How does motion capture work?

A mocap camera never sees the actor, only bright dots on black. Optical mocap happens on a stage ringed by 12 to 48 infrared cameras. The performer wears 40 to 60 markers covered in retroreflective tape, which bounce the cameras' infrared light straight back.

Read how it works: How does motion capture work? · The history of motion capture · More boxes on Glassbox

Chapters in this interactive model

1. The capture volume: A ring of infrared cameras watches a performer covered in shiny dots.
2. Where two rays meet: One camera gives a direction. Two or more give a point in 3D.
3. From dots to a creature: Name the dots, fit a skeleton, then hand the motion to someone else’s body.
4. Faces and fingers: A camera on a boom watches dots on the face; gloves read the fingers.
5. Other ways to capture: Motion sensors in a suit, AI that watches ordinary video, and your phone.
6. On set: performance capture: The director sees the creature live, then artists clean and polish the data.