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performance capture

American  
[per-fawr-muhns kap-cher] / pərˈfɔr məns ˌkæp tʃər /

noun

  1. a data collection technique in which the detailed movements and facial expressions of live actors are tracked, recorded, and rendered to create animations, as for computer-generated characters in a motion picture.


Etymology

Origin of performance capture

First recorded in 2000–05

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

It's no secret the Avatar films are a gigantic technical feat - pushing the boundaries of cinematography, animation and performance capture.

From BBC Dec. 12, 2025

“I’ve wanted to play a performance capture ape since I was a little kid,” Teague said.

From Seattle Times Apr. 30, 2024

"They basically do research on anything based on performance capture of humans, creating digital faces," said Li, a former research lead at Disney-owned Industrial Light & Magic.

From Reuters Aug. 8, 2023

The union specifies that actors cannot act, sing, dance, perform stunts, pilot on-camera aircraft, puppeteer or do performance capture and motion capture work in front of the camera.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 14, 2023

In past ceremonies, the performance capture has suffered from wonky camera placement and nonsensical moves between close-ups and wide shots.

From New York Times Jun. 12, 2023

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