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Installation and Activation

Installation

Host PC Requirements

Required PC specifications may vary depending on the size of the camera system. Generally, you will be required to use the recommended specs with a system with more than 24 cameras.

Download

To install Motive, you must first download the Motive installer from our website. Follow the Downloads link under the Support page (http://optitrack.com/downloads/), and you will be able to find the newest version of Motive or the previous releases if needed. Both Motive: Body and Motive: Tracker shares same software installer.

Installation Steps

1. Run the Installer

When the download is complete, run the installer to initiate the installation process.

2. Install the USB Driver and Dependencies

If you are installing Motive for the first time, it will prompt you to install the OptiTrack USB Driver. This driver is required for all OptiTrack USB devices including the Hardware Key. You may also need to install other dependencies such as the C++ redistributable and DirectX. After all dependencies have been installed, continue onto installing the Motive.

It is important to install the specific versions required by Motive 2.3.x, even if newer versions are installed.

3. Install Motive

Follow the installation prompts and install Motive in your desired file directory. We recommend installing the software in the default directory, C:\Program File\OptiTrack\Motive.

4. OptiTrack Peripheral Module

At the Custom Setup section of the installation process, you will be asked to choose whether to install the Peripheral Devices along with Motive. If you plan to use force plate, NI-DAQ, or EMG devices along with motion capture systems, then make sure the Peripheral Device is installed. If you are not going to be using these devices, you may skip to the next step.

Peripheral Module NI-DAQ

If you decided to install the Peripheral Device, then you will be prompted to install OptiTrack Peripherals Module along with NI-DAQmx driver at the end of Motive installation. Press Yes to install the plugins and the NI-DAQmx driver. This may take a few minutes to install. This only needs to be done one time.

5. Finish Installation

After you have completed all steps above Motive will be installed. If you want to use additional plugins, visit the downloads page

Host PC Setup

Firewall / Anti-Virus

Make sure all anti-virus software on the Host PC is allowing Motive.
For Ethernet cameras, make sure the windows' firewall is configured to allow the camera network to be recognized. Disabling them entirely is another option.

High-Performance

Windows power saving mode limits CPU usage. In order to best utilize Motive, set this mode to the High Performance mode and remove the limitations. You can configure the High Performance Mode from Control Panel → Hardware and Sound → Power Options as shown in the image below.

Graphics Card Settings

This is only for computers with integrated graphics.

For computers with integrated graphics, please make sure Motive is set to run on the dedicated graphics card. If the host computer has integrated graphics on the CPU, the PC may switch to using integrated graphics when the computer goes to sleep mode, and when this happens, the viewport may go unresponsive when it exits out of the sleep mode. If you have integrated graphics on the computer, go to the Graphics Settings on Windows, and browse Motive to set it as high-performance graphics.

License Activation

Once you have installed Motive, the next step is to activate the software using the provided license information and a USB Security Key. Motive activation requires a valid Motive 3.0 license, a USB Security Key, and a computer with access to the Internet.

Hardware Key

For Motive 2.x, a USB Hardware Key is required to use the camera system. The Hardware Key stores licensing information and allows you to use a single license to perform different tasks using different computers. Hardware keys are purchased separately. For more information, please see the following page:

https://optitrack.com/accessories/license-keys/

License Types

There are five different types of Motive licenses: Motive:Body-Unlimited, Motive:Body, Motive:Tracker, Motive:Edit-Unlimited, and Motive:Edit. Each license unlocks different features in the software depending on the use case that the license is intended to facilitate.

The Motive:Body and Motive:Body-Unlimited licenses are intended for either small (up to 3) or large-scale Skeleton tracking applications.
The Motive:Tracker license is intended for real-time Rigid Body tracking applications.
The Motive:Edit and Motive:Edit Unlimited licenses are intended for users modifying data after it has been captured already

For more information on different types of Motive licenses, check the software comparison table on our website or in the table below.

Activation Steps

Step 1. Launch Motive

First, launch Motive.

Step 2. Activate

The Motive splash screen will pop up and it will indicate that the license is not found. Click and open the license tool and fill out the following fields using provided license information. You will need the License Serial Number and License Hash from your order invoice and the Hardware Key Serial Number indicated on the USB security key or the hardware key. Once you have entered all the information, click Activate. If you have already activated the license before on another machine, make sure the same name is entered when activating.

Online Activation Tool

The Motive License can also be activated from online using the Online License Activation tool. When you use the online License Activation Tool, you will receive the license file via email. In this case, you will have to place the file in the license folder. Once the license file is placed, insert the corresponding USB Hardware Key to use Motive.

Step 3. License File

If Motive is activated properly, license files will be placed in the license folder. This folder can be accessed from the splash screen or by navigating to Start Menu → All Programs → OptiTrack → Motive → OptiTrack License Folder.

License Folder: C:\ProgramData\OptiTrack\License

Step 4. Hardware Key

If not already done, insert the corresponding Hardware Key that was used to activate the license. The matching security key must be connected to the computer in order to use Motive.

Notes on Connecting the Hardware Key

Connect the Hardware Key to a USB port where the bus does not have a lot of traffic. This is important especially if you have other peripheral devices that connect to the computer via USB ports. If there is too much data flowing through the USB bus used by the Hardware Key, Motive might not be able to connect the cameras.
Make sure USB Hardware Key is plugged in all the way.

About Motive

You can also check the status of the activated license from the About Motive pop-up. This can be accessed in the splash screen when it fails to detect a valid license, or it can be accessed from the Help``→``About Motive menu in Motive.

License Data:

In this panel, you can also export license data into a TXT file by clicking on the License Data.... If you are having any issues with activating Motive, please export and attach the following file in the email.

Using Activated Software on a Different Computer

OptiTrack software can be used on a new computer by reactivating the license, using the same license information. When reactivating, make sure to enter the same name information as before. After the license has been reactivated, the corresponding USB Hardware Key needs to be inserted into the PC in order to verify and run the software.

Another method of using the license is by copying the license file from the old computer to the new computer. The license file can be found in the OptiTrack License folder which can be accessed through the Motive Splash Screen or top Help menu in Motive.