Integrating a real world camera movement (tracked) with 3d CGI?

Jonathan85

Im totally noob in match moving aka camera tracking. But do i understand it right that you can, using tracking software such as SynthEyes or other use your physical camera (even on your phone for example, or some cheap point and shoot camera), use your physical camera movemet to animate your virtual camera in your CGI scene...?
So for example when i do want to animate a first person view of a person for example walking and looking around and i do want to get it realistically, i can instead of animating the camera in some 3D program (3ds max), i can take my physical camera and simulate such movement (for example attach my camera to some mechanism on my head) and record "realistic" movement of the (1st person) view and then get the movement of the camera into my virtual scene (in 3ds max)..?
Can this be done?
Also, is it time efficient, e.g. using this method do you get realistic results more quickly then animating the camera in 3D straight away?

musashidan

Real world camera data will always be more realistic than a hand animated cam era move, obviously   There are a whole host of tracking/matchmoving solutions available: from the built in 3d trackers in after effects to the top range options like boujou. Do you have access to any of them?

Also, for a poor man's 'realistic' camera move you could link a camera to a biped with a walk/run ,animation applied, and use a combination of hand animated head turns and a noise controller to mimic camera shake.

Jonathan85

Ok so it is possible... is it more quick than trying to achiave such animation in for example 3ds max straight away?

musashidan

It depends on what tracking/matchmoving software you have available. It's relatively quick when you know the software and process. But, as you'll have to learn the software and process it could take some time to get up and running. First things first, as I said,  you'll need access to some kind of tracking/matchmoving application.

You could set up the biped animation I mentioned above but it obviously won't be tracked to your footage.

Stranger

MGS 5 Used this and it worked great. Cant find the video but it was a virtual camera / mocap.