Everyone knows I love playing videogames! I'm used to playing them but not actually being in them. In this week's episode of Hardwired 2.0 I went behind the scenes of gaming tech and learned how virtual characters are brought to life.
I headed to the Sony Playstation Motion Capture Stage to get suited up to become my own videogame character. The suits are really snug! Make sure to check out the below photo gallery for all of my pics. Markers are placed around your joints (ex: shoulders, elbows, wrists) and are made out of rubber balls wrapped in highly reflective tape. Cameras around the stage shine near-infrared light, which reflects off each marker and is picked up by the computer. It was crazy seeing every gesture recorded!
I got to act against Michelle Lee, an experienced Motion Capture (Mocap) performer. And by act, I mean run and hide -- she's really good at martial arts! You've probably played her characters in Star Wars, Pirates of the Caribbean 3 or Resident Evil. Mocap actors have to be incredibly versatile. Since the camera only picks up the reflective markers Michelle can play as anyone -- even a man!
I loved how real everything looked onscreen. Matthew Bauer, Motion Capture Lead Technician, constructed the virtual world based off of what's placed on the motion capture stage.
Motion capture animation can create any world and any character imaginable. I am so excited to see where things go from here!
What character would you create on a motion capture stage? Join the conversation by tweeting @aoloriginals, @ijustine, #AolHardwired #gethardwired!
