Description: Understanding Motion for Character Animation Capture will be the first book to explore the controversial art and practice of modern character animation using motion capture. Character animation is the process by which natural movements are modeled and digitized so that digital character movements appear as natural as possible. Animating motion is critical for the development of applications such as animation, virtual environments and video games. There are three approaches to character animation: keyframe animation, motion capture, and simulation. All three approaches have positive and negative attributes. Motion capture is a very contemporary technique that records a performance which is then translated into mathematical terms.

The most common application of motion capture is in digital game development. Consider the movement of the hero in any action style computer or arcade game. The success of most games depends on the realistic nature of the digital characters' movements. Motion capture provides a great technique to accurately model and define motion as the foundation for game programming. Motion capture applications are not limited to game development and the technique is increasingly being used in television and film production. The promise of motion capture is generally stated as the ability to animate characters via recording movements rather than the labor intensive practice of keyframe animation.

The focus of this book will be to introduce the application, science, and results of motion capture for character animation. The author will weave actual industry experience throughout the book via interviews with motion capture pioneers. This book will be of interest totechnologists involved in 3D animation for games, television, and feature films.

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