Page 25 - Byte 2022

Generally, light-reflecting or emitting markers are placed on

the actor’s body (or face for facial capture), and the actor is

set up around a set of cameras that can specifically pick up

those markers. As the actor moves, the camera uses the light

from the markers to position them within a three-dimensional

space, and are recorded. From there, the animators get a

‘skeleton’ of the actor’s movements and are able to rig it to

character models, creating animations for the characters.

Now, have you ever played a game that used motion capture

technology for its animation? It may not always occur to

players, but if you’ve played titles such as Control (2019), God

of War (2018), The Last of Us, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, or

Detroit: Become Human, you’ve played a game that utilises

motion capture. Now, game development teams may use this

technology in different ways; for example, Control (2019) and

Detroit: Become Human used their actors’ physical traits in

their respective characters, while God of War (2018) used

actor Christopher Judge’s size in the motion capture for the

main character Kratos, they still crafted a much different-

looking character model than the actor.

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