Unity Technologies makes the Unity game engine, and developers can purchase pre-made assets in the Unity Asset Store and easily import them for use in games under development. The whole idea is to break down the cost and accessibility barriers for professional motion capture, and that fits with Unity’s mission of democratizing game development for all developers, big and small.
The Smartsuit Pro is a sensor-based motion capture studio in one wireless body suit. It enables users to capture the physical world with precision and ease. It is mobile, accessible, and cost-effective compared to traditional motion capture systems, which typically cost more than $100,000. Prior to its official unveiling, Rokoko has already placed units with notable, preselected creative teams at film and game studios around the world.
“This is a dream come true for Rokoko,” said Jakob Balslev, CEO at Rokoko, in a statement. “Unity took the expensive and restrictive tools of game development and made them available to all the creative people who had so much to contribute but never had access before. That is exactly what we want to do with character animation. Understanding human motion is the next frontier, and Rokoko will be at the center of it.”
The Smartsuit Pro has seamless integration with leading software development platforms, including Unity, Unreal Engine 4, and MotionBuilder. No technical expertise is required for setup, ensuring that a wide range of artists and animators can leverage this critical tool to help transform their creative visions into reality with ease, the company said.
“The partnership between Rokoko and Unity is an excellent blend of two companies who are breaking the barriers for development — in this case, providing access to tools that have the potential to transform the way developers work with character animation,” said Peter O’Reilly, head of the Asset Store at Unity Technologies, in a statement. “This has previously been a very costly, and time-consuming endeavor. We’re excited to work with a passionate team who shares our vision to solve hard problems for our
community.”
Above: Rokoko’s Motion Library
Image Credit: Rokoko
The Smartsuit Pro’s mobile design requires minimal space to operate, meaning design teams no longer need a dedicated studio space to service their mocap needs. It targets both high-end studios that need a complimentary, nimble piece of tech to support their day-to-day development and mid-range indies who’ve never had the chance to access mocap.
The partnership marks the availability of The Motion Library: an extensive motion asset marketplace with Hollywood-quality animation files accessible for preview and purchase via a plugin and on the Unity Asset Store.
For free, Unity developers can get access to the plugin, along with a collection of demo assets and 3D previews of thousands of premium assets made by Rokoko’s featured publishers, which include top-tier professional motion capture studios like UK-based Audiomotion (Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Ready Player One, Horizon Zero Dawn, Dying Light) and Centroid (Assassin’s Creed, Godzilla, Doctor Strange).
Publishers have used professional actors and million dollar motion capture systems to create assets that are now available in the Motion Library for as little as $1 per asset and a $10 monthly subscription.
Above: Rokoko’s mocap suit.
Image Credit: Rokoko
Rokoko bills its Smartsuit Pro as an entire motion capture studio in one markerless suit, enabling creators on all levels to turn any space into a professional motion capture stage. Later in 2018, Rokoko will launch The Motion Library to developers on all other platforms at www.motionlibrary.com.
Rokoko was founded in Copenhagen in 2014 by Balslev, Matias Søndergaard, and Anders Klok. It now also has an office in San Francisco.
