For this task, we we instructed on how to use 3DEqualizers match-move and tracking capabilities to match-move 3D assets into a live-action shot. This task was interesting to me as 3DE’s toolset seemed to be quite usable and understandable enough to start match-moving assets quite quickly, when compared with the struggles I was often having with Nuke.
I created around 40 tracking points to several areas of interest in the scene. These included high and low contrast areas of the footage which could track accurately. Due to the tracking having a somewhat manual feel to the process, this made the software more understandable as I was starting to grasp how to create accurate points, and assign 3D geometry to. By exporting into Maya with the footage already imported, it was clear how to proceed from that point after assigning a floor plane, correcting pivots, and fixing the scale.
Posing Rigs
Here I found some freely available (non-commercial) rigs I had used previously in other projects. The models, textures, and rigs were not created by me, and I only utilized these for posing purposes. I posed them in separate Maya projects, and exported the OBJ’s to the composition.
Personal Models
These two models were ones I had created some time ago, and I wanted to utilize them for this scene. I did a “quick & dirty” re-topo & texture using ZBrush and Substance Painter, and brought the models to a decent enough base texture level, without including baked normal maps and manual retopology.
At this point I’m approaching the task from a very experimental angle, seeing which type of aesthetic works well, and further refining.
Composition in Maya
Tracking Process in 3DE:
Set up basic environment
Import footage to Camera – Set grade to 2.00 & Soft Clip to 1.00
Buffer – Export Buffer Compression file
Config Pane – Horizontal/Vertical Pane – Image Controls & set to desired to improve tracking
CTRL+click to create tracking point – adjust focus & search areas – Alt+click to select points – “, + .” to track frame by frame.
Once tracks are created, Deviation Browser – View All Deviation Curves – Adjust tracking points & aim for Average of .5 or lower
Parameter Adjustment – Lens Tab & select LD Classic Distortion – Choose parameters to adjust – “Brute Force All” – “Adjust” in Parameter adjustment to begin creating parameter tracking data
Calc – Calc all from Scratch to get point cloud and camera movement – Enable frame buffer (around 10 frames) and recalc
Select points in 3D Viewer – 3D Objects – Mesh From Points – Legacy
Export Lens Distortion as Nuke script – Undistort in Nuke with Values
3DE – Export – Export Maya .mel & import into Maya to begin Matchmove