motion capture

American  

[moh-shuhn kap-cher] / ˈmoʊ ʃən ˌkæp tʃər /

noun

1. a data collection technique in which the movements of people and objects are tracked, recorded, and rendered to create animations, as for a video game.

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motion capture British  

noun

1. a process by which a device can be used to capture patterns of live movement; the data is then transmitted to a computer, where simulation software displays it applied to a virtual actor

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Etymology

Origin of motion capture

First recorded in 1980–85

Example Sentences

On the pitch, it benefits from new graphics, based on work with women's footballers in the motion capture studio, and a perhaps unlikely source: VAR.

From BBC • Nov. 1, 2025

"If you came out to Los Angeles to be a motion capture actor, then your entire existence is being threatened by AI," he says.

From BBC • Jul. 10, 2025

Amazon’s Stage 15 is Southern California’s largest virtual production stage, with a wall of more than 3,000 LED panels and motion capture cameras.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 25, 2025

"Maybe we can do like a motion capture day somehow. Do some animal studies, as it were."

From BBC • Dec. 27, 2024

Jonno Davies is the ape performer under the Wētā FX motion capture and he’s terrific, as is the ensemble who acts against him with spectacular conviction.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 24, 2024