Plugin Overview

The allow you to stream real-time tracking data from Motive into Unreal Engine. This includes tracking data of Rigid Bodies, Skeletons, and HMDs that are tracked within Motive. This article focuses on the organization of those plugins. For basic instructions on setting up a motion capture system, please refer to the guide instead.

Included Plugins:

• OptiTrack - Live Link

• OptiTrack - Streaming Client

Both of these plugins are included in the ZIP file.OptiTrack Unreal

HMD Compatibility

• A variety of head mounted displays (HMDs) can be integrated using the .

• For plugin version 1.23 and above, support for Oculus HMDs has been deprecated.

Motive Data Streaming Setup (Server)

First, you'll want to follow the below instructions to set up the data streaming settings in Motive. Once this is configured, Motive will be broadcasting tracking data onto a designated network interface where client applications can receive them.

Streaming Settings

Open the in Motive's Settings window and set the following settings:

• Enable - Turn on the Enable setting at the top of the NatNet section.

• Local Interface - Choose the desired IP network address from this dropdown to stream data over.

  • Loopback

Integrating HMDs

OptiTrack motion capture systems can be used to track head mounted displays (HMD) and integrate the tracking data into Unreal Engine for VR applications. For instructions on integrating HMD tracking data into Unreal Engine, please refer to the corresponding page:

Wireless Multiplayer Setup

When setting up multiplayer games on wireless clients, it is more beneficial for each client to make direct connection to both the tracking-server (Motive) and the game-server, rather than rebroadcasting the streamed tracking data through the game-server. Then, any of the game related actions that interacts with the tracking data can be processed on the game-server, and this server can send out the corresponding updates to the wireless clients. This allows the wireless clients to only receive both the tracking data or updates without having to send back any information; in other words, minimizing the number of data transfers needed. If wireless clients are sending data there will be a minimum of two transfers on the wireless network, and each transfer of data through wireless network is at risk of latency or lost packets.

This page provides instructions on how to configure VCS inputs in Unreal Engine. The basic configuration is similar to configuring any other input triggers in Unreal Engine. Please note that only one VCS controller can be connected and configured due to some limitations. Having two controllers connected at the same time is not supported.

Setup Steps

SideFX's Houdini 3D animation software has created a plugin for use with an OptiTrack system.

For more information regarding their plugin designed for OptiTrack's Motive software, please visit the link below.

Houdini 19.5 Mocap Stream Geometry Node

Overview

Timecode for each captured frame can also be streamed into MotionBuilder using the plugin. When the timecode data is available in Motive, you can view the streamed data under the properties of the connected OptiTrack devices.

To monitor the timecode, select the connected OptiTrack I/O devices under the Navigator taband open the Properties tab of the Resources panel as the tracking data is being streamed to MotionBuilder. Among the properties, timecode values will be reported. This will be available for any type of devices (Optical device, Skeleton device, Insight VCS device) that is connected to Motive. Please note that timecode gets streamed out only if it is available in the capture. Timecode signal can be integrated to the capture data only when SMPTE timecode signal is fed into the camera system via the eSync synchronization hub.

• Timecode data is presented to MotionBuilder on each device with the following properties, which can be keyed during recording.

• Use the Timecode Key Interpolation property to set the interpolation method:

  • 0 : Constant (aka Stepping)

Timecode on Assets

In addition to timecode on each device, the Skeleton device also writes timecode onto each Skeleton asset root as an animatable user property. This allows you to export that asset only, while keeping the original timecode.

The Skeleton Device Keying to Timecode

The Skeleton Device has the option of writing keys using the timecode contained in the Motive data stream. This requires:

• A timecode generator

• OptiTrack Ethernet Series only

• OptiTrack eSync connected to timecode generator and configured in Motive for timecode.

See the for how to do this.

To enable keying to timecode, set the following Device properties:

• Use Motive Timecode

  • Check this property to enable timestamping keys using the timecode contained in the Motive data packet.

• Timecode Format

MotionBuilder defines the following formats, and the numeric value to use for the property:

NTSC_DROP : 29.97 NTSC_FULL: -29.97f PAL_25: -25.0f FILM_24 : -24.0f FILM_23976: -23.976f FRAMES_30: -30.0f FRAMES_5994: -59.94f

Overview

The OptiTrack Unity3D Plugin allows you to stream real-time Rigid Body, Skeleton, and HMD tracking data from Motive into Unity. Using the streamed data, objects and characters in the scene can be animated. The plugin contents are distributed in unitypackage format, and you can simply load this file into Unity projects to import its contents. Once imported, included C# scripts can be used for instantiating a client origin and receiving the tracking data. This article focuses on how to set up and use the plugin.

Versions Requirements

• Unity Version: 2017.2 / 2017.1 or above. (2020.3+ recommended)

• Visual Studio 2019 or latest Visual C++ Redistributable

Motive Setup (Server)

Streaming Setup

From Motive, the tracking data can be streamed in real-time either from a live capture (Live Mode) or recorded data (Edit Mode). The streaming settings are configured by modifying the . NatNet streaming must enabled and the correct IP address must be set.

Streaming in Motive

Open the in Motive and configure the settings below:

• Enable - Turn on the Enable setting at the top of the NatNet section.

• Local Interface - Choose the desired IP network address from this dropdown to stream data over.

• Transmission Type - Typically you will want to set this to Unicast since it subscribes only to the data you wish to use and normally uses less network bandwidth. This is especially advised if streaming data over WiFi.

Unity Setup (Client)

Import Plugin Package

While in the Unity project, double-click on the plugin unitypackage file and import the plugin assets into the project. When the package has been successfully imported, the following contents will be available within the project:

Plugin Contents

Setting Up the Client Object

In order to receive tracking data from a server application (e.g. Motive), a client object must be set up. The OptitrackStreamingClient.cs script can be attached to any object to stream data relative to that object. Typically, this script is attached to an empty object or loaded in using the "Client - OptiTrack" prefab object in the Assets/Optitrack/Prefabs folder.

• [Motive] In the , configure the desired connection settings.

• [Unity] Under the Prefabs folder, import the "Client - OptiTrack" prefab object into the scene, or attach OptitrackStreamingClient.cs script onto an empty object.

• [Unity] In the streaming Client object, configure the connection settings to match the streaming settings in Motive.

Animating Rigid Body

1. [Unity] On an object that you wish to animate, attach the OpitrackRigidBody.cs script.

2. [Unity] In the Streaming Client entry, link the Client object in which the OptitrackStreamingClient.cs script is attached. By default, it searches for an existing client instance, but this must be specified when there are more than one streaming client objects.

3. [Unity] For the Rigid Body ID entry, input the streaming ID of corresponding Rigid Body asset in Motive. The streaming ID can be found, and changed, under the .

Animating Skeleton

By integrating with Unity's animation system, , the Unity3D plugin allows Motive to stream full body Skeleton data. The Skeleton tracking data from Motive is streamed out as hierarchical bone segment orientations, and this data is fed into the Unity's Mecanim system which allows animating characters with different proportions.

Steps

1. [Unity] On Unity characters, attach OptitrackSkeletonAnimator.cs script as one of its components.

2. [Unity] For the Streaming Client entry, link the Client object in which the OptitrackStreamingClient.cs script is attached. By default, it searches for an existing client instance, but this must be specified when there are more than one streaming client objects.

3. [Unity] Enter Skeleton Asset Name which is assigned in Motive

Animating Markers, Etc.

1. [Unity] On the OptiTrack Streaming instance, enable the Draw Markers, "Draw Cameras", or "Draw Force Plates" setting(s).

2. [Motive] Make sure that marker streaming is enabled in Motive if you wish to visualize markers.

3. [Unity] Make sure the streaming setting is set up correctly, and play the scene.

Integrating HMDs

OptiTrack motion capture systems can be used to track head mounted displays (HMD) and integrate the tracking data into Unity for unique VR applications. For instructions on integrating HMD tracking data into Unreal Engine, please refer to the corresponding page .

Wireless Multiplayer Setup

When setting up multiplayer games with wireless clients, it is more beneficial for each client to make direct connection to both the tracking-server (Motive) and the game-server, rather than rebroadcasting the streamed tracking data through the game-server. Then, any of the game related actions that interacts with the tracking data can be processed on the game-server, and this server can send out the corresponding updates to the wireless clients. This allows the wireless clients to only receive both the tracking data or updates without having to send back any information; in other words, minimizing the number of data transfers needed. If wireless clients are sending data there will be a minimum of two transfers on the wireless network, and each transfer of data through wireless network is at risk of latency or lost packets.

The OptiTrack Peripheral API is an open C++ API that can be used to create 'plugin' devices. Custom built plugin DLL's will allow you to initialize and synchronize external devices with the OptiTrack motion capture system in Motive. After building a custom plugin device using the API, the library must be placed in the \device folder within the Motive install directory in order to initialize and integrate desired peripheral devices. For integrating AMTI and Bertec force plates and NI-DAQ devices, the existing BiomechDevicePlugin.dll that installs with the peripheral module can be utilized.

Note: The OptiTrack Peripheral API is available in Motive versions 1.10 and above.

The following features are supported by the Peripheral API:

• Real-time synchronized data collection from peripheral hardware device and the OptiTrack motion capture system into Motive Take (TAK) files and the open standard C3D file format.

• Motive UI access to device properties and event settings under the , allowing the users to configure the device in Motive.

• Real-time display of live device data in Motive's scope view in the .

• Captured data review in Motive's 2D Graphing windows in the .

Contents

The Peripheral API folder is installed with the Motive software. It can be found in the Motive install directory, which is located in C:\Program Files\OptiTrack\Motive\PeripheralAPI by default.

Requirements

The following components are required for using the OptiTrack Peripheral API.

• Microsoft Windows 7, 8, or 10.

• Microsoft Visual Studio 2013 ( Recommended )

Retarget Solution

Downloads/Installs

• You can download the Windows SDK 8.1 from this

• To download the v140 Toolset, you can modify your existing install of VS, or upon first downloading add the toolset from the Individual Components tab.

• Once you have the Windows SDK 8.1 and v140 Toolset downloaded, you'll need to retarget the OptiTrackPeripheralExample solution.

Retargetting Steps

1. In Visual Studio, right click Solution 'OptiTrackPeripheralExample', or whatever you named the copy as.

2. Select 'Retarget Solution'

3. For the Windows SDK Version dropdown, select 8.1.

Usage

The following guideline can be used to create and apply custom device plugin DLLs in Motive:

1. Copy the OptiTrackPeripheralExample project and modify the code in the lines where indicated in the sample.
2. Build the sample, which produces a plugin DLL. Copy this DLL to the <Motive install folder>\devices subfolder.

Class Diagram

Overview

This page provides instructions on how to use the OptiTrack Unreal Engine Live Link plugin. The plugin communicates with Unreal's built-in Live Link system by providing a Live Link source for receiving tracking data streamed from Motive. This plugin can be used for controlling cameras and objects in virtual production applications. When needed, the OptiTrack Unreal Engine Plugin can also be alongside this plugin. For a specific guide to InCamera VFX (i.e. LED Wall Virtual Production) please see this wiki page Unreal Engine: OptiTrack InCamera VFX.

Setup

1. [Motive] Setup Rigid Body streaming in Motive.

Get Motive streaming with at least one Rigid Body or Skeleton asset. Make sure the settings are configured correctly, and the asset is active under the .

2. [UE] Install the OptiTrack plugins in Unreal Engine (UE).

You can install the OptiTrack Unreal Engine plugin by putting the plugin files into one of the following directories:

• A global engine plugin can be placed in C:\Program Files\Epic Games\[Engine Version]\Engine\Plugins

• A project-specific plugin can be placed in [Project Directory]\Plugins

3. [UE] Enable the plugins in UE project.

Go to Edit → Plugins and enable two of the required plugins. First one is the OptiTrack - Live Link plugin under Installed group, and the second one is the built-in Live Link plugin under Built-In group.

4. [UE] Open the LiveLink pane

Open the LiveLink pane from Window → Virtual Production → Live Link in the toolbar.

5. [UE] Configure and create a new OptiTrack source

In the LiveLink pane under Source options, go to the OptiTrack Source menu and configure the proper connection settings and click Create. Please make sure to use matching network settings configured from the Streaming pane in Motive.

6. [UE] Check the Connection.

If the streaming settings are correct and the connection to Motive server is successful, then the plugin will list out all of the detected assets. They should have green dots next to them indicating that the corresponding asset has been created and is receiving data. If the dots are yellow, then it means that the client has stopped receiving data. In this case, check if Motive is still tracking or if there is a connection error.

Using the Plugin

Static Meshes or Camera Actors

1. Add the camera object or static mesh object that you wish to move

Add a camera actor from the Place Actors pane or a static mesh from the project into your scene. For the static meshes, make sure their Mobility setting is set to Movable under the Transform properties.

2. Add a LiveLinkController Component

Select an actor you want to animate. In the Details tab select your "actor" (Instance). In the search bar, type in Live Link. Then click on the Live Link Controller from the populated list.

3. Select the target Rigid Body

Under the Live Link properties in the Details tab click in the Subject Representation box and select the target Rigid Body.

4. Check

Once the target Rigid Body is selected, each object with the Live Link Controller component attached and configured will be animated in the scene.

Timecode Setup

When the camera system is synchronized to another master sync device and a timecode signal is feeding into , then the received timecode can be used in UE project through the plugin.

1. Set Timecode Provider under project settings

From Edit → Project Settings, search timecode and under Engine - General settings, you should find settings for the timecode. Here, set the the Timecode Provider to LiveLinkTimeCodeProvider.

2. Set OptiTrack source in the Live Link pane as the Timecode Provider

Open the Live Link pane, and select the OptiTrack subject that we created when first setting up the plugin connection. Then, under its properties, check the Timecode Provider box.

3. Check

The timecode from Motive should now be seen in the Take Recorder pane. Take Recorder pane can be found under Window → Cinematics → Take Recorder in the toolbar.

Skeletons

1. Create a new Animation Blueprint

Right click the mesh you would like to use and select "Create > Anim Blueprint"

2. Name and Open the Animation Blueprint

Name the animation blueprint something appropriate, then double click it to open the blueprint.

3. Hook up your Blueprint

Create a "Live Link Pose" component and connect it to the "Output Pose". Assign the "Live Link Subject Name" to the Skeleton that you would like to use.

Change the "Retarget Asset" property in the Details pane of the blueprint editor to "OptiTrackLiveLinkRetarget"

4. Getting the Skeleton to Animate

To animate the Skeleton in real time click the Animation Blueprint from earlier. In the Details pane under the skelteonLive Link Skeleton Animation". After you add that component the mesh should start animating.

To animate the Skeleton in a game, just press the play button. Adding the "Live Link Skeleton Animation" object is not necessary to animate in play mode.

Debugging Note

If the retargeting doesn't match the mesh correctly, then you can create a new OptiTrackLiveLinkRetarget blueprint from scratch and modify the bone mapping names.

MetaHumans

Animating a MetaHuman follows basically the same steps as another Skeleton, but requires hooking into the Skeleton at a very specific location. For more information about MetaHuman setup outside of our scope, please visit .

1. Obtain MetaHuman from the Quixel Bridge Plugin.

First, you'll want to verify that the Quixel Bridge plugin is installed with Unreal Engine 5. You can install the Quixel Bridge plugin from the Epic Games Launcher by clicking Unreal Engine then the Library Tab.

You'll also wan to make sure that the Quixel Bridge plugin is enabled. To do this go to Edit > Plugins > Editor and click the check box. You may have to restart Unreal after enabling this plugin.

Navigate to the Cube + icon in the top toolbar, select the dropdown and choose Quixel Bridge.

From here, log into your account and select the MetaHuman you want to download/ add to your project.

In your newly created MetaHuman folder (Note: The folder will be labeled whatever your MetaHuman name is), in the Content Browser, create an animation blueprint by right clicking and navigating to Animation> Animation Blueprint.

For the skeleton asset, simply choose the metahuman_base_skel. There is no need to choose anything different for the parent class, keep it as AnimInstance.

Click Create and name it, “ABP_ Metahuman Name”

3. Setting up Post Processing inside mesh.

Each MetaHuman will have a “Body” mesh attached to the MetaHuman blueprint. This mesh will have a post-processing animation blueprint automatically attached to it when you import it into your project. We want to remove this from the mesh because it can cause crashing errors if they are used improperly.

Open your MetaHuman blueprint by double-clicking it. In here, click the Body in the components section, and in the details, panel go to Mesh> Skeletal Mesh, then click to navigate to the mesh in the content browser. Open the mesh by double clicking on it.

Now in the mesh, scroll down to the Skeletal Mesh section and clear the “Post Process Anim Blueprint”.

With this done, you can now use multiple MetaHumans in your project while all of them are using the same skeleton.

Removing this Post Process Anim Blueprint disabled any way of the mesh itself receiving animations.

Now we will drive all the animation in the animation blueprint we made earlier.

4. Attaching Live Link in AnimBP

Open the animation blueprint that we made in step 2.

You should now see the Animation Graph, if you don’t, navigate to the left in the Animation Graphs and click on “AnimGraph”. In the AnimGraph, right click and type “Live Link Pose”.

Now attach it to the OutPut Pose node.

While you have the “Live Link Pose” node selected, navigate to the Details panel and under retarget, select Retarget Asset > OptiTrackLiveLink.

Now to choose an actor.

Choose an actor for the selected dropdown.

Click Compile and Save.

5. Changing LOD, attaching the AnimBP and adding Skeletal Animation

Next, navigate to your MetaHuman blueprint and open it.

In the “Components” section on the left, scroll down and select LODSync.

Now on the right go to LOD > Forced LOD and choose any LOD that works for your use-case.

Go back to the Components panel and click on Body.

On the right in the Details panel, go to Animation> Animation Mode> Use Animation Blueprint.

In the Anim Class choose the MetaHuman AnimBP that you created earlier.

Lastly in the Components panel, click the '+ Add' button and type in ”Live Link Skeletal Animation” and then click Compile.

If you go to your main Map, you can click and drag your MetaHuman in the scene to watch them animate in Realtime.

Standalone Game Mode

For testing the project in standalone game mode, or when developing an nDislay application, the Live Link plugin settings must be saved out and selected as the default preset to be loaded onto the project. If this is not done, the configured settings may not get applied. After configuring the LiveLink plugin settings, save out the preset from the Live Link pane first. Then, open the Project Settings and find Live Link section in the sidebar. Here, you can select the default Live Link preset to load onto the project, as shown in the screenshot below. Once the preset is properly saved and loaded, the corresponding plugin settings will be applied to the standalone game mode.

If all the configuration is correct, the actors will get animated in the newly opened game window when playing the project in the standalone game mode.

MotionBuilder Retargeting

Another path to get data into Unreal Engine is to stream data from Motive -> MotionBuilder (using the OptiTrack MotionBuilder Plugin) -> Unreal Engine (using the Live Link plugin for MotionBuilder). This has the benefit of using the Human IK (HIK) retargeting system in MotionBuilder, which will scale characters of very different sizes/dimensions better than the base Live Link plugin. More information can be found by consulting .

Troubleshooting

This page provides instructions on how to set up the OptiTrack Streaming Client Unreal Engine plugin. This plugin is intended for Virtual Reality customers, but can be used with many other applications.

Streaming Client Setup (Client)

Next step is to configure the client. Follow below instructions to install and configure the OptiTrack Unreal Engine plugin to receive the streamed tracking data.

Enable the Plugin

OptiTrack - Streaming Client Plugin (required)

1. Download the .

2. Extract the contents from the ZIP file.

3. Open the extracted OptiTrack folder, transfer the entire "OptiTrack" folder into the Unreal Engine's plugin directory located in the C:\Program Files\Epic Games\5.#\Engine\Plugins folder (there will be other plugins in that folder already).

Set up the Client Origin

Once the OptiTrack - Streaming Client plugin is enabled, the OptiTrack Client Origin actor will be available in Unreal Engine.

OptiTrack Client Origin

OptiTrack Client Origin

The OptiTrack Client Origin class enables the Unreal Engine (client) to communicate with the Rigid Body, Skeleton, and HMD tracking data streamed from Motive.

To add the client origin, simply drag-and-drop the OptiTrack Client Origin from the Place Actors panel into the level. Once the client origin is placed within the level, its position and orientation will reconcile the global origin of Motive in Unreal Engine. In other words, the tracking data will be represented relative to where this Client Origin object is positioned and oriented.

Connecting Unreal Engine to Motive

1. [Motive] Make sure that NatNet streaming is enabled in the in Motive.

2. [Unreal] Once the plugin is added and enabled in the project, the OptiTrack Client Origin class will be available from the Place Actors panel.

3. [Unreal] Drag and drop the OptiTrack Client Origin into the scene.

Animate Rigid Bodies

OptiTrack Rigid Body Actor

Actor objects in Unreal Engine can be animated using Rigid Body tracking data from Motive. Once the OptiTrack - Streaming Client plugin is enabled in the project, OptiTrack Rigid Body component will be available to use. By attaching this component onto an actor, you can animate its child actors according to the movement of a Rigid Body in Motive. Each Rigid Body component is given a Tracking ID value which associates with the of a Rigid Body in Motive. Once associated, the data from the corresponding Rigid Body will be used to update the transform of the target actor in Unreal Engine.

Set Up Steps

1. [Unreal] From the Place Actors panel, search for OptiTrack Rigid Body Actor, then drag-and-drop the actor into the scene.

2. [Unreal] With this Rigid Body actor selected, attach the target actor that you wish to animate using the Details panel. Make sure the target actor's transformation is set to movable.

3. [Unreal] Set the relative locations and rotations to all zeroes on this target actor. This actor should be listed as a child of the Rigid Body actor.

RigidBodyComponent Properties

Tracking ID

ID of the Rigid Body used to derive the position and orientatation transform of the attached actor. This ID must match with the of the respective Rigid Body in Motive.

Hide on Invalid Definition

When this is checked, the corresponding Rigid Body actor will be hidden from the level until the associated Rigid Body data is streamed out from Motive and received by the plugin.

Disable Low Latency Update

Low latency update feature allows Rigid Body position and orientation transform to be updated immediately before rendering minimizing the latency. This is enabled by default. For debugging, you can check this setting to disable this behavior.

Tracking Origin

This sets a specific client origin to use for receiving tracking data. When this is unset, the plugin will default to the first client origin that it finds in the scene.

Respect Parent Transform

When this is set to true, the Rigid Body transform data from Motive will be applied in respect to the parent actor's pivot coordinates. By default, this is set to false, and all of the tracking data will be applied in respect to the pivot axis of the client origin.

Drawing Markers

When needed, you can also draw labeled marker data from Motive into the scene in UE. In most applications, you do not have to draw the markers as Rigid Body data and the Skeleton data will be used instead; however, getting markers generated in the scene may be helpful for debugging purposes. To enable drawing of the markers:

• [UE4] Expand the OptiTrackClientOrigin (Instance) properties, and enable the Draw Markers checkbox.

• [Motive] setting in the data streaming pane must be enabled.

Animate Skeletons

Tutorial Video

Setup

Follow the below steps to set up Skeleton streaming onto Unreal Engine.

1. Create a Animation Blueprint in the 3D View

Step 1. Navigate to a character folder. With sample characters, it is located in Characters → Heros → [Character Name] → Meshes.

Step 2. Right-click the blank space in the Content Browser pane, then select Animation → Animation Blueprint.

Step 3. On the pop-up window, select the OptiTrackAnimInstance at the parent class section at the top and click on the target Skeleton name at the bottom. Then click OK.

Step 4. In the content browser, assign a name to the created animation blueprint.

Step 5. Drag the character blueprint into the scene.

Step 6. Select the character blueprint in the 3D View

• In the Details Pane, select “+ ADD” and create a new an “OptiTrack Skeleton Instance” on the model.

• Set the “Source Skeleton Asset” equal to the Skeleton name in Motive.

2. Setup the Blueprint

**Step 1.**Double-click the animation blueprint in the content browser to open its editor.

**Step 2.**Right-click the animation graph, then create a new "OptiTrack Skeleton".

**Step 3.**Right-click the animation graph, then create a new "Get Streaming Client Origin" and connect its output to the Streaming Client Origin.

**Step 4.**Right-click the animation graph, then create a new "Get Source Skeleton Asset Name" and connect its output to the Source Skeleton Asset Name.

Step 5. Right-click the animation graph, then create a new "Component To Local" and connect the output from "OptiTrack Skeleton" into its input.

**Step 6.**Connect all of the nodes together. The basic animation flow chart should look like the following.

3. Assign Bone Mapping

Step 1. Select the OptiTrack Skeleton plugin in the blueprint graph area.

Step 2. Drop down the Bone Mappings property in the Details Pane.

Step 3. Click “Auto Fill Bone Mapping” to automatically assign the bones in the Skeleton to the OptiTrack Skeleton names.

Note: There is no standard for bone naming conventions, so bone names may vary depending on characters. After doing the auto-fill, review the list and double-check that the auto-assigned names are correct. You may need to manually use the drop-down menu to adjust the assigned mapping for missing, or incorrect, items.

Step 4. Hit "Compile" in the top left to build the blueprint.

4. Setup OptiTrack Streaming

Step 1. Open the 3D View

Step 2. Search OptiTrack Client Origin in the Modes pane.

Step 3. Drag the OptiTrack Client Origin into the 3D scene, then select it to access its properties.

• (Optional) put it at 0,0,0 location.

• Make sure that streaming settings on both Motive and Unreal match.

See: page for more instructions on setting up the client origin.

5. Click _Play_

Notes on bone mapping

The OptiTrack Unreal Engine Skeleton Plugin uses bone mapping, not retargeting. This means that the bone segments in Motive map directly to the character model (bone mapping), instead of being translated into something that is usable by a more abstract biped model (retargeting). Because of this non-anatomical Skeletons will not map correctly without some additional tweaking.

Practically, this means that you will need to do things like turn off the toe mapping for characters with high heels, adjusting the pelvis bone in Motive or in the model for characters with non-anatomical hip bones, and not use bipeds that are too anatomically different than humans, such as a gorilla or swamp monster.

For example, the character sample below has both a non-anatomical pelvis and high heels. It is preferable to use character models that are more anatomically correct, but in this case, you can do a couple things to mitigate these issues:

1. Turn-off toe streaming

In the example below, since this character is wearing heels, any actor providing data for this model will also need to be wearing heels. To get around this you can just turn off the toe mapping in the OptiTrack Unreal Engine Skeleton Plugin.

2. Adjust the bone segments in Motive

The hip segment on the Countess actor is centered in the stomach rather than in the pelvis, the neck bone in Motive is a bit too long for the model, and the shoulders in Motive do not match the width of the character’s shoulders. By adjusting bones' positions and lengths in Motive, you can make the streamed Skeleton to better match the model; however, please note that there are limitations to how much you can do this.)

Bone Scaling

When streaming Skeleton data to animate characters that have different bone lengths compared to the mocap actor, the UE character will need to be scaled accordingly. In this case, the "Scale Bones" feature in the OptiTrack Skeleton node automatically scales the character bones to match the mocap actor. This setting is enabled by default.

Aligning Bones

The OptiTrack Unreal Engine Skeleton Plugin uses bone mapping, not retargeting. This means that the bone segments in Motive map directly to the character model (bone mapping), instead of being translated into something that is usable by a more abstract biped model (retargeting). Because of this, non-anatomical Skeletons will not map correctly without some additional tweaking. Starting from plugin version 1.23, you can tweak the alignment of the bone mapping by adding sockets to the Skeleton blueprint:

Adding Sockets to the Bone Mapping

1. Open of the character you wish to modify

2. Under the Skeleton tree, right-click on the bone that you wish to add the sockets to.

3. Right click and select_Add Socket_.

4. Go to the Animation blueprint, and change the bone mapping of the bone which you have created sockets for, and map it to the socket that was just created.

This page provides instructions on setting up the OptiTrack OpenVR driver for integrating OptiTrack system with Vive HMDs within SteamVR applications; including Unreal Engine and Unity.

Overview

For integrating Vive HMDs, the OptiTrack OpenVR Driver must be used. This driver lets you track the head-mounted display (HMD) and the VR controllers using OptiTrack motion capture system and stream the tracking data from Motive directly into SteamVR. In other words, this will basically override the tracking from the lighthouse stations. The plugin ships as an installer package (MSI) which will set up the driver along with a utility tool for configuring client streaming settings. Once integrated, the streamed tracking data can be used in any application platform that utilizes SteamVR. For tracking of objects other than the HMDs, please read through the OptiTrack Unreal Engine Plugin page for details.

Supported Systems

• Vive

• Vive Pro 1/2

• Valve Index

• HP Reverb G2

Unreal Engine Plugin

Unreal Engine 4

When developing for SteamVR applications using the OpenVR Driver to track the HMD in Unreal Engine 4, the OptiTrack - Streaming Client version 2.27 must be used and the OptiTrack - VR Latency Optimization version 2.27 plugin is suggested. The OptiTrack - VR Latency Optimization provides HMD render compensation that helps to minimize the latency in VR application.

Unreal Engine 5

The latest plugins that support Unreal Engine 5 are OptiTrack - Live Link version 3.0 and OptiTrack - Streaming Client version 3.0.

HMD Setup

First of all, setup and optimize the motion capture volume as explained in the or the documentation. If you plan to install any obstacles (e.g. walls) within the capture volume, make sure they are non-reflective, and place and orient the cameras so that every corner is thoroughly captured by multiple cameras.

General Setup Steps

1. Attach the markers on the HMD

2. Create a Rigid Body asset

3. Calibrate the Pivot Point of the Rigid Body

4. Configure the Rigid Body settings in Motive

Place Markers on the HMD

For the camera system to track the HMD, a set of markers must be attached to the HMD. You can either use the active markers (Active HMD clip or Active Tags) or the passive markers. Passive markers are retroreflective markers that reflect infrared light emitted from the IR LEDs on the camera. On the other hand, the active markers are LED markers that emit the IR light and has the intelligence to be uniquely identified.

In general, for most VR applications, using active markers is recommended for better tracking stability and ease of use. Active markers also have advantages over passive markers when tracking a large number of objects. For applications that are sensitive to the accuracy of the tracking data, using passive marker may have more benefits. To get more help with finding the best solution for your tracking application, please .

When using the active markers, you can conveniently put a set of 8 markers onto the HMD by using the HMD Clip, or you can attach the markers from the Tag manually onto the HMD using adhesives and marker posts.

Create HMD Rigid Body in Motive

This feature can be used only with HMDs that have the clips mounted.

For using OptiTrack system for VR applications, it is important that the pivot point of HMD Rigid Body gets placed at the appropriate location, which is at the root of the nose in between the eyes. When using the HMD clips, you can utilize the HMD creation tools in the Builder pane to have Motive estimate this spot and place the pivot point accordingly. It utilizes known marker configurations on the clip to precisely positions the pivot point and sets the desired orientation.

Steps

1. First, make sure Motive is configured for tracking .

2. Open the under and click Rigid Bodies.

3. Under the Type drop-down menu, select HMD. This will bring up the options for defining an HMD Rigid Body.

Setting up the OpenVR driver

Setup Steps

Download and run the installer

Download the OpenVR driver from the page. Once downloaded, launch the installer and follow the prompts to set up the driver. On the last window, make sure to select Launch Configuration Utility before clicking Finish. This will open the Configuration options to setup your HMD with Motive.

Open the configuration program

Once the driver has been successfully installed, launch the configuration utility software (C:\Program Files\OptiTrack\OpenVR Driver\ConfigUtil). Using this tool, you can load and check existing configurations and make changes to the settings as needed. To import current settings, click Load and to save out the changes, click Save.

Please make sure you are running this tool with admin privileges; if not, it might not be able to modify the settings properly. If the configuration software detects a running instance of SteamVR through OpenVR, it will be indicated as Initialized at the very top as shown in the image. Please note that when the settings get modified while SteamVR is running, the SteamVR must be restarted to apply the changes.

Configure connection settings

First, configure the connection settings so that the driver listens to the Motive server where the tracking data is streamed from. The server address must match the address where Motive is streaming the data to, and the local address must match the IP address of the computer on the network where the driver is installed.

Set up the HMD

In the HMD section, enable the HMD and input the Rigid Body ID of the HMD. The Rigid Body ID must match the property of the HMD Rigid Body definition in Motive.

Save out the configuration

Save the configurations by clicking on Save. This will modify the set of configurations in the steamvr.settings file in the steam installation directory and they will override the HMD tracking with the tracking data from Motive. If you already had an instance of OpenVR or SteamVR running, restart the application to apply the changes.

Confirm the setup

Launch SteamVR. If the driver is successfully set up, you should see a tracker icon added to the right of the HMD icon and the HMD will now be using the motion capture system instead of the base stations. Here, please make sure all of the lighthouse base stations are powered off.

VIVE Controllers

Setting up the controller (optional)

When needed, the Vive controllers can be configured as well. To do so, open the configuration utility tool while SteamVR is running. At the top of the configuration tool, it should indicate OpenVR status as Initialized and the controllers must be showing up in SteamVR. Then, in the controller sections, enable the controllers, specify the override device using the drop-down menu, and input the corresponding streaming ID of the controller Rigid Bodies in Motive. Once everything has been configured, save the changes and restart SteamVR. When the override is configured properly, SteamVR will have an additional tracker icon per each enabled controller.

Data Streaming

Now that the driver is set up, the HMD tracking will be overridden by tracking data from the mocap camera system, and you can integrate HMDs into the game engine through their own VR integration.

Streaming settings in Motive

First, make sure the streaming settings are configured in Motive for streaming out the data. For more information regarding streaming in Motive please visit our wiki page:

• Enable must be set to toggled on.

• Local interface must be set to the desired IP address to stream the tracking data from.

• Streaming of Rigid Bodies must be set to True

Confirm the Connection

Once Motive is configured for streaming, launch SteamVR home to check the connection. If everything is setup correctly, you should be able to move around, or translate, within the scene freely. You may also need to check the ground plane to make sure it's well aligned.

If you experience any unexpected rotations in the view as you move your head, it could indicate that the HMD pivot point has not been calibrated properly. Please revisit the HMD Setup section and make sure the HMD Rigid Body pivot point is positioned and oriented at the expected pivot; which is at the root of nose with z-forward.

Developing in Unreal Engine

Make sure Unreal Engine is configured for SteamVR development. Please refer to the Unreal Engine's documentation for more information on developing for SteamVR.

Streaming Rigid Body/Skeleton data

This driver is designed for streaming of HMD and controller tracking data only. For streaming tracking data of other Rigid Body objects, you will need to use the corresponding plugins ( or ). In other words, the HMD tracking data will be streamed through the SteamVR using the driver you've installed, and all other tracking data will be streamed through the plugin.

Aligning world coordinates with the UE plugin

Client Origin

When using the OpenVR driver for the HMD and the game engine plugins (UE/Unity) for other types of tracking data, including Rigid Body data, the client origin object must be located at the global origin without any rotations. In other words, the position must be set to (0,0,0) and the rotation must be set to (0,0,0) on the client origin. This is important because this will align the coordinate system from the (UE/Unity) plugin with the coordinate system in OpenVR pipeline

Notes for Unreal Engine Users

When using the Unreal Engine plugin, you will need to additionally create a custom pawn for properly aligning the coordinate systems between SteamVR and OptiTrack UE plugin:

1. Create an "OptTrack Client Origin" to the scene and set the relevant connection info. Refer to the page for more information on setting up the client origin.

2. Create a new pawn. Right-click in Content Browser, and from the context menu, select Blueprint → Blueprint Class → Pawn.

3. Load created Blueprint in the editor and add a camera component.

Overview

The OptiTrack MotionBuilder Plugin is a collection of MotionBuilder devices, scripts, and samples used for working with OptiTtrack Motive data inside MotionBuilder. The device plugins allow users to stream Motive Live or .tak data into MotionBuilder. This page is designed to help you get started with the general download and setup process, and organize the three MotionBuilder plugin pages for quick reference.

For basic instructions on setting up a motion capture system, please refer to the guide.

Included Plugins:

This guide will cover how to get motion capture data streamed from Motive to Unreal Engine 5's MetaHumans with the additional help of MotionBuilder.

A method commonly used in Virtual Production pipelines, uses MotionBuilder to manually retarget the bones and source the streamed data from Motive onto a MetaHuman. Additionally, this process allows for more refined cleanup through MotionBuilder if required in the future.

Motive Setup

Open the in Motive's Settings window and set the following settings:

Overview

The OptiTrack VR driver lets you stream tracking data of the head-mounted display (HMD) and the controllers from Motive into SteamVR. The plugin ships in an installer package (MSI), and it will set up the driver along with a tool for configuring streaming settings. Using this, the tracking data from Motive can be used to override the tracking of the VR system in any applications that are compatible with SteamVR.

Requirements

• Motive version 2.2 or higher

• SteamVR installed on the host computer.

HMD Setup

Place Markers on the HMD

For the camera system to track the HMD, a set of markers must be attached to the HMD. You can either use the active markers (Active HMD clip or Active Tags) or the passive markers. Passive markers are retroreflective markers that reflect infrared light emitted from the IR LEDs on the camera. On the other hand, the active markers are LED markers that emit the IR light and has the intelligence to be uniquely identified.

In general, for most VR applications, using active markers is recommended for better tracking stability and ease of use. Active markers also have advantages over passive markers when tracking a large number of objects. For applications that are sensitive to the accuracy of the tracking data, using passive marker may have more benefits. To get more help with finding the best solution for your tracking application, please .

When using the active markers, you can conveniently put a set of 8 markers onto the HMD by using the HMD Clip, or you can attach the markers from the Tag manually onto the HMD using adhesives and marker posts.

Create HMD Rigid Body in Motive

This feature can be used only with HMDs that have the clips mounted.

For using OptiTrack system for VR applications, it is important that the pivot point of HMD Rigid Body gets placed at the appropriate location, which is at the root of the nose in between the eyes. When using the HMD clips, you can utilize the HMD creation tools in the Builder pane to have Motive estimate this spot and place the pivot point accordingly. It utilizes known marker configurations on the clip to precisely positions the pivot point and sets the desired orientation.

Steps

1. First of all, make sure Motive is configured for tracking .

2. Open the under and click Rigid Bodies.

3. Under the Type drop-down menu, select HMD. This will bring up the options for defining an HMD Rigid Body.

Setting up the OpenVR Driver

Setup Steps

Download and run the installer

Download the OpenVR driver from the page. Once downloaded, launch the installer and follow the prompts to set up the driver. On the last window, make sure to select Launch Configuration Utility before clicking Finish. This will open the Configuration options to setup your HMD with Motive.

Open the configuration program

Once the driver has been successfully installed, launch the configuration utility software (C:\Program Files\OptiTrack\OpenVR Driver\ConfigUtil). Using this tool, you can load and check existing configurations and make changes to the settings as needed. To import current settings, click Load and to save out the changes, click Save.

Please make sure you are running this tool with admin privileges; if not, it might not be able to modify the settings properly. If the configuration software detects a running instance of SteamVR through OpenVR, it will be indicated as Initialized at the very top as shown in the image. Please note that when the settings get modified while SteamVR is running, the SteamVR must be restarted to apply the changes.

Configure connection settings

First, configure the connection settings so that the driver listens to the Motive server where the tracking data is streamed from. The server address must match the address where Motive is streaming the data to, and the local address must match the IP address of the computer on the network where the driver is installed.

Set up the HMD

In the HMD section, enable the HMD and input the Rigid Body ID of the HMD. The Rigid Body ID must match the property of the HMD Rigid Body definition in Motive.

Save out the configuration

Save the configurations by clicking on Save. This will modify the set of configurations in the steamvr.settings file in the steam installation directory and they will override the HMD tracking with the tracking data from Motive. If you already had an instance of OpenVR or SteamVR running, restart the application to apply the changes.

Confirm the setup

Launch SteamVR. If the driver is successfully set up, you should see a tracker icon added to the right of the HMD icon and the HMD will now be using the motion capture system instead of the base stations. Here, please make sure all of the lighthouse base stations are powered off.

VIVE Controllers

Setting up the controller (optional)

When needed, the Vive controllers can be configured as well. To do so, open the configuration utility tool while SteamVR is running. At the top of the configuration tool, it should indicate OpenVR status as Initialized and the controllers must be showing up in SteamVR. Then, in the controller sections, enable the controllers, specify the override device using the drop-down menu, and input the corresponding streaming ID of the controller Rigid Bodies in Motive. Once everything has been configured, save the changes and restart SteamVR. When the override is configured properly, SteamVR will have an additional tracker icon per each enabled controller.

Data Streaming

Now that the driver is set up, the HMD tracking will be overridden by tracking data from the mocap camera system, and you can integrate HMDs into the game engine through their own VR integration.

Streaming settings in Motive

First of all, make sure the streaming settings are configured in Motive for streaming out the data. For more information regarding streaming in Motive, please visit our page:

• Broadcast Frame Data must be set to true.

• Local interface must be set to the desired IP address to stream the tracking data from.

• Streaming of Rigid Bodies must be set to True

Notes for Unity users

Please make sure the Unity project is configured for OpenVR development. In Unity, open player settings from Edit → Project Settings → Player and select the OpenVR under the Virtual Reality SDK lists. Once this is set up properly, it will play the scene on the HMD.

Unity-OpenVR documenation:

Unreal Engine

Make sure Unreal Engine is configured for SteamVR development. Please refer to the Unreal Engine's documentation for more information on developing for SteamVR.

Unreal Engine-SteamVR:

Data Port Note

As of the OpenVR Driver 2.1.0 the auto-detection port default is 1513. In the case where a firewall must configure individual ports to allow or disallow data, this port can be used to allow the OpenVR Driver to connect automatically to Motive.

Streaming Rigid Body/Skeleton data

This driver is designed for streaming of HMD and controller tracking data only. For streaming tracking data of other Rigid Body objects, you will need to use the corresponding plugins ( or ). In other words, the HMD tracking data will be streamed through the SteamVR using the driver you've installed, and all other tracking data will be streamed through the plugin's client origin.

Aligning world coordinates

Client Origin

When using both the VR driver and the plugins (UE/Unity), it is important that the client origin object is located at the origin without any rotations. In other words, it must have the position set to (0,0,0) and the rotation set to (0,0,0).

Notes for Unreal Engine Users

When using the Unreal Engine plugin, you will need to additionally create a custom pawn for properly aligning the coordinate systems between SteamVR and OptiTrack UE plugin:

1. Create an "Optitrack Client Origin" to the scene and set the relevant connection info. Refer to the page for more information on setting up the client origin.

2. Create a new pawn. Right-click in Content Browser, and from the context menu, select Blueprint → Blueprint Class → Pawn.

3. Load created Blueprint in the editor and add a camera component.

Overview

This page provides instructions on how to use the OptiTrack MotionBuilder Skeleton plugin. This plugin allows you to map Motive 6DOF Skeleton joint angle data directly onto a MotionBuilder character.

Before following the walkthrough below, please refer to Autodesk MotionBuilder Plugin page for initial steps for setting up motive and downloading the OptiTrack MotionBuilder plugin.

Motive Data Streaming Setup (Server)

First, you'll want to follow the instructions below to set up the data streaming settings in Motive. Once this is configured, Motive will be broadcasting tracking data onto a designated network interface where client applications can receive them.

Streaming Settings

Open the in Motive's Settings window and set the following settings:

• Enable - Turn on the Enable setting at the top of the NatNet section.

• Local Interface - Choose the desired IP network address from this dropdown to stream data over.

  • Loopback

MotionBuilder Setup (Client)

To get started, drag the OptiTrack Skeleton plugin from the Motion Builder Asset Browser tab > Devices into the Viewer window. This will create a dropdown menu called I/O Devices in the Navigator tab. Click the + button next to I/O Devices and select OptiTrack Skeleton. This will populate the plugin's settings tab if it hasn't already auto-populated from the drag and drop step from earlier.

Device Settings

• Local address - IP address of the MotionBuilder computer. In situations where multiple network adapter cards are present, select the adapter that is on the same network as the Motive application.

  • 127.0.0.1

    • This is the local computer IP address (127.0.0.1 or Localhost).

Once the above settings are input appropriately, you'll want to click the box next to Online. This indicate whether or not Motive is successfully streaming to MotionBuilder.

• Online color indicator

  • Green - Connected and streaming.

  • Yellow - Connected but not streaming.

Model Binding

The Skeleton Device plugin uses model binding to map Motive Skeleton data to MotionBuilder animation nodes. There can be multiple model binding templates in a MotionBuilder scene. The active model binding is indicated in the model binding combo box on the Device tab.

Automatic Binding Update

The MotionBuilder plugin monitors the tracking model list it is receiving from the server (e.g. Motive). If it detects a change in the tracking model list, it will automatically update the current MotionBuilder Skeleton list to match, creating new Skeletons when necessary, or re-connecting to existing Skeletons where possible, based upon the Skeleton/tracking model name. It will not remove existing MotionBuilder Skeletons.

Manual Binding Update

If the plugin is unable to automatically update the model template, you must update your model binding in the Skeleton Device plugin to a model binding that matches the tracked model. To do this:

1. [Motive] Change the actively tracked models list by checking/unchecking the desired asset in the Asset pane.

2. [MotionBuilder Plugin] Press the Update Bindings button on the Skeleton Device tab.

3. [MotionBuilder Plugin] Select a valid model binding in the Model Binding dropdown.

Auto-Characterize

The Auto-Characterize button on the Skeleton Device will automatically characterize each generated Skeleton based on the scaled neutral pose of the performer. It will create a new MotionBuilder character with the same name as the mocap performer/MotionBuilder Skeleton pairing. The advantages of using this approach are:

• Does not require Performers to be in T-Pose.

• Simplifies the number of steps required to map mocap Skeleton onto your rigged MotionBuilder character.

• Can result in improved retargeting results, if performs typically do not present a good T-Pose, since the characterization is on a scale neutral, or ‘zeroed’ pose.

Step-By-Step Example

Motive Skeleton Streaming Step-by-step

Recording Skeleton Data

The OptiTrack Skeleton device can record optical data to the current MotionBuilder take. Please refer to the page for steps on how to record from devices into MotionBuilder.

Playing Back Recorded Data

The OptiTrack Skeleton device can be used show live data or blend live data with a recorded take. Please refer to for steps on how to record from devices into MotionBuilder.

MotionBuilder Skeleton Character Setup QuickStart

One approach to quickly stream Motive Skeletons onto MotionBuilder characters:

1. [Motive] - Setup a streaming session as outlined above under . Set Data Streaming > Bone Naming Convention > FBX. If this is not set to FBX, the plugin will change this automatically when connected to the server.

2. [MoBu] - Connect to Motive and create a model binding as described in .

3. [MoBu] - Make sure the Auto-Characterize feature is enabled under the OptiTrack Skeleton Device.

This page provides instructions on setting up the OptiTrack OpenVR driver for integrating OptiTrack system with Vive HMDs within SteamVR applications; including Unreal Engine and Unity.

Overview

For integrating Vive / Vive Pro / Valve Index HMDs, the OptiTrack OpenVR Driver must be used. This driver lets you track the head-mounted display (HMD) and the VR controllers using OptiTrack motion capture system and stream the tracking data from Motive directly into SteamVR. In other words, this will basically override the tracking from the lighthouse stations. The plugin ships as an installer package (MSI) which will set up the driver along with a utility tool for configuring client streaming settings. Once integrated, the streamed tracking data can be used in any application platform that utilizes SteamVR. For tracking of objects other than the HMDs, please read through the OptiTrack Unity Plugin page for details.

Supported Systems

• VIVE

• VIVE Pro 1/2

• Valve Index

• HP Reverb G2

HMD Setup

First of all, setup and optimize the motion capture volume as explained in the or the documentation. If you plan to install any obstacles (e.g. walls) within the capture volume, make sure they are non-reflective, and place and orient the cameras so that every corner is thoroughly captured by multiple cameras.

General Setup Steps

1. Attach the markers on the HMD

2. Create a Rigid Body asset

3. Calibrate the Pivot Point of the Rigid Body

4. Configure the Rigid Body settings in Motive

Place Markers on the HMD

For the camera system to track the HMD, a set of markers must be attached to the HMD. You can either use the active markers (Active HMD clip or Active Tags) or the passive markers. Passive markers are retroreflective markers that reflect infrared light emitted from the IR LEDs on the camera. On the other hand, the active markers are LED markers that emit the IR light and has the intelligence to be uniquely identified.

In general, for most VR applications, using active markers is recommended for better tracking stability and ease of use. Active markers also have advantages over passive markers when tracking a large number of objects. For applications that are sensitive to the accuracy of the tracking data, using passive marker may have more benefits. To get more help with finding the best solution for your tracking application, please .

When using the active markers, you can conveniently put a set of 8 markers onto the HMD by using the HMD Clip, or you can attach the markers from the Tag manually onto the HMD using adhesives and marker posts.

Create HMD Rigid Body in Motive

This feature can be used only with HMDs that have the clips mounted.

For using OptiTrack system for VR applications, it is important that the pivot point of HMD Rigid Body gets placed at the appropriate location, which is at the root of the nose in between the eyes. When using the HMD clips, you can utilize the HMD creation tools in the Builder pane to have Motive estimate this spot and place the pivot point accordingly. It utilizes known marker configurations on the clip to precisely positions the pivot point and sets the desired orientation.

Steps

1. First of all, make sure Motive is configured for tracking .

2. Open the under and click Rigid Bodies.

3. Under the Type drop-down menu, select HMD. This will bring up the options for defining an HMD Rigid Body.

Setting up the OpenVR driver

Setup Steps

Download and run the installer

Download the OpenVR driver from the page. Once downloaded, launch the installer and follow the prompts to set up the driver. On the last window, make sure to select Launch Configuration Utility before clicking Finish. This will open the Configuration options to setup your HMD with Motive.

Open the configuration program

Once the driver has been successfully installed, launch the configuration utility software (C:\Program Files\OptiTrack\OpenVR Driver\ConfigUtil). Using this tool, you can load and check existing configurations and make changes to the settings as needed. To import current settings, click Load and to save out the changes, click Save.

Please make sure you are running this tool with admin privileges; if not, it might not be able to modify the settings properly. If the configuration software detects a running instance of SteamVR through OpenVR, it will be indicated as Initialized at the very top as shown in the image. Please note that when the settings get modified while SteamVR is running, the SteamVR must be restarted to apply the changes.

Configure connection settings

First, configure the connection settings so that the driver listens to the Motive server where the tracking data is streamed from. The server address must match the address where Motive is streaming the data to, and the local address must match the IP address of the computer on the network where the driver is installed.

Set up the HMD

In the HMD section, enable the HMD and input the Rigid Body ID of the HMD. The Rigid Body ID must match the property of the HMD Rigid Body definition in Motive.

Save out the configuration

Save the configurations by clicking on Save. This will modify the set of configurations in the steamvr.settings file in the steam installation directory and they will override the HMD tracking with the tracking data from Motive. If you already had an instance of OpenVR or SteamVR running, restart the application to apply the changes.

Confirm the setup

Launch SteamVR. If the driver is successfully set up, you should see a tracker icon added to the right of the HMD icon and the HMD will now be using the motion capture system instead of the base stations. Here, please make sure all of the lighthouse base stations are powered off.

VIVE Controllers

Setting up the controller (optional)

When needed, the Vive controllers can be configured as well. To do so, open the configuration utility tool while SteamVR is running. At the top of the configuration tool, it should indicate OpenVR status as Initialized and the controllers must be showing up in SteamVR. Then, in the controller sections, enable the controllers, specify the override device using the drop-down menu, and input the corresponding streaming ID of the controller Rigid Bodies in Motive. Once everything has been configured, save the changes and restart SteamVR. When the override is configured properly, SteamVR will have an additional tracker icon per each enabled controller.

Data Streaming

Now that the driver is set up, the HMD tracking will be overridden by tracking data from the mocap camera system, and you can integrate HMDs into the game engine through their own VR integration.

Streaming settings in Motive

First, make sure the streaming settings are configured in Motive for streaming out the data. For more information on streaming in Motive please visit our page:

• Broadcast Frame Data must be set to true.

• Local interface must be set to the desired IP address to stream the tracking data from.

• Streaming of Rigid Bodies must be set to True

Confirm the Connection

Once Motive is configured for streaming, launch SteamVR home to check the connection. If everything is setup correctly, you should be able to move around, or translate, within the scene freely. You may also need to check the ground plane to make sure it's well aligned.

If you experience any unexpected rotations in the view as you move your head, it could indicate that the HMD pivot point has not been calibrated properly. Please revisit the HMD Setup section and make sure the HMD Rigid Body pivot point is positioned and oriented at the expected pivot; which is at the root of nose with z-forward.

Unity SteamVR Setup

Notes for Unity users

Once this has been set up, the motion capture system will be used to drive the HMD in SteamVR. In Unity, you should be able to setup development for SteamVR applications and use our system.

Streaming Rigid Body/Skeleton data

This driver is designed for streaming of HMD and controller tracking data only. For streaming tracking data of other Rigid Body objects, you will need to use the corresponding plugins ( or ). In other words, the HMD tracking data will be streamed through the SteamVR using the driver you've installed, and all other tracking data will be streamed through the plugin.

Aligning world coordinates with the plugin

Client Origin

When using the OpenVR driver along with the for streaming of tracking data other than the HMD, such as Rigid Bodies and/or Skeletons, it is important that the OptiTrack Client Origin object is located at the global origin without any rotations. In other words, the position must be set to (0,0,0) and the rotation must be set to (0,0,0) on the client origin. This is important because the driver does not use the but instead streams the HMD tracking data directly onto SteamVR through a separate channel.

Overview

The Insight VCS: Maya plugin is an Autodesk® Maya® plugin designed for live virtual camera work directly within the Maya® environment.

The Insight VCS plugin works in conjunction with Motive and the Insight VCS Controllers to provide real-time 6 DOF camera position, orientation, and virtual camera controls, including:

Insight VCS Features

Installation and Licensing

Supported Platforms

The Insight VCS Plugin for Maya works on the following platforms:

• Autodesk Maya 2011®, 32-bit for Microsoft Windows®.

• Autodesk Maya 2011®, 64-bit for Microsoft Windows®.

• Autodesk Maya 2014®, 64-bit for Microsoft Windows®.

• Autodesk Maya 2015®, 64-bit for Microsoft Windows®.

Installation

1. [Maya] - Load plugin - Maya -> Window -> Settings/Preferences -> Plugin-In Manager -> InsightVCS -> Check

2. [Maya] - Start plugin - Maya -> Window -> InsightVCS

Licensing

The VCS:Maya plugin requires a valid Insight VCS:Maya license to run. This license is managed by your OptiTrack server application (Motive) and should be installed in the same license folder as that application.

Please refer to your order confirmation and/or for specific licensing instructions. Additional information on licensing can be found in our.

Using the Insight VCS: Maya Plugin

The following steps outline the basic process for virtual camera work using the Insight VCS plugin within Maya®:

1. Load a Maya scene

2. Create any Maya cameras that will be controlled by the Insight VCS

3. Connect to an OptiTrack data server for 6-DOF data

4. Select or create a "Controller Profile", which controls how buttons and axes on the tracking controller are used

Connecting to Motive [Server]

Refer to the following step-by-step for bringing live mocap data in from an OptiTrack Motion Capture server application, Motive.

Connecting to the Mocap Data : Step-by-Step

[Motive]

• Create a from you tracking controller's markers.

• Be sure to orient your tracking controller down the -Z axis. This will be the camera's "Neutral" position.

Open the in Motive's window and set the following settings:

• Enable - Turn on the Enable setting at the top of the NatNet section.

• Local Interface - Choose the desired IP network address from this dropdown to stream data over.

  • Loopback

[Maya]

• Open the Insight VCS Plugin panel by selecting Window -> Insight VCS from the Maya main menu.

[Insight VCS Panel]

• Set the IP address to match Motive's (i.e. 127.0.0.1 if running Motive and Maya on the same machine) using the Server Address Edit Box.

• Click the Connected Button. If a connection was made, the green indicator light on this button will change to bright green.

• Select the mocap source object from the Rigid Body Dropdown.

You should now see your Maya camera moving within the Maya viewport:

Connection Settings

Virtual Camera connection settings are managed by the main interface tab on the Insight VCS plugin panel:

Controllers

The Insight VCS plugin supports any DirectInput compatible joystick or USB device. Controllers can then be configured to perform actions or control the camera using Controller Profiles.

Controller Profiles

Virtual Camera controls are managed by a Control-to-Event mapping system called the Controller Profile. The controller profile is configured in the Controller Tab. The Insight VCS plugin allows you to create and swap between multiple controller profiles, allowing you to create any number of custom button/axis configurations depending upon the scene, particular move types, different physical VCS controllers or HID devices, etc.

Profiles can be saved and then later swapped out using the Profile Dropdown. Profiles are saved into <VCS Maya install folder>\Profiles folder.

The VCS plugin ships with 2 default profiles:

• The 2 controller VCS Pro (<VCS Maya install folder>\Profiles\VCSProDefault.xml).

• The XBox based VCS Mini (<VCS Maya install folder>\Profiles\VCSMiniDefault.xml).

When the Insight VCS plugin is first launched, it will attempt to detect any compatible controllers. It will then attempt to match the detected controllers with an existing Controller Profile, beginning with the last used ("preferred") profile.

Profile Setup

The VCS plugin supports 2 types of controller inputs and 2 types of actions:

• Axis Inputs / Actions: Axis inputs are analog inputs and represent the range of values. This range has been scaled to [0, 1000]. Axis inputs can be assigned to Axis actions. PTZ operations (Pan, Tilt, Zoom) are good examples of typical Axis Actions.

• Button Inputs / Actions: Button inputs are the button inputs on the controller. These are “one shot” events that occur when the button is pressed. Timeline commands such as Play, Record, and Rewind are typical examples of “one shot” events.

Insight VCS Profile Grid Columns

Action Parameters

Some actions have parameters that modify the way they operate. The following tables list the axis and button actions, and how the parameter value for that action is interpreted.

VCS controller - Axis Actions

*Curve Type: See explanation below for a definition of the supported curve types.

Curve Types

When mapping a controller thumbstick axis to an animatable camera parameter (pan, zoom), you have the option of specifying how the Insight VCS plugin should interpret controller axis movement as a standard animation curve. Instead of modifying the value over time, however, the motion curve modifies the value over the controller span, from neutral/center position (0) to maximum position (Max). The following diagram describes this relationship:

The VCS plugin offers the following built-in curve options:

VCS Controller - Button Actions

Virtual Camera Settings

The Insight VCS plugin has several properties that can be used to customize its behavior. The Settings Tab can be used to set these:

VCS General Settings

Maya Camera Settings

A Maya Camera controls how you see the 3D scene. Maya's Camera object allow users the ability to model real-world cameras, including settings such as Focal length, aspect ratio, film format, etc.

Refer to the Maya documentation for more information on Camera Settings.

Other Resources

Overview

This page provides instructions on how to use the OptiTrack MotionBuilder Optical plugin. The OptiTrack Optical Plugin device allows to you to map motion capture (optical) data onto an animated character within MotionBuilder.

Motive Data Streaming Setup (Server)

First, you'll want to follow the instructions below to set up the data streaming settings in Motive. Once this is configured, Motive will be broadcasting tracking data onto a designated network interface where client applications can receive them.

Streaming Settings

• Enable - Turn on the Enable setting at the top of the NatNet section.

• Local Interface - Choose the desired IP network address from this dropdown to stream data over.

  • Loopback

MotionBuilder Setup (Client)

To get started, drag the OptiTrack Optical plugin from the Motion Builder Asset Browser tab > Devices into the Viewer window. This will create a dropdown menu called I/O Devices in the Navigator tab. Click the + button next to I/O Devices and select OptiTrack Optical. This will populate the plugin's settings tab if it hasn't already auto-populated from the drag and drop step from earlier.

Device Settings

• Optical Model

  • Specified the MotionBuilder "Opticals" model to map the markers to.

• Generate a new Optical model/Update the current optical model

Once the above settings are input appropriately, you'll want to click the box next to Online. This indicate whether or not Motive is successfully streaming to MotionBuilder.

• Online color indicator

  • Green - Connected and streaming.

  • Yellow - Connected but not streaming.

Step-By-Step Example

Motive Skeleton Streaming Step-by-step

Recording Optical Data

The OptiTrack Optical device can record streamed optical data to the current MotionBuilder take. Note that the looping feature in Motive must be disabled in order to record streamed data in MotionBuilder. The following step-by-step procedure can be used to record data:

Recording Optical Data Step-by-step

Playing Back Recorded Data

The OptiTrack Optical device can be used to show live data or blend live data with a recorded take. To playback recorded optical data, you need to tell MotionBuilder to disable live streaming.

Playing Back Recorded Data Step-by-step

Optical Data Namespace

When the opticals are generated, their naming conventions will be determined depending on whether the Organize Assets option was enabled under the Optical Device properties.

Organize Assests Enabled (default)

The device will generate optical data with colon ( : ) separator (e.g. AssetName:MarkerName), and all of the optical data will be organized under their corresponding root nodes.

Organize Assets Disabled

The device will generate optical data with an underscore ( _ ) (e.g. AssetName_MarkerName) and all of the optical data will be listed under a same optical node.

MotionBuilder Actor/Character Setup

The following guide is provided as a simplified process for working specifically with Motive, but this is not the only way. For the latest information on setting up and configuring MotionBuilder Actors and Characters, please refer to the .

To animate characters in MotionBuilder, you need to create the following data flow (or “mapping”):

Mocap Marker Data > MotionBuilder “Actor” > Skeleton Data > MotionBuilder “Character”

The Mocap Marker Data > MotionBuilder Actor step maps Motion Capture data (Markers) to the MotionBuilder Actor object. The MotionBuilder Actor object is a Skeleton solver that creates joint angles from Marker data.

The MotionBuilder “Actor” > Skeleton Data > MotionBuilder “Character” step is specific to MotionBuilder, and this pipeline maps the MotionBuilder Actor Skeleton onto your final character Skeleton. This step requires a “rigged” character. Refer to the MotionBuilder help for detailed information on this process.

Actor Setup (Mocap Marker Data > MotionBuilder "Actor")

There are 3 ways to create a Motive Marker Sets > MobBu Actor mapping.

1. Create a new marker map from scratch.

2. Import a Motive exported FBX Ascii file.

3. Auto-create an actor from the Motive stream.

1. Create a new marker map from scratch

1. Create OptiTrack Optical device

2. Connect to Motive

3. Generate Opticals

4. Stream a frame of T-Pose data from Motive

2. Import Existing Marker Map (from File)

Option 1: Restore Marker Set from HIK file

1. [MoBu] Import Marker Set definition (.hik file)

2. [MoBu] Connect to Motive

3. [MoBu] Generate Opticals

4. [Motive] Stream a T-Pose frame of data into MotionBuilder

Option 2. Export FBX from Motive (Mobu 2017 and earlier only)

1. [Motive] Right-click on the Skeletons in the Assets pane and export Skeleton as FBX. Make sure the namespace separator is set to (_).

2. [MoBu] Merge FBX from Step 1 (File > Merge)

3. [MoBu] Connect to Motive

4. [MoBu] Select the OptiTrack Optical device in the navigator and access its properties under the resources panel.

3. Auto-Create from Stream

The Optitrack MotionBuilder plugin can generate a MoBU Actor for you automatically.

1. Set the “Create Actors” property to true before bringing the Optical device online.

2. The Optitrack Mobu plugin will generate an Actor for each Marker Set in the Motive data stream, and correctly map the Motive Marker Set markers to the corresponding Mobu Actor.

Offline Workflow with Actor Binding

In order to workaround Autodesk's removal of support for FBX actor import, we recommend the following:

1. [Motive] Load a TAK file with desired assets

2. [Mobu] Use Optical Device to Create Actors over stream from TAK file.

3. [Motive] Export TAK data from Motive (FBX or C3D)

4. [Mobu] Import C3D/FBX into Mobu

Character Setup (MotionBuilder Actor > Character)

1. Do Actor Setup (Above)

2. Import a rigged Skeleton (File -> Merge -> Skeleton)

3. If Skeleton is not “characterized, characterize it:

4. Create MB Character (Drag onto Skeleton “hips” )

Unlabled Markers

Unlabeled markers are not commonly needed in the MotionBuilder workflow, but if needed, they can get streamed through the Optical Device plugin.

1. [Motive] Make sure streaming of unlabeled markers is enabled in Motive’s data streaming panel.

2. [MoBu] Under the properties of the Optical Device loaded in the scene, make sure Using Unlabeled Markers option is enabled and the Unlabeled Marker Limit is set to the maximum number of unlabeled makers allowed in the scene.

3. [MoBu] In Optical Devices, generate or update the optical model.