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ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 3.11 - February 1999
A Roster of Motion-Capture Companies
Companies A-K | Companies L-P | Companies Q-Z
LambSoft
2429 Nicolet Ave. So.
Minneapolis, MN 55494
(800) 535-5117 (phone)
(612) 872-1700 (phone)
(612) 879-5776 (fax)
http://www.lambsoft.com
rmiller@lambsoft.com
Contact: Richard Miller
Company Description: LambSoft designs, develops, markets, and supports high quality motion tools for the game, film, and television production industries. LambSoft currently offers three products:
MoveTools: a professional scene translation tool for both Windows NT and SGI IRIX platforms. MoveTools enables digital production facilities to move animation scenes including geometry (NURBS and Polygons), cameras, lights, animation data, and animation hierarchies seamlessly between major 3D animation packages.
Pro Motion: a professional tool kit for applying motion data onto characters in 3D Studio MAX. ProMotion allows you to clean, filter and redraw motion data, add keyframe layers, apply motion to a wide range of characters, create libraries of moves and blend moves together.
SMIRK, the fastest keyframe facial animation plug-in system for 3D Studio MAX. SMIRK offers layered control of facial expressions, lip-synching with audio.
Medialab (France)
34-36 rue de la Belle Feuille
92100 Boulogne Billancourt
France
33 1 55 19 55 19 (phone)
33 1 55 19 55 60 (fax)
Medialab (U.S.)
301 N. Canon Drive
Suite 228
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
USA
(310) 247-0994 (phone)
(310) 247-0998 (fax)
http://www.medialab3d.com
medialab@medialab3d.com
Contact: Marc Attia
marc@medialab.fr
33 1 55 19 55 19
Press contact:
Tara Kolla, K Media Relations
(213) 644-3700
Company Description: Medialab is the world leader in real-time performance animation and offers a full range of creative solutions, technological innovations and production expertise to enable clients to create high quality 3D animated content for live or prerecorded TV programs. In 1989, Medialab pioneered the production of feature films and television series using its proprietary real-time performance animation system, CLOVIS PA. This lead to the creation of Mat the Ghost, the first real-time cartoon character to run successfully for 3 years on France's Canal+. In 1996, Medialab produced the first ever 26 episode cartoon series using a mix of real-time and keyframe. The series, entitled "Donkey Kong Country," launched in the U.S. in 1998 and is Fox Family Channel's number one rated kids animated show. Divided into four synergistic divisions, Medialab is a real-time animation studio, a visual effects house and a TV and feature film production and R&D house, jointly owned by Canal+, the European pay-TV giant, and NOB, a leading Dutch supplier of film and video services throughout Europe. Medialab's real-time virtual characters appear on networks in the U.S., U.K., France, Spain, Germany, Canada, Italy, Russia and Japan.
Mikromak Gmbh
Am Wolfsmantel 18
D-91058 Erlangen
Germany
49 9-131690960 (phone)
49 9-1316909618 (fax)
http://www.mikromak.com
info@mikromak.com
Modern Cartoons Ltd.
228 Main Street
Suite 12
Venice, CA 90291
(310) 309-4600 (phone)
(805) 488-4476 (fax)
Contact: Chris Walker
Modern Uprising Studios
Brooklyn Navy Yard
Cumberland & Flushing Ave.
Bldg 280, Suite 509
Brooklyn, NY 11205
(718) 852-0811 (phone)
(718) 858-2459 (fax)
http://www.modernuprising.com
studio@modernuprising.com
Contact: Sharon Dougherty
sharon.dougherty@modernuprising.com
Company Description: Modern Uprising Studios is a state of the art motion capture service studio, located in New York. The studio offers the most accurate and affordable motion capture data available. Using Motion Analysis optical-based system, Modern Uprising Studios can capture virtually any movement offering the most realistic and believable character animation for use in film, broadcast and gaming. Modern Uprising Studios takes motion capture one step further with services such as project consulting, single or multiple performer captures, facial and prop capture. They also fill the gap between raw captured data and final animation by offering motion editing, customized skeletons, skin attachment and the ability to re-target data to match your creative concepts.
Motion Analysis Corporation
3617 Westwind Blvd.
Santa Rosa, CA 95403
(707) 579-6500 (phone)
(707) 562-0629
http://www.motionanalysis.com
Contact: Jerry Burg
jerry.burg@motionanalysis.com
(925) 426-8840 (phone)
(925) 426-7850 (fax)
Company Description: Motion Analysis Corporation is the world's leading provider of optical motion capture systems. Motion capture technology is used to create super-realistic 3D human motion in animation for video games, films, and broadcasting. The Motion Analysis ExpertVision HiRES system with up to sixteen custom-built FALCON high-resolution cameras is used for producing video games and film effects. It can capture large areas for sports plays, captures multiple characters, and it features extended capture capabilities for long events. With up to 240 image per second camera capability, it can capture very fast motion including gymnastics and baseball bat swings.
Motion Analysis has pioneered rapid, high-quality production with integrated tools including: SmartTracker and Rectifier, biomechanically intelligent tracking software that dramatically reduces production time; MoCap Solver, animation fitting software to help apply human actor movement to computer graphic monsters, super heroes, or inanimate objects like cars, trees or soda bottles and to stop foot-sliding; plus software plug-ins to all leading animation software.
Motional Realms
339 Hodencamp Road
#113
Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
(805) 557-0260 (phone)
http://www.reelmotion.com
info@reelmotion.com
Contact: Rick Baltman
Company Description: Motional Realms develops ReelMotion, a physics-based animation tool which can simulate any rigid-body object for use in animation. Gravity, wind, turbulence, friction, external forces and many other parameters can be included in the simulation for convincingly realistic results. It specializes in simulating cars, aircraft, helicopters and motorcycles in real-time. This allows the artist to interactively drive or fly the vehicle through the scene with a mouse or joystick and immediately see what is happening using the 3D OpenGL display. ReelMotion's accurate collision detection permits vehicles to drive over any terrain and collide with other stationary or dynamic objects. This makes it ideal for simulating car chases, dog-fights, accident recreations and computer game cut-scenes. Motion data can be saved in either the BioVision or Acclaim motion capture file formats or in ReelMotion's proprietary format. The software ships with plug-ins for 3D Studio Max, LightWave, Cinema 4DXL and Electric Image, which simplify the transfer of data between the animation program and ReelMotion. Versions are available for Windows 95/98/NT and MacOS on the DEC Alpha, Intel and PowerPC platforms.
Northern Digital
103 Randall Drive
Waterloo, Ontario N2V 1C5
Canada
(519) 884-5142 (phone)
(519) 884-5184 (fax)
http://www.ndigital.com
sales@ndigital.com
Contact: Chris Hockey
Ohio State University
Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and Design
Major Motion Capture Research Initiative
1224 Kinnear Road
Columbus, Ohio 43212
(614) 292-3416 (phone)
Contact: Dr. Wayne Carlson
Carlson.8@ohio-state.edu
Program Description: ACCAD's Major Motion Capture Research Initiative is designed to expand their past work in motion control technology with the addition of motion-capture capabilities to support the arts and interdisciplinary applications. Through interdisciplinary collaborations, ACCAD will expand current methods of digital motion management. This involves combining methods that are largely procedural and mathematical with new data acquisition schemes, including motion-capture technology. These new methods will permit in-depth study of, for example, idiosyncratic movements uniquely identifiable with particular persons. These might include, for example, features that distinguish John Wayne's swagger from Elvis Presley's hip swivel, or subtle differences in the tap-dance movements of Gene Kelly and Savion Glover. By combining motion control methods (procedural and motion-capture), opportunities arise for the systematic study of "expressive motion." Such study attends to the nuances and distinguishing features of human movement. Motion control of these subtleties is of critical importance to the arts and entertainment fields, and has potential application in fields such as athletics, biology, and medicine. This program invites business, industry, and public/private agencies to access the intellectual and creative resources available at a College of the Arts with an extensive research record in media arts technology. Projects involving artists, scholars, and business people provide a rich mix of expertise that benefits our students, staff, and faculty.
Peak Performance Technologies, Inc.
7388 South Revere Parkway
Suite 603
Englewood, CO 80112
(303) 799-8686 (phone)
(303) 799-8690 (fax)
http://www.peakperform.com
peakinfo@peakperform.com
Contact: Steve Risenhoover
Company Description: Peak Performance Technologies, Inc. offers Peak Motus, a state-of-the-art motion capture system that enables creators to develop real-life human and animal animated characters. Windows-based Peak Motus is the only system that provides the flexibility of optical marker-based motion capture as well as videotape-based motion capture. In controlled settings, optical markers are used to capture movement data. In outdoor situations where the use of markers is impossible, videotape-based motion capture can be used creating the most dynamic capture environment possible. Once collected, movement data is exported into many leading animation software programs to create realistic 2D and 3D animated characters. Peak Performance Technologies is a worldwide leader in the design, development and manufacture of motion capture, motion measurement and analytical systems used in various commercial, industrial, medical, research and sport science applications. Peak systems are used throughout the world by film, animation, medical, research and sport services, as well as industrial, government and military agencies.
Pepper's Ghost Productions
Clarendon House
147 London Road
Kingston-Upon-Thames, London KT2 6NH
England
44 (0)181 546 4900 (phone)
44 (0)181 546 4284 (fax)
http://www.peppersghost.com
Contact: Paul Michael
paul.michael@peppersghost.com
Company Description: Pepper's Ghost Productions (PGP) is an innovative, state-of-the-art animation and motion-capture producer and facility on the cutting edge of digital technology. PGP was created to blend innovative technology and traditional storytelling, in a creative environment capable of outputting several concurrent television projects, both long and short form, requiring substantial volumes of motion capture, 2D and 3D graphics and any combination thereof. PGP's team of 25 people provides a rich mix of skills including specialists across the spectrum of arts and sciences. Key team members have a long list of credits, including "Reboot", "Lost in Space", "Seven Years in Tibet", and "Golden Eye". PGP's development slate features original and distinctly different television series including its own Tiny Planets. PGP is actively involved in the creation of further projects and there are a number of co-productions in the pipeline.
Performance Capture Studios
11872 LaGrange Avenue
PO Box 1453
Los Angeles, CA 90024
(310) 704-3036 (phone)
(310) 841-2076 (fax)
Exec@performancecapture.com
Contact: Mark Greenberg
Mark.Greenberg@performancecapture.com
Company Description: Performance Capture Studios is a state of the art Motion Capture Studio dedicated to providing the 3D Animation Industry with Motion Capture Services. The studio's aim is to provide animators and directors from feature film, music video, television, games and commercials with the best in Motion Capture technology and services. Good animation allows a character to live. Weight, mass, speed, fluidity and feeling are all best conveyed by movements captured from the real world. Using Performance Capture Studios' unique technology, expertise and your imagination, anything is possible in the realms of character animation. Cutting edge technology, such as Motion Re-Targeting and Motion Editing, blends the art of Motion Capture and Character Animation together.
Polhemus, Incorporated
One Hercules Drive
P.O. Box 560
Colchester, VT 05446-0560
(802) 655-3159 (phone)
(802) 655-1439 (fax)
http://www.polhemus.com
Contact: Ann Pettyjohn
Company Description: Polhemus, founded in 1970, is a small, high-technology company, located in the town of Colchester, in the beautiful Champlain Valley section of Vermont. Polhemus specializes in measuring the position and orientation of objects in three dimensional (3D) space with sophisticated electromagnetic technology. Polhemus has led the development of electromagnetic measuring systems for two decades and owns many landmark patents. Initially developed for military applications, Polhemus products are now extensively used in commercial applications in fields as diverse as virtual reality, computer animation, biomedical and biomechanical research, simulation and training, scientific visualization, and entertainment.
The company's most recent products include The Handheld Laser Scanner (HLS) quickly and conveniently produces three-dimensional measurements of the surface of an object. The measurements are made by smoothly sweeping the HLS Wand over the object, in a manner similar to spray painting. Simultaneously an image of the object appears on the computer screen. The finished scan is processed to combine the overlapping sweeps, and the three-dimensional data can then be saved in industry standard formats for loading into other programs. ActionTRAK is an entry-level motion capture system that offers low cost, real-time, occlusion-free magnetic tracking performance for today's demanding production schedules. The system provides six-degree-of-freedom tracking with virtually no latency.
Probe Motion Capture
East Croydon
1st Fl Knollys House
17 Addiscombe Road
Croydon, Surrey CRO 6SR
England
44 181 4017070 (phone)
44 181 4017075 (fax)
http://www.probe.co.uk
Contact: Olly Wood
oliverw@probe.co.uk
Protozoa
2727 Mariposa
Studio 100
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 522-6500 (phone)
(415) 522-6522 (fax)
http://www.protozoa.com
info@protozoa.com
Contact: Brad deGraf
Company Description: Protozoa is a world leader in real-time 3D character animation, creating many award winning characters for television, the Web, and live venues. ALIVE, Protozoa's proprietary authoring tool is widely used by the broadcast industry for live-to air and live-to tape productions, and is the only performance animation solution for the Web. Protozoa's customers include: Cartoon Network, MTV, MSNBC, Intel, Disney, the BBC, and Universal Studios.
Puppet Works
3425 Harvester Road, Suite 203
Burlington, Ontario L7N 3N1
Canada
(905) 333-1905 (phone)
(905) 333-1905 (fax)
http://www.puppetworks.com
sales@puppetworks.com
Contact: David Fleury
Company Description: Puppet Works develops and manufactures motion capture solutions used by professional animation studios. Puppet Works has developed systems for body, hand and facial capture along with a series of products used for camera tracking and digital puppeteering. Supported software includes Alias/Wavefront's Maya (SGI and NT), Softimage (SGI and NT), 3D Studio Max, Side Effect Houdini and Lightwave 3D. Puppet Works technology is used extensively for real-time character applications (virtual characters) and supports DreamTeam's Typhoon, Kaydara's Filmbox and Protozoa's Alive software.
Puppet Works' systems are the first in the world to utilize digital encoder technology, providing clean, noise free capture data directly into supported software applications. Puppet Works supports the use of multiple input devices (suits, face trackers, gloves and MIDI devices) which can be operated simultaneously in real time via one port and driver. Systems can be operated in any environment without the need for metalic shielding or staging. System set-up is simple with minimal post-capture editing required allowing studios for the first time to capture all the production efficiences motion capture has to offer.
Pyros Pictures, Inc.
3197 Airport Loop Drive
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 708-3400 (phone)
(714) 708-3500 (fax)
http://www.pyrospictures.com
Contact: Greg Pyros
gpyros@pyros.com
Company Description: Pyros Pictures Inc., an animation/special effects house since 1982, specializes in optical motion capture for the film, TV, and CD-ROM gaming markets. Pyros' studio features a 14-camera Motion Analysis system which allows the capture of either full body or 3D face tracking for expressions and lip sync, with an automatic audio trigger for easy synchronization. Pyros also offers full 3D animation and special effects capabilities to help clients with every phase of their projects, from consulting, motion capture application to 3D characters, to final animation and rendering.
Recent projects include captures for id Software's "Quake 3 - Arena", as well as captures for the upcoming Disney/Lawrence Kasdan film "Mumford", and two current projects for Interplay. Other projects include Warner Brother's "Fair Game", Activision's "Zork Nemesis" and "Zork Grand Inquisitor", Virgin Interactive's "Grand Slam", three CBS Prime Time Specials, and 13 episodes of "UFO Diaries".
Note: Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending an e-mail to editor@awn.com.