iPi Soft's Desktop Motion Capture Plays Starring Role In Clear Skies III Machinima
Press Release from iPi Soft
MOSCOW, RUSSIA -- What began six years ago as simply a “creative outlet” for rising filmmaker/animator Ian Chisholm, Clear Skies III, the third film in the machinima series about the space adventures of the crew aboard the battleship Clear Skies, has steadily built a huge online audience thanks to its memorable storyline and characters, and creative use of the iPi Soft’s Desktop Motion Capture system, which played an integral role in bringing Chisholm’s vision to life.
''I started the Clear Skies series about six years ago,'' Chisholm says. ''I'd just started doing some basic video work when I discovered I could use blue screening to composite video footage together. I'd always wanted to tell a full story, and by using the Eve Online graphics engine for exterior space and ship shots, and the Half Life 2 engine for interior sets and characters, I could finally achieve that. It took over two years to learn everything in the Half Life 2 development kit, and to write my first script, build the sets, shoot, and create the film itself. While the first Clear Skies film, which came out in 2008, looks pretty rough now, then it was a monster achievement for me.''
The same cannot be said for the third iteration Clear Skies III, which clearly shows how far Chisholm has grown as a storyteller and animator – and how far the motion capture technology from iPi Soft has come as well.
Clear Skies III picks up where the second film left off, following the crew of the Minmatar Tempest class battleship named Clear Skies as they try to make a living in New Eden. Led by the obstinate captain John Rourke, Clear Skies III finds the crew stumbling into an epic adventure none expected.
''I continually challenge myself technically and creatively, and Clear Skies III is the culmination of what I learned producing the previous two films, from the writing to the acting to the camera work and everything in between,'' Chisholm says. ''Practically every line of dialogue and every movement was motion captured using iPiSoft. Not only was this fun, but it also raised the bar on the performances I could deliver using the Half Life 2 characters. No longer was I limited to the built-in gestures that come with the game -- I could add more personality and dimension to the characters.''
Better Gestures:
According to Chisholm most of the built-in gestures in Half Life 2 are static with little movement in the characters apart from the arms. With iPi Soft’s Desktop Motion Capture system he was able to not only incorporate the whole body motion, but also walk around in a small area and interact with items that he could position 'on set' – clearly elevating the immersion quotient for viewers.
CG animators working in an array of markets are turning to markerless motion capture systems like iPi Soft because it accurately captures human motion data using inexpensive, off-the-shelf cameras and does not require clumsy sensor suits and green-screen stages. Moreover, the captured animations don’t exhibit artifacts like jitter or foot skate, and can be exported to many leading game engines, 3D software and animation rigs, including MAXON CINEMA 4D, Autodesk Maya, Autodesk 3D Studio Max, DAZ 3D DAZ Studio, Poser, Valve Source Engine, Unreal Engine, Unity and others.
''Using iPi Soft’s technology I could create action sequences and dramatic moments -- gunfights, fistfights, character interaction -- that wouldn't have been remotely possible without it,'' Chisholm explains.
One scene that stands out in particular is the climatic fight between Rourke and Guy "Ghost" Stone aboard the enemy ship, which Chisholm said he designed specifically to take advantage of the latest version of iPi Soft’s Desktop Motion Capture system.
MOSCOW, RUSSIA -- What began six years ago as simply a “creative outlet” for rising filmmaker/animator Ian Chisholm, Clear Skies III, the third film in the machinima series about the space adventures of the crew aboard the battleship Clear Skies, has steadily built a huge online audience thanks to its memorable storyline and characters, and creative use of the iPi Soft’s Desktop Motion Capture system, which played an integral role in bringing Chisholm’s vision to life.
''I started the Clear Skies series about six years ago,'' Chisholm says. ''I'd just started doing some basic video work when I discovered I could use blue screening to composite video footage together. I'd always wanted to tell a full story, and by using the Eve Online graphics engine for exterior space and ship shots, and the Half Life 2 engine for interior sets and characters, I could finally achieve that. It took over two years to learn everything in the Half Life 2 development kit, and to write my first script, build the sets, shoot, and create the film itself. While the first Clear Skies film, which came out in 2008, looks pretty rough now, then it was a monster achievement for me.''
The same cannot be said for the third iteration Clear Skies III, which clearly shows how far Chisholm has grown as a storyteller and animator – and how far the motion capture technology from iPi Soft has come as well.
Clear Skies III picks up where the second film left off, following the crew of the Minmatar Tempest class battleship named Clear Skies as they try to make a living in New Eden. Led by the obstinate captain John Rourke, Clear Skies III finds the crew stumbling into an epic adventure none expected.
''I continually challenge myself technically and creatively, and Clear Skies III is the culmination of what I learned producing the previous two films, from the writing to the acting to the camera work and everything in between,'' Chisholm says. ''Practically every line of dialogue and every movement was motion captured using iPiSoft. Not only was this fun, but it also raised the bar on the performances I could deliver using the Half Life 2 characters. No longer was I limited to the built-in gestures that come with the game -- I could add more personality and dimension to the characters.''
Better Gestures:
According to Chisholm most of the built-in gestures in Half Life 2 are static with little movement in the characters apart from the arms. With iPi Soft’s Desktop Motion Capture system he was able to not only incorporate the whole body motion, but also walk around in a small area and interact with items that he could position 'on set' – clearly elevating the immersion quotient for viewers.
CG animators working in an array of markets are turning to markerless motion capture systems like iPi Soft because it accurately captures human motion data using inexpensive, off-the-shelf cameras and does not require clumsy sensor suits and green-screen stages. Moreover, the captured animations don’t exhibit artifacts like jitter or foot skate, and can be exported to many leading game engines, 3D software and animation rigs, including MAXON CINEMA 4D, Autodesk Maya, Autodesk 3D Studio Max, DAZ 3D DAZ Studio, Poser, Valve Source Engine, Unreal Engine, Unity and others.
''Using iPi Soft’s technology I could create action sequences and dramatic moments -- gunfights, fistfights, character interaction -- that wouldn't have been remotely possible without it,'' Chisholm explains.
One scene that stands out in particular is the climatic fight between Rourke and Guy "Ghost" Stone aboard the enemy ship, which Chisholm said he designed specifically to take advantage of the latest version of iPi Soft’s Desktop Motion Capture system.
Printer-friendly version
Post new comment