Is it okay to use the kinect outdoors? I have very limited room inside. My other question is, will I get better results with the multiple eye cam setup than with the kinect? Because the tracking seems to get lost any time my arm goes behind myself while using the kinect, which makes sense...
Also, does anyone have any advice about colors of clothing while doing the mocap or anything of that sort? Thanks a bunch :)

Hi Steph :)

Kinect is great for simple / quick captures, and as long as it is directly in front of you it should capture just about everything that you do. You have to be careful outside because of other moving objects like tree branches, cars, etc. If you can assure that there will be no other movement other than you, I would think you would be okay. Other's here have a lot more experience at Kinect than I do, so they have better input.

Cameras: Yes - you will get better capping with the cameras overall, providing you are using the 4 or 6 camera setup. I use a 6 cam setup and have had great results - except for the fact I need to get an additional USB controller - but that's not a big deal. You can do full turns with multiple cameras, and more complicated motions with the cameras.

Clothing: With the Kinect I don't think it matters too much providing you aren't wearing robes like a Jedi. With the cameras however, it's a little more specific. I follow the rule of thumb of Blue Jeans, Red long sleeve shirt with a black T-Shirt over that. The cameras need to be able to distinguish the arms and legs from the torso. However i am looking to design a light weight capping costume based off of that design with the proper RGB colors to put into IPI for recognition.

Overall, both the Kinect and Camera setups are great. Many people here use both and I plan on getting a Kinect for some of my simpler animations. Figure it like this:

Kinect for dialogue sequences where the person is sitting or standing without much movement involving occlusion. Perfect for small spaces.

Cameras for high action scenes involving running, shooting, jumping, kicking in doors, etc. Definitely need a lot of space for camera setup.

That's maybe not the best example, but hopefully you get the idea.

Hope this helps!

Pat

Thanks so much for the reply, Pat :) That really helped get me sorted on which setup to go with!

Not a problem! You know, I was thinking. Something you CAN do if space is limited, is use the Kinect. If you need to do any running or walking for extended periods, purchase a cheap MANUAL treadmill. That way you can walk or run however long you need, and not have to leave the space you are capping in. If you need to do full 360o turns however, you may need to find a way to re-do your scene.

Good luck to you. Keep us updated! We love to hear what everyone is doing :)

Pat