Mixamo

Mixamo.com

Mixamo logo
Developer(s)	Mixamo Inc.
Type	Animation
Website	http://www.mixamo.com

Mixamo, Inc. is a web-based character animation company. It is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

History

Currently, the two most common methods for animation are keyframe animation and motion capture. Keyframing, while very precise, is expensive to produce and requires a trained animator to create. Motion Capture (Mocap), while less expensive per second, requires a much larger investment in hardware, software, and man-power (data clean-up, character retargeting, etc). Motion capture data is often compiled in "motion capture libraries," supported both commercially and by educational institutions such as Carnegie Mellon.

A third option was recently introduced by Mixamo Inc. where high-level controls operates over motion mathematical models derived from Mocap or Keyframed animated data. The research that led to the development of such animation method was begun at Stanford University Biomotion Lab by Mixamo's CTO Stefano Corazza, focusing on two concepts: markerless motion capture and generative models.

“Mixamo is the first online platform to enable the application of motion data onto 3ds Max biped characters,” -Marc Stevens, Autodesk vice president, Games Group. “Mixamo’s expansive collection of high-quality motion data — which can be customized in real-time and automatically retargeted —will help to significantly boost productivity for 3ds Max biped users.” ^[1]

Finances

Mixamo has raised $4 million in venture capital (VC) funding from Granite Ventures and Keynote Ventures.

Technology

An example of Mixamo physical and emotional customization sliders.

Mixamo's web implementation of an animation system allows users to automatically apply animations chosen from an expanding catalog to their character's skeleton. Mixamo automatically maps and characterizes the uploaded character's skeleton and applies real-time retargeting to transfer the motion onto it. This technology, combined with the capability of customizing the motion, is defined in a Gamasutra ^[2] article as "adjustable mocap".

Mixamo's ability to merge generative models and markerless motion capture improves the 3D character animation process, helping to reduce production times and boost the creative output of 3D game artists and design professionals. ^[3] While targeted at mid-level game production companies, Mixamo's technology supports platforms ranging from consumer character sources such as Evolver and Turbosquid to game engines and 3D software such as 3Ds Max, Maya, MotionBuilder, Unity, Cinema 4D, and more.

Recently, many industry professionals are also turning procedural animation for their rapid development cycles. Procedural animation defines automatically generate animation in real-time to allow for a more diverse series of actions than could otherwise be created using predefined animations. NaturalMotion, another animation technology company, created a run-time engine called Euphoria, commercializing procedural animation technology which they have termed Dynamic Motion Synthesis (DMS).

Mixamo's technology presents an interesting relationship with procedural animation - not that of a competitive nature but perhaps more symbiotically. Because of the "real-time" factor, many liken the two, however it's important to note that Mixamo's motion originates from actual human motion, where procedural animation is calculated from Newtonian physics acting upon rigid bodies reacting to their environment. Mixamo's real-time customization is fed by generative models created by machine-learning algorithms (using real motion capture data) to calculate both physical and emotional real-time customization. As such, procedural animation may in fact use Mixamo technology as a seed for iteration, providing a real-life basis for calculated action.

Products and Features

• Real-time motion customization: Generative model motion system allowing users to adjust physical and emotional aspects of a motion.
• Motion retargeting: Receives skeletal input for the automatic application of a motion data set onto a character.
• Character creation: Engine developed to allow character creation using generative models.
• Quadruped motion

References

1. ^ "CGSociety Review: Mixamo", 17 October 2009.
2. ^ Gamasutra: The adjustable approach to motion capture
3. ^ AutoDesk Feature: Mixamo and Autodesk games technology software

See also

• Animation
• Character animation
• History of animation
• Motion capture
• Performance capture