Elevate visual realism through synchronized human movements and animated props.
For much of 3D animation history, artists faced the painstaking challenge of syncing character movements with the props they interacted with. This meticulous process demanded countless hours—sometimes days—of trial and error to achieve seamless results. Enter Reallusion Motion+, a game-changer that redefines this legacy workflow. By automatically pairing character motions with prop deployment, Motion+ introduces the fundamental technology behind character-prop animation synchronization that actually works.
Building on this innovation, the acclaimed Motion Capture Orlando (MCO) debuted the “Skateboard – Flatground Skate Tricks” motion pack, earning widespread praise. Now, MCO raises the bar once more with “BMX,” a 3D mocap animation package that flawlessly combines rider and bike movements. The result? Smooth, cohesive animations that bring dynamic action to life like never before.
Catch the behind-the-scenes video on MCO’s incredible process:
Capturing the Adrenaline of BMX
“BMX” began as an ambitious vision to digitize the dynamic trick motions of bicycle motocross. To bring this idea to life, MCO collaborated with Rob Nolli’s BMX Trickstars, a premier traveling stunt show founded by the X-Games medalist himself. This partnership evolved into multiple proof-of-concept phases, capturing real-life BMX riders performing tricks across a range of difficulty levels.
To tackle the challenge of recording the bike’s complex movements—such as those of the frame, wheels, handlebars, cranks, and pedals—MCO’s technical lead, Kaszmere, had to get creative. This led to her placing mocap markers on strategic parts of the bike, and reverse-engineering a custom motion capture rig to synchronize fluid motion of the bike with its rider.
Digitizing BMX Maneuvers
To bring a wide range of BMX tricks to life—including high-flying jumps and technical flatland maneuvers—MCO staged the motion capture on a large platform equipped with a competition-grade ramp. The entire TrickStars team joined the shoot, ensuring authentic performances for every trick. The result is a meticulously crafted collection of stunt animations, seamlessly pairing virtual riders and bikes, along with perfectly synchronization of the riders and their bikes.
iClone’s X Factor
Capturing over 50 paired mocap shots of both the bike and the performer posed a significant data-cleaning and processing challenge for MCO. To overcome this, they turned to iClone, leveraging its powerful tools such as reach constraints and dummy objects for target endpoints. By placing virtual dummy objects on key contact points like the handlebars and pedals, the rider’s hands and feet could automatically align with those positions. This allowed MCO animators to fine-tune the motions with precision, ensuring the character’s movements seamlessly matched the placement and orientation of the bike. This setup was also instrumental in preventing over-extended or disjointed limb positioning.
When we first started working with Reallusion, I thought it would be a good idea to learn to edit all our mocap data in iClone, and I’m really glad I did because it is simple to learn and the tools are surprisingly powerful, so powerful that I have yet to use MotionBuilder or Maya in any of our mocap packs.
Jeff Scheetz, Motion Capture Orlando
Creating Steerable Bike Animations
Another standout feature of iClone is its ability to quickly generate large crowds. Using Motion Director, users can steer characters through an environment with a game controller, or create AI-driven animations along predefined pathways.
To make the bike steerable, MCO captured all the bike animations for different turning angles, acceleration, deceleration, and stops. A well-planned dance card was laid out for the performer to use as a moving reference.
With more motion sequences recorded to train the system, Motion+ has enhanced Motion Director, enabling users to dynamically guide bikes, skateboards, and even wheelchairs within scenes. This exciting feature will be available soon for all iClone users.
One-of-a-Kind Motion Pack
Featuring 44 expertly crafted movements that range from basic riding to flatland and vert tricks, “BMX” is a must-have addition to any mocap collection. Its seamless motion transitions make fluid animation sequences possible, from mounting the bike and riding forward to performing stunts and dismounting. This pack also includes matching BMX bikes with adjustable height, six material variations, and a 1:1 ramp model for breathtaking high-flying jumps.
Visit ActorCore 3D motion store today to experience the power of “BMX”.
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