[Rokoko] Technical Director Reviews Motion Capture at a Glance #6
Hello, I am Zhang, an Associate Technical Director at BASSDRUM.
In the sixth motion capture review by BASSDRUM, we will be covering Rokoko, which is the most widely used in the world.
We will review Rokoko from a Technical Director's perspective, based on the following criteria.
Let's get started!
※ All information in this article is as of August 2023.
(Tested on: June 15th, 2023)
(Tested suit: Rokoko SMARTSUIT PRO)
Product Overview
Rokoko is an inertial sensor-based motion capture system. By using gloves available for separate purchase and an associated app, it can capture and replicate expressions and finger movements with precision, unlike many other motion capture systems.
Furthermore, they offer a video analysis service that leverages AI, similar to Move.ai (known as Rokoko Video).
Beyond AR/VR content development, Rokoko is also making strides in areas such as academic research.
One could say that Rokoko is an innovative motion capture system that's easily accessible to individuals.
Doing some final touches on the animations
Official Website
https://jp.rokoko.com/
Price
Starting from 280,000 yen
How to Use
Rokoko Onboarding - Get started with your tools
Overall Evaluation
Accuracy: ★★☆☆☆
Latency: ★★★☆☆
Ease of Use: ★★★★☆
Integration with Other Software: ★★★★☆
Price: ★★★★☆
Pros
More affordable than other suit-based motion capture systems.
The suit has built-in WiFi, allowing for outdoor recording.
Supports real-time integration with numerous software.
Using a dedicated app (iOS only), facial expressions can be recorded simultaneously.
No need to secure a dedicated space.
Cons
Accuracy is lower than optical systems.
Over time, discrepancies and offsets might occur.
Drift in movement can occasionally occur.
When communicating with a PC via WiFi, the firewall must sometimes be disabled to establish a connection.
Who is it best suited for?
This product would be highly recommended for those who want to use an easy-to-handle motion capture suit, or for individuals looking to start their own motion capture endeavors. If real-time performance isn't a major concern, then it might be a good idea to consider using the free Rokoko Studio Starter or their latest video analysis service, Rokoko Video.
Accuracy: ★★☆☆☆
Essentially, the movements are accurately reflected in the model. However, just like XSENS, the sensors embedded in the suit capture relative positions, making it prone to drift.
Test environment:
Hardware:
Smartsuit Pro
Software:
Rokoko Studio Starter
The movements tested in this review include:
Arms raised in triumph ("Banzai")
Crossing arms
Jumping
Sitting on the floor cross-legged
Sitting on the floor with legs stretched out
Sitting on the floor in a traditional Japanese style (seiza)
Transition from standing to sitting on a chair and vice versa
Please take a look at the test footage first.
Overall, using it in real-time seems a bit challenging. However, it's important to note that the suit used in our test is the first-generation Smartsuit Pro, which might have slightly reduced accuracy. With the current version, the Smartsuit Pro II, and the latest firmware, improvements in drift and errors are anticipated, and it's expected to capture data with higher precision.
Furthermore, a new product named Coil Pro was announced on June 15, 2023. According to the official website, Coil Pro utilizes the EMF (Electromagnetic Field) sensor data from the Smartgloves to establish the absolute position of hands and fingers, which in turn estimates the global position of the body as a corrective mechanism. By using it simultaneously with the IMF sensor data from the Smartsuit Pro II, it can overcome drift and occlusion. The introduction of Coil Pro is likely to enhance the accuracy of Rokoko even further.
Latency: ★★★☆☆
There's hardly any delay.
Ease of Use: ★★★★☆
Compared to other motion capture suits, it's a considerably user-friendly setup.
You can get everything set up and ready for motion capture in just about 10 minutes. Since it uses the relative positioning of inertial sensors, there's no need to secure a designated space. This means you can record virtually anywhere with relative freedom.
Required Equipment:
Suit (Smartsuit Pro II)
Gloves (Smartgloves) (if capturing hand movements)
Software (Rokoko Studio)
Minimum space needed: None
Number of people required (including actor): 1
Setup time: About 8 minutes
Suit setup: Around 5 minutes
Suit dressing: Approximately 3 minutes
Calibration: Roughly 0.2 minutes
Rokoko connects to the PC via WiFi, ensuring stable position tracking for distances up to 100 meters. However, depending on the protocol settings, you might need to turn off the PC's firewall.
Integration with Other Software: ★★★★☆
For those using Rokoko Studio's plans beyond the Starter (such as Plus and Pro), there are official integration plugins available. By utilizing these plugins, it's feasible to stream data directly to the mentioned software and retarget it in real time. It appears to be compatible with almost all mainstream software. Could this be deemed perfect?
Real-time integrations with Rokoko plugins
Officially Supported Software:
Various plugins are offered for free, and tutorial videos are also available.
Price: ★★★★☆
Compared to Vicon, Movella Xsens, Rokoko offers a considerably more affordable motion capture suit.
Full Performance Capture Bundle: ¥485,000
Smartsuit Pro II
Smartgloves
FaceCap Body Mount
One-year license of Rokoko Studio Plus
One-year license of Face Capture
Face Capture Bundle: ¥95,000
FaceCap Body Mount
One-year license of Rokoko Studio Plus
One-year license of Face Capture
If purchased separately, the prices are as follows:
Hardware:
Smartsuit Pro II: ¥280,000
Smartgloves: ¥210,000
FaceCap Body Mount: ¥15,000
Coil Pro: ¥280,000*
Software:
Rokoko Studio:
Starter: Free
Plus: $20/month
Pro: $50/month
Enterprise: Inquire for details
Face Capture: $40/month
*As of August 2023, the Coil Pro is yet to be released.
Rokoko Studio offers a free plan called "Starter." While it allows for general recording, it has a limitation in that it does not support integration with other software. Therefore, for those who want to use it in real-time, the paid plans are recommended.
Running Costs: None.
Other Information:
You can choose from four sizes for the suit and gloves: S, M, L, and XL. Please refer to the table below.
You can also use the smartphone app available for iOS. Through the app, you can capture facial movements, check the motion, and manage operations such as starting and stopping recordings.
Rokoko offers a free video analysis service called "Rokoko Video." Similar to Move.ai, it utilizes AI to analyze poses and predicts the positions of each joint in the body, allowing for motion capture. This innovative approach enables users to obtain motion data without the need for specialized hardware, simply from video footage.
Rokoko Studio can also be integrated with Mocopi. By simply wearing Mocopi instead of the Rokoko suit, users can capture motion. This offers a flexible approach for those who might prefer the Mocopi setup or are looking for alternative methods for motion capture without committing to a full suit system.
That concludes our sixth motion capture review, where we featured "Rokoko"!
Next time, we'll be reviewing "Perception Neuron". Stay tuned!