Entertainment
Metahuman Motion Capture for Live Streaming
Seamless integration of live streaming and motion capture
We work with the leading production studios, game developers and universities to ensure Vicon systems deliver the highest accuracy, flexibility and performance.
Digital humans creating realistic motion in the real world
Vicon’s powerful software ensures effortless integration with popular streaming platforms (like Twitch) and game engines (like Unreal Engine and Unity), enabling creators to deliver live performances with unprecedented clarity and accuracy. The potent combination of Vicon’s hardware and software allows for fluid, lifelike animations that react instantaneously to a performer’s actions, enhancing the realism and interactivity essential for captivating audiences.
EXPLORE THE PRODUCTS From imagination to reality
With over 35 years of experience, Vicon has become a leader in motion capture technology, providing high-fidelity cameras and advanced software that seamlessly capture every nuance of human movement in real time. VTubing is a rapidly growing space for Vicon, where capturing subtle expressions and dynamic gestures is key to creating engaging and immersive virtual avatars.
As the use of motion capture for applications such as VTubing continues to grow, Vicon’s innovative solutions are empowering content creators to push the boundaries of what is possible in the digital realm, blending creativity with cutting-edge technology. Whether for live streaming, virtual events, or digital art, Vicon’s motion capture systems deliver the tools needed to transform ideas into vibrant, engaging virtual experiences that captivate audiences worldwide.
Optical Tracking for Vtubing with Metahuman and Vicon
Vicon played a pivotal role in enhancing VTubing experiences by partnering with Glassbox Technologies to bring MetaHumans to life using real-time motion capture. Leveraging Vicon’s advanced Shōgun software and Unreal Engine integration, they enabled streamers to animate highly realistic MetaHuman avatars in live broadcasts.
Matt Workman emphasized, “Vicon’s technology allows creators to deliver stunning digital humans that react instantly to performers’ movements.” This innovation showcases how Vicon’s precise tracking technology is transforming VTubing, offering a new level of realism and engagement for virtual content creators in the growing Metaverse space.
Beyond traditional content creation
VTubers use advanced optical tracking technology, high-performance hardware, and its powerful Shōgun software to revolutionize VTubing. Vicon’s optical tracking relies on high-fidelity cameras, such as the Valkyrie and Vero series, which precisely capture even the most subtle facial expressions and body movements. This data is then processed in real-time using Shōgun, Vicon’s specialized software designed for live motion capture.
Shōgun integrates seamlessly with Unreal Engine and is perfect for Metahuman motion capture, enabling instant mapping of captured movements onto digital avatars. This combination ensures fluid, responsive animations, allowing VTubers to create highly engaging, lifelike virtual performances that interact dynamically with their audience.
VTubing goes beyond use cases in entertainment; Metahuman mocap can be a powerful tool for digital creators looking to build a brand and connect with their audience. Whether it’s for gaming, education, or social interaction, Vicon’s motion capture technology ensures that every performance is captivating and authentic.
SYSTEM COMPONENTS
SHŌGUN
One license includes all three elements below.
SHŌGUN LIVE
- Real time capture of the performance
- Reconstructs the motion and fits the skeleton to the performer
SHŌGUN POST
- Clean & edit the marker data e.g. custom batch process, auto process, scripting (python)
- Export to game engine or animation tool like Maya or Motionbuilder
RETARGETING
- Creates mapping between the character and the performer’s skeleton
- Can be streamed to game engine
Game engine plugins
We provide plugins for the main game engines to allow you to render your character and scene in the game engine.
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Valkyrie
Valkyrie is the most powerful motion capture camera ever brought to market, offered with four different specs with four different focuses: resolution, speed, value, and strobeless.
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Vero
Vero combines market-leading resolution and speed at an unrivalled price point. Like its bigger brother, Vantage, Vero has on-board sensors that monitor camera position and temperature to ensure optimal performance at all times.
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ADDITIONAL HARDWARE
Lock Lab and Lock Studio are Vicon’s control boxes for connecting, integrating and synchronizing third-party devices with your Vicon motion capture system – whether analog or digital.
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FAQ's
What is metahuman motion capture?
Metahuman motion capture is the process of recording a real performer’s movement and expression and mapping it onto a photoreal digital human, or MetaHuman, in real time. High-fidelity cameras track every nuance of body and facial motion, and Vicon’s Shōgun software retargets that data onto the digital character inside Unreal Engine. The result is a lifelike virtual human that moves, gestures, and reacts exactly as the performer does, ready for live streaming, virtual production, or digital art.
How is motion capture used for VTubing and live streaming?
Motion capture drives a VTuber’s avatar live, translating a streamer’s real movements and expressions into their virtual character as they perform. Vicon cameras capture the performance, Shōgun processes it in real time, and the animation maps straight onto the avatar before streaming to platforms like Twitch. Because the data reacts instantly, VTubers can talk, gesture, and interact with their audience through a fully animated digital persona with no perceptible lag, keeping broadcasts fluid and engaging.
Can motion capture create realistic digital humans?
Yes. Motion capture is one of the most effective ways to create believable digital humans, because it records genuine human movement rather than approximating it by hand. Vicon’s high-fidelity Valkyrie and Vero cameras capture subtle facial expressions and dynamic body movement, and Shōgun’s retargeting maps that detail precisely onto a MetaHuman or custom avatar. This preserves the small, authentic cues, weight shifts, glances, and micro-gestures that make a digital human feel convincingly alive.
Is real-time metahuman performance capture possible?
Yes. Real-time metahuman performance capture is fully possible and is a core strength of Vicon’s system. Shōgun Live reconstructs the performance and fits the skeleton to the performer as they move, then streams the animation directly into Unreal Engine so the MetaHuman reacts instantaneously. This live pipeline is what makes broadcast VTubing, virtual events, and in-camera virtual production practical, letting performers see and adjust their digital character on the fly.
What tools are needed for metahuman motion capture?
Metahuman motion capture needs three core elements: cameras, capture software, and a game engine. Vicon’s optical cameras, such as the Valkyrie and Vero, track the performer, while Shōgun (Live, Post, and Retargeting) reconstructs the motion and maps it onto the digital character. Shōgun integrates directly with Unreal Engine via game-engine plugins to render the MetaHuman, and Lock devices handle synchronization when connecting additional hardware. Together, these form a complete real-time pipeline from performer to digital human.
DEDICATED SUPPORT
Our dedicated in-house Global Support team of motion capture specialists, experienced in the VFX, Game Engine, Life Sciences and Engineering Applications, are always available to help.
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