iPi Mocap Studio
IPi Desktop Motion Capture is an entry-level markerless motion capture technology that literally puts motion capture at animator's desktop. IPi Desktop Motion Capture? Is an entry-level markerless motion capture technology that literally puts motion capture at animator’s desktop. You can shoot a video right at your workplace using 1 or 2 Microsoft Kinects (or ASUS Xtions), or webcams or inexpensive digital cameras and have it converted to 3D animation on your PC.
iPi Mocap Studio is a software program provided by iPi Soft LLC for tracking an actor’s motion by analyzing multi-camera (or depth sensor) video recordings. Input videos are recorded with another tool — iPi Recorder.
- IPi Mocap Studio is a scalable markerless motion capture software tool that supports 1 or 2 Kinect/Xtion cameras or 3 to 4 Sony PlayStation Eye cameras to track 3D human body motions and produce.
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Latest version: | See iPi Studio Release Notes |
Supported OS: | Windows 10 / 8.1 / 8 / 7 (32- and 64-bit) |
Output Formats: | See full list in our wiki docs |
Editions: | The software comes in several editions which differ by kind and number of cameras supported for tracking. |
Hardware: | See our Accessories and Hardware page to select and order items you may need. |
Language: | English |
Free Trial: | 30-days free trial has full features of Basic Edition |
Installation Instructions |
User’s Guide |
End User License Agreement |
Keyboard Shortcuts |
If you’ve decided to purchase, go to the Store page and follow the instructions. After purchase, you will get a license key, which enables you to upgrade the trial version to a selected edition of the software.
To remove the software, use regular software uninstall via Windows Control Panel.
You can order software and hardware as one package from CamVFX, our official US Reseller.
Alternatively, you can select and order items you need separately.
- 1Cameras
- 6USB controllers
Cameras
Sony PlayStation Eye for PS3
Recommended camera for use with iPi Motion Capture is Sony PlayStation Eye for PS3.
The following properties make it a preferred camera for motion capture:
- High frame rate — up to 60 frames per second (important for reducing motion blur and capturing fast motions like dancing, boxing or running).
- Fully automatic configuration with excellent auto-exposure and auto-gain.
- Good-enough low-light sensitivity.
- Low-distortion middle-angle fixed optics (75 degrees of diagonal field of view).
- Efficient protocol for image transfer.
- Extremely low cost (under $10).
The only major downside of PlayStation Eye is its lack of tripod mounting screw. Possible solutions:
- To use sticky tape to fix it to any tripod.
- Order wall mount for Sony PS Eye / Kinect
- Order Sony PS Eye / Kinect adapter from our partner CamVFX
Logitech C922
You can use other web cameras with iPi Motion Capture. But there are just a couple of models that can reliably capture video at 60 frames per second. Logitech C922 is one of such models:
It has the following helpful properties:
- 60 FPS for 720p resolution.
- Good optics with reasonable field of view (78 degrees in diagonal) and relatively low distortion.
- Auto-focus can be turned off.
- Acceptable colors in low light conditions (better than Sony PS Eye has).
- USB 2.0 interface (USB repeaters can be used).
- Tripod mounting screw.
Cameras Comparison
Which camera to choose?
Specification | Sony PS Eye | Logitech C922 | Winner | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|
practical frame rate(s) | 50 FPS, 60 FPS | 60 FPS | PS Eye | In some cases it is more practical to record at 50 FPS instead of 60 FPS, but C922 doesn't support 50 FPS. Also, PlayStation Eye has more stable frame rate: exactly 60 frames per second, while C922 could drop separate frames time after time and a result actual FPS is slightly smaller than 60. |
practical resolution(s) | 640x480 | 1280x720 | it depends | For iPi Motion Capture it is not so important to have high resolution. Higher resolution just allows to stand farther from camera, which potentially increases maximum capture area. But from the other side, higher resolution means slower processing in iPi Mocap Studio. Thus if your top priority is the biggest capture area, then Logitech C922 wins. In other case - PS Eye wins. |
field of view | diagonal: 75° horizontal: 63° vertical: 49.5° | diagonal: 78° horizontal: 70° vertical: 43° | PS Eye | PS Eye has slightly bigger vertical field of view. Therefore an actor can stand closer to camera and still be visible in full length. |
optic distorsion | low | low | draw | Both cameras have good-enough optics for iPi Motion Capture needs. |
image quality | good-enough (but poor in low light conditions) | good (good-enough in low light conditions) | C922 | But image quality is not so critical for iPi Motion Capture. |
connection | USB 2.0 (up to 2-4 cameras per USB-controller) | USB 2.0 (up to 2-4 cameras per USB-controller) | draw | Not more than two cameras should be connected to each USB controller to capture at 50 or 60 FPS. But some USB 3.0 controllers can handle up to four cameras at 50 and 60 FPS. This is true for both camera models. |
disk usage (for six cameras) | 25 MB/sec 640x480@60 (background subtraction) | 35 MB/sec 1280x720@60 (raw JPEG frames obtained from cameras) | PS Eye | CPU load is higher as well when recording with Logitech C922. |
tripod mounting screw | no | yes | C922 | |
price | under 10 USD | about 90 USD | PS Eye | Prices may differ for different regions. But in any case PS Eye is significantly cheaper. |
Action Cameras
Stand-alone cameras that meet requirements below can be used instead of web cameras.
Requirements for stand-alone cameras:
- Fixed optics (if camera has auto-focus and zoom features, they must be turned off before recording)
- High FPS (at least 60 FPS at 720p resolution)
- Wide field-of-view (at least 90° in diagonal)
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You can even mix cameras of different models. But all cameras must support one and the same pair of FPS and resolution.
Action cameras fully meet the requirements. The most popular models here are:
GoPro HERO5 Black | SJCAM M20 WiFi | YI 4K |
But you can use other (more affordable) models: [1]. Or even smartphones.
Web Cameras vs. Action Cameras
The overall workflow with action cameras is more complicated compared to web cameras. See Quick Start Guide for Multiple Action Cameras Configuration for details. But you can get certain advantages if you use action cameras:
Configration | Pros | Cons |
---|---|---|
Web Cameras |
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Action Cameras |
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Cables
For distances over 3m, you should use active USB 2.0 extension cables (aka USB repeaters). You can daisy-chain multiple active USB 2.0 extension cables for distances longer than 10m.
When combining active and passive cables, make sure that connection order is correct (computer->active cable->passive cable->camera).
Tripods
Inexpensive 40- or 50-inch tripods like [2]should be fine for use with iPi Desktop Motion Capture. It is recommended to place at least one of the cameras reasonably high (2 or 3 meters high) so you may need a high (72 inch or higher) tripod like [3] or some kind of ad hoc wall mounting solution.
Mini Maglite (or other flashlight) for calibration
You will need a small bright object for calibration. It is recommended to get Mini Maglite for that purpose:
If you cannot get a Mini Maglite, you can use some other similar flashlight:
Alternatively, you can use Sony Move motion controller with white light turned on.
Video Card
iPi Mocap Studio heavily relies on GPU for calculations. Therefore, it is recommended to use a fast GPU for processing recorded videos. The support for DirectX 11 is required (most of the video cards released since 2010 meet this requirement).
Please be aware that desktop GPUs are dramatically faster than laptop GPUs (due to apparent thermal constraints in laptop PCs). Laptops with Switchable Graphics should be configured to run iPi Mocap Studio on a discrete (high-performance) GPU.
You can check expected tracking speed for various GPU model here.
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You can Compare and Order recommended GPU from Amazon.
USB controllers
All modern computers (e.g. dual-core and better) based on Intel, AMD and Nvidia chipsets have at least two USB 2.0 controllers on board. With two USB 2.0 controllers you've got enough bandwidth to record with:
- 2 depth sensors (first generation Microsoft Kinect)
- or 4 cameras at 640x480 at 60 FPS
- or 6 cameras at 640x480 at 40 FPS
Some modern laptops have both USB 2.0 and 3.0 controllers. In this case single USB 3.0 controller can handle with four PS Eye cameras at 640x480 at 60 FPS.
You can check how many USB 2.0 / 3.0 controllers you have in the “Universal Serial Bus controllers” section in Device Manager. Operating system will display USB 2.0 controllers as USB Enhanced Host Controller (not to be mistaken with USB 1.0 USB Universal Host controller). USB 3.0 controller usually works in USB 2.0 mode, so it will be represented by 2 items - USB 3.0 Host Controller and USB Enhanced Host Controller
Alternatively, you can use USBView utility from Microsoft which allows to view all USB controllers and devices in a more convenient way: Download USBView
You should make sure that you have depth sensors or cameras evenly distributed between available USB 2.0 (or 3.0) controllers. For example, if you have four PS Eye cameras, you should connect two cameras to first controller and two cameras to second controller. (But some USB 3.0 controllers can work with four cameras.) Device Manager usually shows USB cameras as “USB Composite Device” at the “Advanced” tab of USB controller properties. If you have too many cameras connected to single USB 2.0 / 3.0 controller, you should re-plug them to different USB ports.
USB hubs
If several devices are connected on the USB hub and working in parallel, then the USB bandwidth is shared among the devices. Connecting all cameras via single USB 2.0 hub is OK only for low resolution video recording (320x240). To be able to record video at 640x480 and 60 frames per second, you should avoid connecting more than 2 cameras via single USB 2.0 controller and more than 4 cameras via some models of USB 3.0 controllers.
Solution if your PC lack USB controllers
If you do not have enough USB controllers, you can either add USB controller to your PC, or use several PCs and Distributed Recording feature.
- For desktops you can use PCI USB controllers.
- For laptops there are USB controllers for ExpressCard and eSATA slots.
Potential issues with USB controllers
Some USB chips have compatibility issues with specific cameras which may result in not detecting cameras, low frame rate, etc. See the next section on known issues.
Many modern laptops have one of the integrated USB 2.0 controllers reserved for docking station. That may effectively halve your USB bandwidth. So laptops with a large number of USB ports (4 or more) are preferrable. Desktop PCs should not have such problem.
If you plan getting an additional USB controller, please be aware of potential problems with USB 2.0 controllers available on the market. Many USB 2.0 controllers are based on defective NEC USB 2.0 chip, not capable of standard USB 2.0 speeds. That's a well-known bug specific only to NEC USB 2.0 chip. By contrast, all NEC USB 3.0 chips are good and do not have this problem.
Some manufacturers sell what they call a 'USB 2.0 ExpressCard' controller for laptops. Many of such ExpressCard controllers are in fact internal USB hubs in ExpressCard form factor. That means they do not add actual USB bandwidth to the system. All USB 3.0 ExpressCard are controllers.
If you plan getting additional high-speed USB controller, we strongly recommend that you get a USB 3.0 controller, just to be on the safe side.
When setting up a USB 3.0 controller, make sure you configure it to handle USB 2.0 traffic (as opposed to passing USB 2.0 to integrated USB 2.0 controllers in your chipset). There should be a corresponding setting in driver properties or in BIOS.
Known compatibility issues
Combinations of camera & USB chip listed below have known compatibility issues. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that other combinations will work for sure, but most will. If you need an additional USB controller for connecting specific camera, be sure not to get the one based on incompatible USB chip.
Camera | USB chip | Symptoms | Comments / possible solution |
ASUS Xtion (Live) | NEC µPD720200 (USB 3.0) | Camera is not properly recognized by the system. | This firmware update makes device behave the same as PrimeSense Carmine 1.08 with this controller. |
ASUS Xtion (Live) | VIA VT6212L (USB 2.0) | Frame drops of color picture in 640x480@30 (depth + color). | |
Microsoft Kinect v1 | Intel 8x/9x chipset series (built-in, USB 3.0/2.0) | Multiple Kinects do not work. | Discussion of the issue Additional USB controllers needed for multiple Kinects. One user reports that uninstalling Intel USB 3.0 driver resolves the issue. |
Microsoft Kinect v2 | Etron EJ168 | No data coming from device. | |
Microsoft Kinect v2 | VIA VL800 | No data coming from device. | |
PrimeSense Carmine 1.08 | NEC µPD720200 (USB 3.0) | Frame drops in 640x480@30 (depth + color). | Stable work in 640x480@30 (depth only) and 320x240 (depth + color). |
PrimeSense Carmine 1.08 | VIA VT6212L (USB 2.0) | Frame drops in 640x480@30 (depth + color). | Stable work in 640x480@30 (depth only) and 320x240 (depth + color). |
PrimeSense Carmine 1.08 | VIA VL800(USB 3.0) | Frame drops, reduced frame rate, freezes in depth + color modes. | Stable work in depth only modes. |
Sony Playstation Eye | VIA VL800 (USB 3.0) | Great number of bad frames and frame drops. Camera is invisible to iPi Recorder. | |
Sony Playstation Eye | VIA VT6212L (USB 2.0) | Great number of frame drop in 640x480@60 mode. | 2 cameras can work smoothly at lower FPS (up to 640x480@50). |
Sony PlayStation Eye | NEC µPD720101 (USB 2.0) | Great number of frame drops. Camera stops producing frames. | Not recommended to use. Replace with other controllers. |