| As the use of motion capture expands rapidly across the cinematic industry, an increasing amount of focus is being placed on the tools and techniques of virtual moviemaking. Of these tools, one of the more popular is the virtual camera and its ability to compose shots within a virtual environment. TCam, a combination of tablet and camera, extends the existing virtual camera concept to a wireless multi-touch tablet device, utilizing a game engine to render the virtual environment and animation in real-time. Within this environment, a user can create, modify and remove elements directly composing the shot as he or she envisions. Artists, directors and cinematographers can quickly manipulate environmental setups and explore a variety of camera moves with the help of TCam. The beauty behind TCam lies in its ability to allow a variety of artists to communicate complicated ideas through a series of multi-touch gestures. While TCam can provide many creative tools, it should be thought of more as a customizable communication platform rather than a specific tool set. This paper details the design and construction of a new type of virtual camera for motion capture which allows a user to make real-time in-camera modifications to a virtual environment for both previsualization and production purposes. |
