Week 6: Object tracking – 3DE and Maya | M.Caprio lcc 3D Computer Animation

Through the camera settings I have imported the footage into 3D Equalizer project file. I changed the gamma settings to 2 and the soft clip settings to 1: there is more depth to the colour and the exr footage images are easier to control. I have used just 200 frames and started on frame 1. To play the footage in the software I exported the buffer compression file.

I then created two different folders for the point groups: one for the tracking points of the scene background and the second for the tracked point on the person head to then place and line up an object on it, in this case it will be an iron man helmet. The reason why there are two groups is for when I will calculate the scene the person moves differently from the background.

The lens settings for the camera the footage was shot with:

This are the camera data to input into 3DE

Once the camera data was fixed I started to track the camera points also with the help of the image controls

By changing the brightness and contrast options helped to find the right corners and sharp edges to place the tracking points.

This footage, compared to the one of last week, is flat. Even though is very still, I still needed to track the camera because there were some depths. The pattern of the point should never track a moving things otherwise it will more along and it won’t be accurate.

I order for the lens to bend properly, this digram on top is very useful for planning the position of the tracking points making the tracking more efficient by getting all the parts of the screen to divide it in quarters and areas especially for the “external parts. Getting points in all these areas is going to help forming the “fake lens” made in 3DE. If you don’t have points that goes all over you may get really fall out corners which is wrong. Tracked Points should be places to places with clear edges and no movement nor changing in either position or characteristics such as a corners. While tracking the points I have always checked the search area value that should have always been or “green” and if it turned to “red” while tracking I adjusted the patterns of the points. Moreover, while tracking the points, especially when tracking backwards (from the end of the footage), I made sure I ended the point.

To have points continuously going even though i did not know where they were I followed these steps:

When points were placed and, throughout the footage, were “covered” by a moving element at a certain point I could end the points before the moving element came in the way and start them again when the moving element passed through using page up and down to place them in the same point.

to place the point in the same place I also used the grid to help snap them in the same position

through the timeline editor it is possible to track throughout the time a moving elements passes in front of a point using “spline curve segments” option

If the shots are still there is no need to put points in the centre as there is no distortion of lens

When the tracking is done I calculated the points and the camera wouldn’t show anything since the camera constraints settings are wrong, they should be set as fixed camera position constrain giving all the points zero depth.

After I did a refinement stage with the deviation browser trying to delete big spiked with high values

The next operation is to open the Parameter Adjustment menu. First working with the focal lens for the setting I have set before in the lens settings and calculated the results after;

second step is lens distortion and after calculate

and after the quartic distortion and calculate after. If the number on top turns to zero it means that probably this step should be avoided as it means that nothing is moving, which is wrong.

If in the viewport one switch between f2 and f5 one can see the distortion created.

Next part is concerning the object tracking in the scene. I captured the guy face in the video to place an iron man helmet. The process of tracking the points is similar to the second part, but the points here are tracking the person face while it turns.

I first imported the 3d object model of the ironman helmet in the object points group.

I tracked constant patterns and defined areas of the face such as the hairline and avoid elements such as ears, hair and the glasses: the difficult aspect of this tracking is that the person at some point turns his head so while tracking I paid attention that the position of the points was constant throughout the footage since the 3d object I would have after placed on top should move along with the face.

I a new 3dE window set with 3D orientation control on one side and another 3dE window for the line up I have aligned the helmet with the face in particular with the tracked points with the survey data settings turned off.