ISB 2017 – Table Tennis

In June 2017 Tracklab joined forces with OptiTrack for ISB 2017 in Brisbane. It was the XXVI Congress of the International Society of Biomechanics incorporating the 9th Asian-Pacific Conference on Biomechanics (AP Biomech 2017). At past events OptiTrack had demonstrated the capabilities of their systems by live tracking intense activities such as basketball and skateboarding so we thought we’d try something a little different and chose table tennis, also known as ping pong. In table tennis play is fast and demands quick reactions, ideal for illustrating OptiTrack camera capabilities. The fact that the playing area fit in our exhibition stand made it a perfect sport for putting the OptiTrack tracking system through it’s paces.

Table Tennis Australia were very enthusiastic about the project and extremely helpful providing players and equipment through the course of the exhibition. We equipped the players with tracking suits and placed markers on the balls and paddles.

Players quickly adapted to the suits and modified equipment and we were able to capture the action.

Captured using Prime cameras.

The OptiTrack Unity3D Plugin allows real-time streaming of live or recorded motion tracking data from Motive into Unity. Kinetic data from both rigid body and skeleton tracking can be streamed via the plugin, and received data can be used for animating objects and characters within a scene in Unity. The plugin contents are distributed in a unitypackage format and you can simply load this file into Unity projects. Once imported, the included C# scripts can be attached to Unity objects for instantiating a client and receiving the tracking data.

Unity Plugin 1.1.0

Released December 5, 2017

Real-time interface for streaming 6DoF rigid body data to Unity.

Details & Requirements

• Release Date: December 05, 2017
• File Format: unitypackage
• Works with:
  • Windows 32-bit, Windows 64-bit, Android armeabi-v7a, and Android x86.
  • Tested with Oculus Rift DK2, CV1, and Samsung Gear VR.
  • Tested with Unity versions 2017.2.0f3, 2017.1.0p4, and 5.6.4p3.

Changelogs

Unity Plugin 1.1.0 December 05, 2017

• Implemented late update functionality when using Unity 2017.1+, which reduces render transform latency for both rigid body and HMD components.
• Added support for alternative HMD rigid body streaming orientations.
• Added Mecanim finger retargeting support.
• Improved handling of HMD disconnection and reconnection.
• Compatibility updates for Unity 2017.2.
• Updated NatNetLib to version 3.0.1.

Click here to download it now www.optitrack.com/downloads/plugins.html

Deakin Motion.Lab Powered By OptiTrack

Deakin Motion.Lab, located in the heart of Deakin University’s Burwood Campus in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, is one of Australia’s leading motion capture facilities and is now powered by OptiTrack.

They describe themselves as a creative consultancy company with a research background specialising in content for VR & AR, motion capture and complex projects. These pioneers of mocap provide commercial services as well as research and design to a wide range of industries, including gaming, events, film, advertising and performance solutions. While DML employs a sizable staff directly they are also part of a much larger research centre and the School of Communication and Creative Arts.

DML’s OptiTrack Prime 41 and Prime 17W cameras

The facility at DML boasts a large in house tracking area which is well covered by their combination of new OptiTrack Prime 41 and Prime 17W cameras. The system is providing fantastic results and has proven to be very powerful, tracking 15 people without a problem in tests, a number not limited by the system but rather the amount of markers and suits the team had available.

The team at DML have found that the OptiTrack cameras pack a real punch for their price, and as they often take their technology on the road have found the OptiTrack solution to be more portable and provide greater flexibility, even allowing for the possibility of working in outdoor environments. They’ve also found them more reliable, easier to connect, recalibrate and set up.

Two of DML’s roster of highly experienced mocap trained actors, drive characters in real time, using data streamed live OptiTrack’s  Motive:Body software.

“We are extremely proud to have OptiTrack systems exceeding expectations at Deakin Motion.Lab” said Chris Sutton, Tracklab Director. “The affordability, power, flexibility and reliability of the OptiTrack cameras are second to none and we are seeing a huge amount of enthusiasm for the OptiTrack solutions across many markets. We were thrilled to be given the opportunity to bid for the DML installation and we are very excited to see what DML will achieve with their system in the future.”

We caught up with Dr. Jordan Beth Vincent, Research Fellow at Deakin Motion.Lab, a few months after the OptiTrack solution had been put through its paces to find out how it was fitting in at DML.

Can you provide a brief description of the requirements that lead to purchasing your new OptiTrack system?
Deakin Motion.Lab was first established in 2006, as a way to provide motion capture capacity both to research interests and for the Melbourne-based film, games and television industry. Our facility is commercial grade and state-of-the art. After ten years we were ready to update our system. We spent about a year exploring all the motion capture solutions on the market before deciding to invest in a large OptiTrack system. It was important to us to work with a local distributor like Tracklab, to find a system that was modular enough to accommodate the range of work we do, but also could be reasonably mobile. Our work often takes us outside of our home studio in Burwood, and the OptiTrack system is lightweight, easy to set up and calibrate.

What equipment was required?
We purchased a split system of the Prime 41s and the 17W. We are very happy with the field of view from 17W camera. Combining that with the strength of the Prime 41 has allowed us to construct a system that can cover our volume very well, and almost completely eliminate occlusion of markers even with multiple talents on stage.

OptiTrack’s top of the range Prime 41 camera.

How have you found the OptiTrack system?
We have been really pleased with the new system. Our move to OptiTrack was not spur-of-the-moment—we worked with an eight camera demo system that Tracklab supplied us before making the decision, so we were very aware of the benefits and capabilities of the system.

What assistance was required?
The ability to test out the OptiTrack cameras in our own studio was crucial to making an informed decision, and Chris, from Tracklab, was able to help facilitate that for us.

What services do you provide?
We consider ourselves a creative consultancy, but are very proud of our strong research background at Deakin University. We provide motion capture services, VR/AR design and implementation, app design, virtual production and real-time animation, and have worked on a range of projects that bring art, movement and technology together. Our work is out-of-the-box and cutting edge, and we spend a great deal of time working on blue-sky, creative research projects that allow us to really push the boundaries of design and technology.

Can anyone walk in off the street and access your services?
Yes, we are always happy to discuss projects and industry collaborations. Our contact details are on our website at www.deakinmotionlab.com

What are some of the more recognisable works you’ve been involved in?
Our work has been presented on the main stage of Federation Square for White Night Melbourne, at the Melbourne Festival, at the opening performance of the Unite Conference, and we even had a role in a recent performance for the Adobe Symposium. We’ve done motion capture for film, television and gaming, winning awards for collaborations on high-profile projects. You can see some more details at our website at www.deakinmotionlab.com

If you would like to see how Tracklab can help you with OptiTrack systems or services please Contact Us.

OptiTrack delivers the best active tracking solution ever built, with the lowest deployment cost for theme park scaled VR experiences

OptiTrack today introduced OptiTrack Active, a solution tailored specifically for out-of-home, theme park scaled virtual reality (VR) experiences. This advancement enables greatly simplified manufacturing and deployment efforts for large-scale, multi-user VR experiences. OptiTrack Active will be showcased using Oculus HMDs, Striker VR weapons, and MSI VR One Backpack PCs in the OptiTrack booth (#2002, South Hall) at the 2017 Game Developers Conference, held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco March 1-3.

At the core of OptiTrack Active are infra-red LEDs synchronized with OptiTrack’s low latency, high frame rate, Slim 13E cameras, thereby delivering real time marker identification as well as positioning. This differs from OptiTrack’s passive solution, which requires that reflective markers be configured in unique patterns for each tracked object. This can add a great deal of complexity for high volume manufacturing and large scale deployments of HMDs or weapons. With OptiTrack Active over 100 objects can be tracked simultaneously over areas greater than 100’x100’ (30mx30m), while maintaining world leading precision and low latency.

“We heard the market loud and clear – the leaders in the out-of-home VR space wanted all the tracking performance that OptiTrack systems deliver, but with a way that allows them to build and deploy 500 identical HMDs, not 500 slightly different configurations. The result is the best active tracking system ever built and the lowest cost to rollout to dozens of sites” said Brian Nilles, OptiTrack’s Chief Strategy Officer. “The Slim13E camera, designed specifically for OptiTrack Active, delivers 240fps freeze frame capture and is also 40% lower cost than its passive tracking equivalent. We delivered in every category, one sku manufacturing, dramatically lower overall system cost – and we even improved the tracking quality.”