iPi Soft Releases iPi Motion Capture™ Version 2.0

MOSCOW--(BUSINESS WIRE)--iPi Soft, LLC, today announced the availability of iPi Motion Capture™ Version 2.0 – the next generation in the company’s scalable line of markerless motion capture software technology. The new version provides filmmakers, CG animators, broadcast motion graphics designers, videogame developers and prosumers in entertainment and other vertical markets, with a toolkit for creating realistic human characters, improved accuracy and new workflow enhancements, including fingers key-framing, female character tracking, and support for an array of motion sensor devices, including ASUS Xtion and Kinect for Windows.

“The ability to track the movements of more than one actor, and the new rigging and capture features will allow us to capture more complex movements, more quickly. We can´t wait to get our hands on it!”

Click here to view a demo of iPi Motion Capture™ Version 2.0 in action: http://youtu.be/3fFhEftw7P4

Today’s announcement follows on the successful introduction in late 2011 of iPi Soft support for two Kinect sensors – marking the first time in history that users could have two of the popular game devices working at the same time on the same PC to capture complex human motions, including 360-degrees turns.

iPi Soft Founder and Chief Technology Architect, Michael Nikonov, states that many of the improved features in iPi Motion Capture Version 2.0 came as the result of listening to user feedback. “iPi Soft is committed to developing rock-solid performance and breakthrough markerless motion capture technology that can be easily integrated into any artists’ pipeline for believable character motion at an affordable price point,” says Nikonov. “The new data formats in Version 2.0 deliver more efficient motion capture data recording on portable computers that will immediately help our customers meet the challenges of compositing believable characters into immersive 3D environments. Throughout 2012, we plan to continue the evolution of our software as well as introduce new features to Version 2.0, including props tracking and multiple people tracking.”

For J.J. Palomo, Creative Director at Big Lazy Robot – the Barcelona, Spain-based animation/visual effects studio that used iPi Motion Capture extensively on their short film trailer, “Keloid,” which influential motion graphics blog Motionographer.com called “stunning” – the new version will play an increased role in their creative workflow.

“iPi Soft’s markerless software solution has been an essential motion capture tool in our production pipeline and we’re excited to take advantage of the feature enhancements in version 2.0,” Palomo says. “The ability to track the movements of more than one actor, and the new rigging and capture features will allow us to capture more complex movements, more quickly. We can´t wait to get our hands on it!”

Key Highlights of iPi Motion Capture Version 2.0

The new iPi Motion Capture Version 2.0 features:

• New actor appearance models and skeleton structure with improved accuracy for head/hands tracking (Note: multiple person tracking and props tracking scheduled for release in the coming months.)

• Optimized tracking of female characters

• New project file format, including data for fingers and props

• Improved tracking accuracy

• New custom “iPi Video” format with useful features specific to motion capture use

• Better video compression offering higher compression ratios, a plus for users dealing with large amounts of recorded video

• Support for new devices: ASUS Xtion and Kinect for Windows

• Depth and RGB video recording for ASUS Xtion sensor

• Support for latest official Kinect for Windows drivers

• Workflow improvements such as “New project” wizard that makes it easy for new users to get started, and “Recent files” caching for advanced users.

Pricing and Availability

Pricing for the iPi Motion Capture software line is $295.00 for the Express version; $595.00 for the Basic version; and $1195.00 for the Standard version. The upgrade path to Version 2.0 is free for anyone who purchased the software within the last three months. For a complete product comparison guide, additional upgrade information, or to download a free trial of iPi Soft Motion Capture, please visit: http://www.ipisoft.com/V2_0_rel.html.

About iPi Motion Capture:

iPi Motion Capture is a markerless motion capture software tool that uses sophisticated image processing and computer vision algorithms to recognize and track the human body. The scalable system supports dual Kinect cameras working at the same time on the same PC capturing complex motions, including 360-degrees turns. It also supports other inexpensive off-the-shelf equipment such as PlayStation Eye cameras and webcams.

iPi Motion Capture brings a totally new workflow paradigm to filmmakers, CG animator broadcast motion graphics designers, videogame developers and prosumers in entertainment, military and other vertical markets. Captured animations do not exhibit artifacts like jitter or foot skate and can be exported in popular animation formats including FBX, BVH and COLLADA. The software is compatible with many leading game engines, 3D software applications and animation rigs, including MAXON CINEMA 4D, Autodesk Maya, Autodesk 3D Studio Max, DAZ 3D DAZ Studio, Poser, Valve Source Engine, Unreal Engine, Unity and others. It also includes an integrated motion transfer engine and supports accurate motion retargeting for custom rigs.

About iPi Soft:

Launched in 2008 by CEO and Chief Technology Architect Michael Nikonov, iPi Soft, LLC is the Moscow-based developer of iPi Motion Capture, a markerless motion capture software tool that uses sophisticated image processing and computer vision algorithms to recognize and track the human body. The company’s breakthrough technology digitizes the movement of a human skeleton, rendering it in expressive 3D characters for video games or computer generated films. Additional information on iPi Soft is available at http://www.ipisoft.com.

All trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

Web Resources
iPi Soft website: www.iPiSoft.com

iPi Soft Motion Capture Version 2.0 images:
http://www.ipisoft.com/pr/screenshots/ipi_v2_screenshot1.tif
http://www.ipisoft.com/pr/screenshots/ipi_v2_screenshot2.tif
http://www.ipisoft.com/pr/screenshots/ipi_v2_screenshot3.tif

iPi Soft Motion Capture Version 2.0 video:
http://www.ipisoft.com/pr/iPi_Mocap_v2_Demo.wmv
http://www.ipisoft.com/pr/iPi_Mocap_v2_Demo.mp4
http://youtu.be/3fFhEftw7P4

Big Lazy Robot website:
http://www.biglazyrobot.com/