Motion Capture in Expensive Studios is History

Motion Capture in Expensive Studios is History

Moven Offers Unprecedented Ease of Use, Accuracy and Freedom of Movement

ENSCHEDE, The Netherlands, June 28/PRNewswire/ -- Xsens Technologies B.V. announced today the launch of the ground-breaking new motion capture system 'Moven'. Moven, a comfortable suit with integrated inertial sensors, captures human motion in real-time with unprecedented life-like fluidity and ease-of-use. Moven can be used anywhere, whether indoors or outdoors, without the need for a fixed setup. "Motion capture in specially equipped expensive studios is now a thing of the past", says Per Slycke, CTO of Xsens. "With Moven you can do mocap on location, with the actor wearing clothing over the suit without ever needing to worry about occlusion or missing markers. What's more, the wireless system makes mocap easy to use and the advanced biomechanical modelling used in Moven makes complicated, lengthy calibrations unnecessary". In addition, Moven is offered a price point that enables a much wider uptake of mocap technology in the industry, starting today.

Advantages

Moven transmits the motion data wirelessly to a laptop which calculates the position and orientation of all body segments in real-time. As specialist in inertial sensor technology and with a proven track record in supplying the biomechanics community, Xsens makes full use of the sensor data, enabling unprecedented freedom of movement, dynamic range and accuracy. Neither cameras, emitters, markers nor a dedicated studio are needed to perform a motion capture session. Motion capture on location is a great advantage to the actor, creative director and animator. Being able to integrate the mocap session with the actual filming on location, the creative director can focus on the actor performance while viewing the captured 3D data in real-time. The animator can work with the live footage and the mocap data to optimize the integration of the 3D character in the scene.

Easy to use software

Moven makes motion capture as simple as using any plug-and-play device: install the software, plug in the hardware, and the system is up and running. Setup time is less than 10 minutes. Moven can even be operated by the actor himself, no assistance is needed in the calibration procedure or in the recording session. The software (Moven Studio) gives a real-time view of the actor and offers the opportunity to evaluate recorded motions by playing it back in normal, fast and slow motion. Moven Studio provides a data format which is compatible with all major 3D content creation software such as 3ds Max, Maya, MotionBuilder, Softimage|XSI or Lightwave 3D.

Customers

Moven is a great tool, as experienced by customers such as Syndicate Entertainment and Gearbox Software, LLC. Syndicate, a visual effect studio specialized in digital imagery for motion media, has selected Moven as their in-house motion capture system. Syndicate was looking for an affordable system that was flexible and easy to use. Gearbox, one of the world's leading independent video game developers, has selected Moven to optimize their game production pipeline. Vice President of Gearbox, Mr. Putnam about Moven: "By using two Moven systems we can capture multiple actors simultaneously in a fighting or combat scene. An actor who plays a soldier can wear the Moven suit underneath his military attire, which results in more realistic motions".

Siggraph

Xsens will launch Moven to the international community on 7-9 August at Siggraph 2007 in San Diego, California. Visitors are welcome to booth 109 for a comprehensive hands-on demonstration of the system and its capabilities.

About Xsens Technologies B.V.

Xsens Technologies B.V. is a leading supplier of products for measurement of motion, orientation and position, based upon miniature MEMS inertial sensor technology. Xsens' products are used in various markets such as 3D animation, movement science, robotics and unmanned systems. Xsens' latest product is the inertial motion capture suit Moven. Xsens is based in Enschede, The Netherlands. For additional information, please visit www.xsens.com or www.moven.com

About Gearbox Software, LLC

Gearbox Software, LLC is an independent, award-winning developer of interactive entertainment responsible for best-selling titles on all major gaming platforms e.g. 'Brothers in Arms' (published by Ubisoft Entertainment), 'Half-Life Counter Strike' (published with Valve by Sierra Studios), 'Halo-PC (published with Bungie by Microsoft); Gearbox is currently working on 'Brothers in Arms - Hell's Highway' and 'Aliens - FPS' (to be published with Fox Entertainment by SEGA). By employing the industry's most talented people and using proven production methods, Gearbox creates games that are technologically advanced, creative and above all, fun to play. Gearbox Software, LLC is based in Plano, Texas, USA. For additional information, please visit www.gearboxsoftware.com

About Syndicate

Syndicate Entertainment is a visual effects studio specialized in digital imagery for motion media. While the company has only been established for seven years, end clients such as Kylie Minogue, Depeche Mode, Beyonce, IKEA, Honda, Audi, Peugeot, Toyota, Renault, SAAB, Volvo, Coca Cola, Hoover, Nike and many more have put their trust in the work that Syndicate have done in collaboration with production companies and advertising agencies from all over the world. Syndicate Entertainment is based in Stockholm, Sweden. For additional information, please visit www.syndicate.se

All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Web: http://www.xsens.com / http://www.moven.com

Illustrations and photo materials: www.xsens.com/download/moven_film.zip

Source: Xsens Technologies B.V.

Contacts: Xsens Technologies B.V, E-mail: info@xsens.com, Phone: +31-88-XSENS-00 (+31-88-97367-00); Public Relations: Laurens Oude Elberink, Laurens@xsens.com

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Profile: International Entertainment