NEW! Version 3 of iPi Motion Capture is available. iPi Motion Capture 3 delivers new features for improved workflow including support of Kinect 2, improved arms tracking, simplified calibration and others. Read more >>
This documentation corresponds to version 2 of iPi Motion Capture. The latest documentation for version 3 can be found at https://docs.ipisoft.com/
Getting started with hand keyframing
Why
Mocap capabilities of iPi Mocap Studio lack tracking finger poses. Mainly because the resolution of input data is not sufficient for that. When it comes to hands, there is a need for employing the traditional keyframing technique in 3d party animation software. However, when doing keyframing over mocap data, it is very convenient to have a video reference. And iPi Mocap Studio already has it built-in. Why not to do hand keyframing right in mocap software? Now you can. Meet this new feature of iPi Mocap Studio.
Basics
In iPi Mocap Studio, each key frame is indeed represented by a segment of time usually occupying more than a single frame of the animation, much like takes. In the last frame of this segment, there is a pose correspoding to this key frame, the key pose. Within the duration of the key frame's time segment, the pose is interpolated from the previous pose to the key pose. After the last frame of the key frame, the key pose continues till the start of the next key frame.
Timeline has got 2 new tracks — Right hand and Left hand. Here you manage key frames for finger poses of the two hands of the model, accordingly. To insert a key frame in the current frame, you can do one of the following:
- Manually edit one of the finger bones with the Rotate tool
- Click Insert Key Frame for Right Hand or Insert Key Frame for Left Hand menu item from the context menu of the timeline
- Paste a pose data containing the finger bones rotations from the clipboard
Key frames are shown as triangles, with an apex at the beginning. You can easily move a key frame by dragging it with the left mouse button. Also, dragging the left edge of a key frame will change its duration. Double-clik on a key frame to quickly go to the last frame of a key frame, which contains the key pose.
Notes
- When using the Paste Pose within ROI command, the finger bones are not touched. Use direct manipulation with hand key frames to massively edit finger poses.
- When editing the fingers pose in the middle of an existing key frame, it is automatically split in two parts. When editing the pose in the last frame of a key frame, its key pose is changed, and no new key frame is created.
