Finger capture is rarely attempted due to its extreme difficulty. By integrating active marker technology with passive optical capture, we have managed to obtain quality data for finger animation that has been refined in-studio using our new pipeline.
Traditionally, the fingers require animation by hand because the marker system commonly used for body capture and applied on finger joints cause the markers to trade positions. They are so tightly adjacent to one another that accurate locational tracking is quite difficult especially when there are gestures and speeds with the hands.
However, by integrating an active marker technology, the quality is greatly improved resulting in reduced cleaning and solving time.
We decided to test our new pipeline by recording a pianist performing a classical composition. A variety of movements across the piano keys was necessary to highlight the intricacy of the performance. More importantly, the capture had to be accurately synced to the music and key striking for the many closeups.
Backgrounds and model assets were purchased since we did not want to develop character designs.