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v2.3
v2.3
  • OptiTrack Support Documentation
  • WHAT'S NEW
    • Unreal Engine: OptiTrack InCamera VFX
  • QUICK START GUIDES
    • Quick Start Guide: Getting Started
    • Quick Start Guide: Precision Capture
    • Quick Start Guide: Tutorial Videos
    • Quick Start Guide: Prime Color Setup
    • Quick Start Guide: Active Marker Tracking
    • Quick Start Guide: Outdoor Tracking Setup
  • HARDWARE
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        • V120:Duo
        • V120:Trio
        • V120:Duo and Trio Setup
        • Adjusting Global Origin for Tracking Bars
    • Prepare Setup Area
    • Camera Mount Structures
    • Camera Placement
    • Camera Network Setup
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  • MOTIVE
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      • Continuous Calibration
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      • Gizmo Tool: Translate, Rotate, and Scale
    • Rigid Body Tracking
      • Aligning Rigid Body Pivot Point with a Replicated 3D Model
    • Skeleton Tracking
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      • Data Types
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      • Transforming Coordinate System: Global to Local
  • MOTIVE UI PANES
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      • Settings: Live Reconstruction
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      • Marker Name XML Files
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      • Properties Pane: Camera
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      • Properties Pane: NI-DAQ
      • Properties Pane: OptiHub2
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      • Properties Pane: Take
      • Properties Pane: eSync2
    • Reference View pane
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  • PLUGINS
    • OptiTrack Unreal Engine Plugin
      • Unreal Engine: OptiTrack Live Link Plugin
      • Unreal Engine: OptiTrack Streaming Client Plugin
      • Unreal Engine: HMD Setup
      • Unreal Engine: MotionBuilder Workflow
      • Unreal Engine VCS Inputs
    • OptiTrack Unity Plugin
      • Unity: HMD Setup
    • OptiTrack OpenVR Driver
    • 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
      • CinePuck
      • BaseStation
      • Information for Assembling the Active Tags
      • Manus Glove Setup
    • Configuration
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      • Active Hardware Configuration: PuTTY
      • Active Component Firmware Compatibility
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      • Active Finger Marker Set
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  • 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
      • Prime Color Setup
    • Movement Sciences Marker Sets
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      • Biomech (57)
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    • For Visual3D Users
  • VIRTUAL REALITY
    • VR Plugins
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        • OptiTrack Unreal Engine Plugin
        • Unreal Engine: OptiTrack Live Link Plugin
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        • Unreal Engine VCS Inputs
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      • Sync Configuration with an HTC Vive System
    • Navigation Controller Guide
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    • Active Marker Tracking
      • Active Finger Marker Set
      • Active Marker Tracking: IMU Setup
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      • 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
    • PrimeX 22
    • Outdoor Tracking Setup
  • DEVELOPER TOOLS
    • Developer Tools Overview
    • NatNet SDK
      • NatNet 4.0
      • 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: RebroadcastMotiveData Sample
      • NatNet: Remote Requests/Commands
      • NatNet: Sample Projects
      • NatNet: Unicast Data Subscription Commands
      • Latency Measurements
    • Motive API
      • Motive API: Quick Start Guide
      • Motive API Overview
      • Motive API: Function Reference
      • Motive API Camera Calibration
    • Camera SDK
      • Camera SDK Classes
        • Class: cCameraGroupFilterSettings
        • Class: cCameraGroupMarkerSizeSettings
        • Class: cCameraGroupPointCloudSettings
        • Class: cCameraModule
        • Class: cRigidBodySettings
        • Class: cRigidBodySolutionTest
        • Class: cTTAPIListener
        • Class: cUID
  • MARKER SETS
    • Full Body
      • Baseline (37)
      • Baseline + Hinged Toe (41)
      • Baseline + Hinged Toe, with Headband (41)
      • Baseline + 13 Additional Markers (50)
      • Biomech (57)
      • Conventional (39)
    • Full Body + Fingers
      • Baseline + Hinged Toe + Fingers (49)
      • Baseline + 11 Additional Markers + Fingers (54)
      • Manus Glove Setup
    • Upper
      • Baseline Upper (25)
      • Baseline Upper Body + Fingers (33)
      • Conventional Upper (27)
    • Lower
      • Baseline Lower (20)
      • Helen Hayes Lower (19)
      • Conventional Lower (16)
    • Hand and Fingers
      • Left and Right Hand (11)
      • Active Finger Marker Set
    • Rizzoli Marker Sets
    • Entertainment Marker Sets
    • Rigid Body Skeleton Marker Set
  • GENERAL TROUBLESHOOTING
    • Troubleshooting
    • Running Motive on High DPI Displays
    • Firewall Settings
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On this page
  • Live Mode and Edit Mode
  • Recording
  • Control Deck
  • Recorded Data Management
  • Recorded Data Types
  • Marker Types in Motive
  • Unlabeled and Labeled
  • Expected Marker Positions: Rigid Body Markers and Bone Markers

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  1. MOTIVE

Data Recording

PreviousSkeleton TrackingNextData Types

Last updated 2 years ago

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Once the capture volume is calibrated and all markers are placed, you are now ready to capture Takes. In this page, we will cover key concepts and tips that are important for the recording pipeline. For real-time tracking applications, you can skip this page and read through the page.

Live Mode and Edit Mode

There are two different modes in Motive: Live mode and Edit mode. You can toggle between two modes from the or by using the (Shift + ~) hotkey.

Live Mode

The Live mode is mainly used when recording new Takes or when streaming a live capture. In this mode, all of the cameras are continuously capturing 2D images and reconstructing the detected reflections into 3D data in real-time.

Edit Mode

The Edit Mode is used for playback of captured Take files. In this mode, you can playback, or stream, recorded data. Also, captured Takes can be post-processed by fixing mislabeling errors or interpolating the occluded trajectories if needed.

Recording

Control Deck

Tip: For Skeleton tracking, always start and end the capture with a T-pose or A-pose, so that the Skeleton assets can be redefined from the recorded data as well.

Recorded Data Management

Tip: Efficient ways of managing Takes


  1. Always start by creating session folders for organizing related Takes. (e.g. name of the tracked subject).

  2. Plan ahead and create a list of captures in a text file or a spreadsheet, and you can create empty takes by copying and pasting the list into the Data Management pane (e.g. walk, jog, run, jump).

  3. Once pasted, empty Takes with the corresponding names will be imported.

  4. Select one of the empty takes and start recording. The capture will be saved with the corresponding name.

  5. When captured successfully, select another empty Take in the list and capture the next one.

Recorded Data Types

  • 2D data: The recorded Take file includes just the 2D object images from each camera.

  • 3D data: The recorded Take file also includes reconstructed 3D marker data in addition to 2D data.

Marker Types in Motive

Unlabeled and Labeled

Marker data, labeled or unlabeled, represent the 3D positions of markers. These markers do not present Rigid Body or Skeleton solver calculations but locate the actual marker position calculated from the camera data. These markers are represented as a solid sphere in the viewport. By default, unlabeled markers are colored in white, and labeled markers will have colors that reflect the color setting in the Rigid Body or the corresponding bone.

Labeled Marker Colors:

  • Colors of the Rigid Body labeled markers can be changed from the properties of the corresponding asset.

  • Colors of the markers can be changed from the Constraints XML file if needed.

Expected Marker Positions: Rigid Body Markers and Bone Markers

Rigid body markers or bone markers are expected marker positions. They appear as transparent spheres within a rigid body, or a skeleton, and they reflect the position that the rigid body or skeleton solver expects to find a corresponding reconstructed marker. Calculating these positions assumes that the marker is fixed on a rigid segment that doesn’t deform over the course of capture. When the rigid body solver or skeleton solver are correctly tracking reconstructed markers, both marker reconstructions, and expected marker positions will have similar position values and will closely align in the viewport.

When creating rigid bodies, their associated markers will appear as a network of lines between markers. Skeleton marker expected positions would be located next to body segments, or bones. Please see Figure 2. If the marker placement is distorted during capture, the actual marker position will deviate from the expected position. Eventually, the marker may become unlabeled. Figure 1. shows how actual and expected marker positions could align or deviate from each other. Due to the nature of marker-based mocap systems, labeling errors may occur during capture. Thus, understanding each marker type in Motive is very important for correct interpretation of the data.

Tip: Prime series cameras will illuminate in blue when in live mode, in green when recording, and turned-off in edit mode. See more at .

Recording in Motive is triggered from the when in the Live mode, and the recorded data

In Motive, capture recording is controlled from the . In the Live mode, new Take** name** can be assigned in the name box or you can just simply start the recording and let Motive automatically generate new names on the fly. You can also create empty Takes in the Data Management pane for a better organization. To start the capture, select Live mode and click the recording button (red). In the control deck, record time and frames are displayed in (Hour:Minute:Second:Frames).

In Motive, all of the recorded capture files are managed through the . Each capture will be saved in a Take (TAK) file, which can be played back in the Edit mode later. Related Take files can be grouped within session folders. Simply create a new folder in the desired directory and load the folder onto the . Currently selected session folder is indicated with the flag symbol (), and all newly recorded Takes will be saved in this folder.

If the capture was unsuccessful, simply record the same Take again and another one will be recorded with a incremented suffix added at the end of the given Take name (e.g. walk_001, walk_002, walk_003). The suffix format is defined in the .

When a capture is first recorded, both 2D data and real-time reconstructed 3D data is saved onto the Take. For more details on each data type, refer to the page.

Throughout capture, you might recognize that there are different types of markers that appear in the . In order to correctly interpret the tracking data, it is important to understand the differences between these markers. There are three different displayed marker types: markers, Rigid Body markers, and bone (or Skeleton) markers.

Colors of the unlabeled markers can be changed from the .

Read through the page for more information on marker labels.

Camera Status Indicators
Control Deck
Control Deck
Application Settings
Data Types
Application Settings
Labeling
Data Streaming
Control Deck
Data pane
Data pane
SelectedFolder.png
Motive in Live Mode.
Motive in Edit Mode.
Click image to enlarge.
Click image to enlarge.
Managing Takes.
Left: Marker data aligned with the expected marker position. Center: slight deviation from the expected position. Right: Marker is now unlabeled due to deviation from the expected position.
Left: skeletal bone markers Right: Rigid body markers.
3D perspective view