With the progress of technology, progress is also made in its applications, one of the fields that moves on the wave of this progress is the field of content production and film making. Creating different scenes in this industry along with different characters is often very expensive and difficult and creates limitations. Motion capture technology, with its emergence, has been able to create a revolution in this industry.
You have probably seen the movie Avatar and maybe you have asked yourself what is the technology of creating such interesting and different scenes? The same motion capture!
Of course, this technology is also used in other industries that we have mentioned in this conversation. Ecomotive’s interview is with Nima Tarin, a technical expert of Vaikan UK in Iran and the CEO of NITEC. This technology in Raymon Media Innovation Center is established Follow our conversation:
Tell us about motion capture technology and its applications:
Motion capture technology or mocap for short is used to record the movements of subjects and objects in a 3D space, finally we get the 3D coordinates of subjects and objects in the relevant software.
In this technology, there are cameras that can record the characters wearing marked clothes while moving and simulate them in virtual space with desired images in the software. Like the characters of the movie Avatar.
The applications of technology in the filmmaking, animation and game industries are used to create movements. This technology is used to record expensive scenes and those scenes are simulated in the studio.
It is also used in the medical field to diagnose muscle and skeletal problems before surgery and helps doctors make decisions about high-risk surgeries.
In sports, athletes get help from this technology to correct their sports movements.
This technology is used in the research field of robotics, engineering, sports and medicine, etc. for simulation.
Reputable advertising agencies in the world also use this technology to make advertising teasers.
When did this technology enter the country and in what fields is it used?
About 20 years ago, with a slight delay in the use of this technology in prestigious research and university centers in the world, a little later it entered the prestigious universities of our country and was used in research affairs, and after a few years, the studios in the field of film production and animation were working in Iran, they were equipped with this technology. In the world as well as in Iran, this technology is used in film and animation studios, games, in university research centers and treatment centers of sports, medical sciences, engineering and robotics departments.
What potential do you see for using this technology in the country?
Considering that the arrival of technologies always makes things easier than in the past and there is always a need for technology in developing societies, motion capture technology also has many applications in the mentioned fields, which are definitely in the domestic market. It can play a significant role.
There are many potentials in the field of treatment, for example, there is a large market in gait analysis (walking of patients with muscular and skeletal problems) and prescription of surgery, occupational therapy or physiotherapy because there is only one equipped center in the country.
Also, a small part of this technology is used in the broadcasting and visual content production industry, and they also export their products.
What are the challenges in using motion capture?
There are very few operators who are proficient in technology, the equipment in this field is often imported, the motion costumes must fit the actors, and different sizes and genders are challenging for us because the import is very expensive and the production is not done in the country due to the lack of support. . Even the repairs of this equipment must be referred abroad.
Since this technology is imported and the national currency of our country is far away from the dollar and euro, the import of the relevant equipment requires a lot of funds, which is difficult and impossible for the centers considering the current economic conditions. Since 2018, the relevant equipment has not been imported into the country, and this has caused the country to lag behind in the application of this technology in the target areas.
What has been used in Raymon so far?
Some of the scenes of the film Meteri Shish and Nim, Salam Bar Ibrahim, Sefir Eshgh, Zalava, Destruction Operation, Jawan Mardan and promotional teasers of the Bijan and Hoffman brand were captured in this studio.
Has there been training or information in the country to use this technology?
I can say no, considering that the country’s national media plays a significant role in information, as well as the private sector, they have not had any targeted advertising or information in this area.
Maybe this technology has been looked at in passing in a project. While motion capture studios are the heart of the cinema industry in the world, no detailed information about it has been published in the country.
For example, in virtual production studios in the world, where real and virtual characters are placed in real space, and it is used to make live news programs, live TV shows, which even the specialized space of the country often does not know about.
Apart from Raymon, what other centers are equipped with this technology?
According to the information I have, a large number of prestigious university centers in the country are using this technology in the field of research and education as well as in the field of treatment. Also, Raymon Media Center has the most equipped studio in the field of animation, film and game production in Iran, which is not similar to this center in Iran, and unfortunately, due to the lack of knowledge of motion capture technology in the field of cinema and games in the country, from all Its capacity is currently not used.
In Raymon Media, there is a studio with a capacity of 14 x 14 meters with a height of 5 meters, which is the only professional motion capture studio in Iran, and has 24 Vantage 16 megapixel cameras from the company Vaikan, which was purchased by the group in 2018.
This technology has the ability to record movements and capture 7 actors simultaneously in full body.
Is there an alternative or competing technology for motion capture?
It can be said that there is no significant competitive capacity in this field. This technology has undergone many changes due to the passage of time and the advancements in this field in the world, almost due to the reduction of the cost of the required equipment and the increase of users in this field, the prominent manufacturers are competing and every year they are upgrading the technology to They are used in their equipment.