Stop Motion Capture

Devon Lister, Ethan Vincent, and Taha Alkattan
Dr. Chan
Dr. Di Wu, Dr. Hatim Boustique, and Dr. Justin Phelps

Our mission: This project develops a physical motion capture system designed specifically for small figures and miniatures, streamlining the 3D animation workflow. By capturing real-world movements of articulated figurines, the system eliminates the time-intensive process of manual keyframe animation, allowing animators to quickly translate physical performances into digital 3D models. The technology bridges the tactile, intuitive nature of stop-motion animation with the flexibility of digital 3D environments, making character animation more accessible and efficient for independent creators, small studios, and hobbyists.

Product Showcase

Product
Camera
A low powered custom-designed imaging system that captures the position and movements of the articulated figure from multiple angles, feeding real-time visual data to the processing box for motion analysis.
Controller
A physical input device that allows the animator to trigger recording, calibrate the system, adjust tracking parameters, and manage capture sessions without interrupting the physical manipulation of the figure.
Processing Box
The central computation unit that receives camera feeds, runs motion tracking algorithms to extract joint positions and orientations, and converts the physical movements into standardized 3D animation data formats.
Laptop
Serves as the user interface and final destination for animation data, running 3D animation software where the captured motion is applied to digital character models and can be refined or exported for production use.

Meet Group 17's Team

Devon Lister

Devon Lister

Project Lead & Integration Specialist

Manages team coordination, budget, and component procurement while providing programming support across all subsystems. Responsible for CAD design of enclosures and mechanical components, hardware review, and overseeing system integration.

Ethan Vincent

Ethan Vincent

Controller & Processing Systems Developer

Designs and implements the controller interface and main processing software that handles motion tracking algorithms. Develops the communication protocols and data processing pipeline that transforms captured motion into usable 3D animation data.

Taha Alkattan

Taha Alkattan

Camera Hardware & Embedded Systems Engineer

Designs the camera hardware system and develops the firmware that runs on it, ensuring efficient image capture and processing. Creates and implements the battery management system to power the camera hardware reliably throughout operation.

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank our sponsors for their support throughout this project.

SD1 Documents

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Divide and Conquer Document

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Divide and Conquer Document Revision

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Mid term Report

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Mid term Report Revision

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SD1 Final Report

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SD1 Videos

Mini Demo Video

SD2 Documents

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CDR Presentation Slide

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8-Page Conference Paper

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Final Presentation Slide

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SD2 Final Report

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SD2 Videos

CDR Presentation Video

Uploaded

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Midterm Demonstration Video

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Final Demonstration Video

Uploaded

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Final Presentation Video

Uploaded

Watch on YouTube

Additional Materials

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Project Resources

Additional materials to be added