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Ubisoft Installs Vicon MX40 System

Ubisoft Montreal has installed the 24-camera Vicon MX40 system. The leading game publisher is home to a new purpose-built motion capture studio equipped with a 4,500-square-foot stage designed primarily for full-body performance. Ubisoft Montreal decided to bring motion capture in-house to develop pipelines that tie directly into its game engines and game designs, and to eliminate the logistical costs of traveling to U.S. West Coast-based motion capture service bureaus.

Ubisofts motion capture pipeline takes Vicon iQ-generated performance data directly into Alias Motion Builder, then employs proprietary scripts to get motion files into either 3ds Max for game-play animation or SOFTIMAGE | XSI for cinematics. The type of capture produced at the studio includes straight performance, combat and action moves along with multiple character interactions.

Using Vicon MX40 keeps the studios animation quality consistent and removes the pressures of building and fine-tuning each and every movement by hand. Next-gen games can handle more animation and more diversity in style of animation, so motion capture has practically become a production requirement for all games being produced for these consoles, commented Claude Comeau, Motion Capture technical director, Ubisoft. We selected Vicon MX40 as our motion capture solution because the quality of the data is excellent. We got vastly superior results out of Vicon when compared with other systems and the accurate, intuitive labeling is a huge time saver.

Ubisoft is also looking toward the future with extensive R&D into complete performance capture comprising full hands, face and body, and is currently evaluating different facial mapping solutions to make facial capture more practical for gaming applications. The companys new Vicon system is already being put to use on forthcoming titles FAR CRY INSTINCTS NEXT CHAPTER and TOM CLANCYS RAINBOW SIX CRITICAL HOUR.

Ubisoft (www.ubisoftgroup.com) is a leading producer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment products worldwide and has grown considerably through its strong and diversified line-up of products and partnerships. Ubisoft has offices in 21 countries and sales in more than 50 countries around the globe. It is committed to delivering high-quality, cutting-edge videogame titles to consumers.

Vicon Motion Systems (www.vicon.com) is a subsidiary of OMG plc with global headquarters in Oxford, U.K., and U.S. headquarters in Lake Forest, California. OMG subsidiary 2d3 Ltd. produces innovative visual geometry software deriving 3D data from moving images. Since 1984, Vicon has been providing professionals with the latest tools to accurately capture the subtleties of three-dimensional human motion for research, medicine, sport, engineering, game development, broadcast and film.

Bill Desowitz's picture

Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.

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