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

During their first two visits, participants received a baseline MRI and walked on a pressure sensitive treadmill while motion capture cameras measured the mechanics of their gait.

From Science Daily • May 22, 2026

The motion capture system used to prescribe each person's walking change is expensive and time consuming.

From Science Daily • May 22, 2026

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

The big barrier was a disagreement over motion capture actors whose work was treated as "data" rather than as a performance.

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