I'm having trouble getting a green camera solve out of my match move after I put in some survey info. It seems like it doesn't have a problem with it until I start throwing in more than 2 coordinate values. The track should be relatively simple since I have green markers and it's a building. Does anyone know how to solve this problem? or maybe how to read red markers in a camera solve? some of my measurements could be a little off, but even after altering them a little in each direction, I get the same exact looking solve.
Here's a before and after shot of the bad solve.


It almost looks as if Matchmover is calculating the perspective backwards.
Any advise or help would be great, this is my first matchmove.
Thanks

Dear Forbison,
survey info is very usefull to MM, but only if it is "rock solid"! If you can provide exact (!) survey data, it will increase speed and accuracy of your matchmove. If you are not 100% sure of the survey coordonates and mesurements, you'll be better off not feeding them into MM, since MM will consider them as exact and try to provide a solve based on these coordinates.
Best regards
Tim

Yeah my survey data isn't too exact. Thanks for the tip.
Would it be smarter to use point relations? Or should I rely solely on a coordinate system?

Point relations are more "forgiving" than survey data, but nevertheless, they are relativ to a coordinate system, which should be as precise as possible. It's worth trying...
Also, set the distortion to "constant initialized" if you left it to "known: 0.0000"....
Best regards
Tim

timefx,
I'm still having problems with my solve. I must be missing something. If I uploaded it to an ftp would you be able to take a look at it? Normally I wouldn't ask this much of someone but none of my professors have been able to help me out, they don't know enough MM. It's a 12 second shot.
Thanks

No problem, I'll have a look on it this WE.
If possible, do not compress the footage more than 90% jpg and do keep its original image size.
Please join also any information about camera, focal length, etc and your *.mmf-file.
Best regards
Tim

It's not just the footage though ... you'll need to post the survey data you intend to use as well.
 
How did you make your measurements?
Did you have a full construction-grade survey kit, or did you just measure things with a tape measure?
 
What is your primary purpose for using the measurements?
Does the solve without measurements look bad?
Is there not enough movement in the shot to provide enough parallax shift for a good solution?
 

I didn't know my measurements needed to be so precise, so they are pretty rounded (just used a tape measure). My solve without measurements has a coordinate system problem where I can only get 2 axis to match.
Man, there may not be enough parallax shift in the camera move, I didn't even think about that.
I wish I thought about all this before I shot my footage.

That's usually because very little in the real world actually matches in more than 2 axes.
 
Rounded measurements are typically a big help to the matchmove, since they will actually "fight" against any accurate estimates that the calibration calculation is making.
 
If all you need to do is get the axes configured, I'd recommend defining your Y axis through two point on a single support post ... then define the X axis as being Normal to 3 points ... using points from the posts (make sure you pick two low and one high or two high and one low)...
 
This allows the software to calibrate more accurately than using two points for both axes ... since even that is rarely a genuine 90 degree angle.
 
Hope that helps.

In fact, after looking at your footage, this is also an issue.
To what 3D-programm to you want to export to?
I should be able to send you a file tomorrow...
Best regards
Tim

ok awesome!
export to Maya 8.5 please
 
Thank you so much for helping me out

I just uploaded a rough half-res render to your ftp into the folder "from_movematchers".
It's your MM-project with a calculated distortion of 0.2023 and an additional eye-matched cube.
I'll send you my MM-project tomorrow.
Tim

Files are uploading right now on your ftp.
Best regards
Tim

Thank you so much for all your help Tim! Should I upload a final shot when I finish?

That would be nice! :-)
I've uploaded a QT (4.1M) of my track here: http://www.leprieure-cannes.net/Mo [...] ck_Tim.mov
PS: I also added the corresponding *mmf-file: http://www.leprieure-cannes.net/Mo [...] ck_Tim.mmf
Best regards
Tim

Can someone please help me out with what would be the best way to calibrate my cameras in movimento. i want to do full body but i have no idea on how to do this can someone help please??
 
PS i also have MM too. but rather use movimento its seems easier for us here at the studio.

Dear porckchop,
 
there is a detailed description and tutorials about camera calibration in the manual provided with an official licence.
In short, there is either the automatic calibration with a specific pattern or the manual calibration, just like in MM.
What version and build (Help > About) of Movimento do you use?
 
Best regards
 
Tim

were using movimento ver 1.0 build 18324, i know it has a manual and a tutorial but i cant seem to make heads meet with it, i guess what were looking for is like a calibration for dummies like us. Lol. were really new to this and never done mocap before. BTW it is an official licence.
 
and thank you for the responce, really any help would be appreciated thank you again

Dear porckchop,
 
1st, you should get the latest upgrade.
Are you using fixed or mobile cameras?
Can you provide some footage on a ftp for download and more detailed description, what your job is about?
PS: where are you located?
 
Best regards
 
Tim
 

Were located in Puerto Rico. Our cameras are fixed, meaning stationary on tripods. 1 front cam 1 left cam and 1 right cam. well as for footage all were trying is a simple full body walk stance type just for testing. but as for calibratin we have a 3 foot black stick with 5 ping pong balls attached to it but we cant figure out how to or where do we position it or do we need someone holding it and moving it it all directions?
 
Sorry i cant upload the footage right now but our lines are pretty messed up and our speed is screwy. Still waiting isp to fix.

Dear porckchop,
 
to calibrate your cameras, you'll need to "describe" the space covered by all of them:
For a full-body capture, I would rather suggest a 6-feet stick.
Grab 12 to 25 single images with all cameras synchronised of your pattern all over the covered aerea.
Load these image sequence into MVM and designate a single track for every tracking point at every frame (do not track them over time) but the same track in all of your cameras. If you do 12 frames with a 5-blob pattern, you'll end up with 60 tracks. Automatic calibration will only work, if the pattern is easily detected by MVM (like a LED-stick in a dark studio or blue-screen BGD)
Run the solver (F9) and save as calibration.
Be carefull not to change any camera parameter afterwards: focal length, focus, pan, tilt, position, etc...
I hope this helps.
 
Best regards
 
Tim

So then i take a six foot stick & evenly put 5 blobs on it, then i take 12 to 25 single images, like pictures of the stick at designated area? or in motion? This is what i understand so far.
 
i take the stcik with the 5 blobs, move it to the left of all camera views, then take a picture, then move the same stick to center ,then take another picture, move same stick again and move it to the right of the camera, and so far and so on. Am i right? as for parameters i didnt know i had to put in any.
 
if you have any examples it would be great.
 
thanks again for the rapid help.

BTW i have tried to also import mocap data from the movimento tutorial over to motion builder but it doesnt look good at all it all looks like a bunch of boxes on the floor. we use maya as well just upgraded to 2008.

 
Absolutely. Also, move it for some frames to the far and the near area. Describe it in depth!
It has to be visible by at least 2 cameras to provide calibration information. It is not nessecarely to be seen by all cameras all the time.
 

 
Is is allways recommended to provide known camear parameters as film back width and focal length. For the rest (distortion, translation and rotation) MVM will calculate them. Nevertheless, MVM will allways estimate all of them, if none is known...
 
PS: Did you get the latest build?
 
Best regards
 
Tim

Well weve had this for quite some time now, only we never got around to using it, since we were in the middle of a few projects that pretty much took up all of our time, but the guy that dealt with this area as far as knowledge of mocap ect. Is no longer with us. So hes the one who left us with the program. and cameras. Well we just have the program now, we got hit hard 2 months ago when one of the staff left the rear entrance open & someone stoled most of our equipment. So were starting over again, only our budget isnt the same. So as far as cameras were trying to use webcams until we can get at least 4 high frame cameras again. BTW would it be possible to accomplish with webcams or digital cameras that record video? I mean this would just be temporary until may where well be getting most of the insurance money to buy new cams. Just want to know if we can do something now with what we have. I dont know maybe some tips.
 
Thanks again Tim, you rock

What is the purpous of your Mo-Cap: Game or VFX (if so: TV or cinema)?
The needs may be different and so the equipment (cameras)...
 
Tim

Well we do both film and game, but what i would like to know if i could get away with using a webcam in the mean while.

In general doing Mo-Cap, you'll be looking for:
- high spatial resolution (image size)
- high temporal resolution (fps)
- low compression (lossless, if possible)
- with a reasonable transmission-rate (Mb/sec)
Depending on your computer-power, you'll find such high-profile webcams.
 
For VFX, better do multiple framerates:
PAL 25, 50, 100 fps
NTSC: 30, 60, 120 fps
Film: 24, 48, 96 fps
 
Personally, I recommend NOT going HDV (high compression over multiple frames (GOP: group of pictures) or MPEG in general.
You'll get better results with the PANASONIC P2 DVCproHD (AG-HVX200) at 100Mb/sec.
 
Best regards
 
Tim
 
PS: I'm located in South-France, but being a freelance "world-wide-worker", I wouldn't mind coming to Puerto Rico, if needed...! :-)

We may consider that, thanks for offering, i hope we can do business in the future, but i will keep you in mind, as we will be needing someone with expertise in this field, only now it would be really hard for us to take in another employee as we are now trying to get back on our feet especially after the great loss we went thru. So our budget right now is detrimentally bad. If you would like give me your email address and we can stay in touch once our financial status improves, but yes i would be honored to have you aboard.
 
Now i have one question. O.k. i calibrated and recorded the motion to be used, but when i go and import my mocap data, into motion builder, nothing appears but a sphere on the floor and a backwards camera. it does this whether i export it to fbix or c3d. why isint any of my capture data appearing?

I'm sorry, I'm a movematcher not a MotionBuilder-guy.
Anyone else on this forum with suggestions...?
 
Tim
tim.mendler@movematchers.net

o.k. but what im trying to tell you is that the motion capture data doesnt seem to be exporting.

Can you send me your *.mvf-file via mail?
 
Tim

send me your email address and ill send it

Here it is: tim.mendler@movematchers.net
 
Regards
 
Tim
 

Dear Joey,
 
can you please send me the footage in low-res (compressed), as long as it's the same image-size?
 
Best regards
 
Tim

whay happened the file i sent you is too big?

wait the footage files are 109 mb each or ill just convert them to tiff files instead

Hi, sorry to butt in but I saw your note concerning the MB import.  Porkchop, on your export are you selecting to animate the scene or the camera?
Kim

well im exporting fbx, it doesnt give me any option like that

Hi Joey,
 
if you convert, I recomend jpg @ 90% for tracking and 30% for checking.
Nevertheless, I'm not sure I'll be able to open your "motion_test3.mvf"-file with a image-sequence file, since it was done apparently with *.avi-files.
Can you send my low-res.avi?
 
Tim