3d character animation:

3d character animation is quit popular among the young generation and the adults as well. A popular way of 3d character animation is by using motion capture hardware. Motion captures dates back as early as 1915 when it was invented by Max Fleischer, involving only the use of cameras and drawings. In the earliest stages of 3d character animation it was the study and capture of human and animal locomotion, known as rotoscoping. This information helped the artists who deal with animating cartoons, such as Koko the Clown and Snow White. The pioneer of turning this work into entertainment was Walt Disney, which was without a doubt the most successful and well known 2D entertainer.

3d character animation is now used to digitally capture human movements using specialized hardware, often in the form of a motion capture suit worn by the individual. There are four types of 3d character animation systems. The first is inertial motion capture systems, which utilise a number of tiny sensors to track the motion of joints and limbs. This data is then sent wirelessly to the host computer, which requires no external tracking hardware such as cameras etc.

Mechanical motion capture systems is another form of 3d character animation, which come in the form of a set of semi rigid plastic rods, containing a number of potentiometers that measure the movement and angle of the joints. The suit is worn like an exoskeleton, with the control box located on the waist or back of the user. The advantages of this system of 3d character animation are that it is occlusion free and low cost, making it a popular choice for small studios and educational institutes.

Magnetic 3d character animation systems use a series of coils through the suit that measure changes in voltage and current, to determine position and orientation of parts of the suit. The benefits of this 3d character animation are similar to the mechanical systems, in that they are not subject to occlusion or interference from reflective surfaces. However, they are vulnerable to EM and electrical interference.