looks like I’ve found what seems to be a freeware (GPL) optical motion capture system that exports to BVH. I guess you know what that means - if not: Free MoCap data for Blender!
I’d need a bit of help tho. All I found is this site:
But I have no idea of where can I get a complete package or if it’s already compiled or what it needs are. If there’s someone more “at home” with Java, please check that out and let me (and the rest of the community) know! Perhaps it’s just what we need
My guess is that you go to the link on the left that says “Version control - CVS”. I have not downloaded the instructions, so not sure what it involves.
Wow. Some finding. Looks like it depends solely on your captured footage:
For this, techniques of image processing are applied, intending to segment the markers, after that, prediction techniques are applied to track the markers throughout the video. In one another module, an articulated model is fitted to the markers
of course this could be an optimistic interpretation, since no real detail is given.
I know or at least I hope it’s somewhere out there… the binary I mean… We need to find it… then perhaps if it’s not implemented yet… someone could make a nice java app out of it, sinte it’s GPL
That’s not quite correct - it says right on the description:
using special markers on the actor body, for the animation of a 3D virtual character.
which is a long way from just footage, but if it does it automatically from there, that’s still really good to have as GPL.
By the way, there IS no binary - it’s Java. There would be a JAR with bytecode classes however, which is similar to a binary. My understanding is that projects on there are supposed to include source code though. And if you have the source, then “javac apollo.java” isn’t too hard. The screen shots certainly look nice.
dgebel: Thanks man, we’re making progress… hopefully, we’ll be able to make our own mocap soon And yes, I’m a total n00b when it comes to Java…
I checked out the forum you provided the link for, but as far as I can see, instructions are given for another application, while Apollo is only mentioned.
If someone with more knowledge of Java could provide us with more details like what to download and how to run it… that would be great. I’d test it and even try to make a videotutorial about it’s use with blender (based on the supposition that the generated BVHs are compatible with Blender)
Just downloaded it. You have to regester first and then you can access CVS. It takes a little while though because there are some demo movie files included which take up ~70 megs.
BTW: The “markers” are only visual markers, not actual motion sensors.
It’s a no go for me… I have dial up. Could someone strip it of the unneccessary intro movies so it’s a reasonable file size? Put it on savefile.com or host-a.com.
After Effects (and other video tools) have motion tracking. Could one do motion tracking on plain footage while adding an “effect” of a little dot at that spot? Say you tell AE to motion track the knee and apply a little red dot while it does it. This is simple. Do that for all the needed tracking points, adding little dots, then send the video back out to the optical motion capture program. Now any footage at all can be used.
I guess you need some kind of camera calibration before the actual tracking. If that would be possible, they would not spent millions of dollars in mocap facilities
Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait a few more years to have automatic mocap from any footage
Besides, you need something to track in AE too. If the actor had, say, blue pants, the tracker would be confused soon… you need tracking points there too
That’s why I wrote about it… someone PLEASE find out! 
