggle on the Record Frame Range function.

Use the dropdown list in the upper middle of the Action Editor window to create and edit multiple actions within the same Blender session. If you would like to create new actions this way, click the button.

noted above
OptiTrack Blender Plugin
OptiTrack downloads
Data Streaming Pane
Application Settings
The Edit menu in Blender.
Blender Preferences: Add-ons.
Enabling the Motive Blender Plugin from the Blender Preferences pane.
Blender 3D Viewport with the Sidebar collapsed.
Motive Application Settings: Streaming Pane. Recommended settings for streaming to Blender.
The Motive Plugin Panel in Blender.
IP settings.
Transmission settings.
Configuration settings.
Connection options - not connected.
Connection options - while connected.
3D Mesh properties: Motive: Assign Assets.
Motive Rigid Body data streaming into Blender. Click image to enlarge.
Blender timeline with plotted keyframes.
Select Frame Range to record in Blender.
The Create New Action button.
Access the Dope Sheet in Blender.
Dope Sheet Mode selection.
Available Actions in a Blender session.
Delete Actions in Blender.
The Info Panel in the Motive Blender plugin.