Question 1

Why use a suit instead of attaching markers directly to clothing?

Accepted Answer

Loose or regular clothing shifts and bunches during movement, causing markers to slide out of position and degrade tracking accuracy. A purpose-built suit uses compression fabric to keep marker mounts fixed relative to the body's joints and bony landmarks, which is essential for clean skeletal solving.

Question 2

Do OptiTrack suits come in different sizes?

Accepted Answer

Yes, sizing follows standard clothing sizes from XS to XXL. A poor fit will cause marker drift, so it's better for a suit to be slightly snug rather than too big.

Question 3

Why can't I just attach head markers to a headband or hair?

Accepted Answer

Hair moves independently of the skull and headbands can slip, both of which introduce noise into head rotation data. A snug-fitting cap keeps the marker cluster rigid relative to the head, giving Motive a reliable reference.

Question 4

Can I capture barefoot instead of using mocap shoes?

Accepted Answer

Yes, markers can be adhered directly to bare feet using tape or adhesive marker bases, which some studios and clinics prefer for detailed foot/ankle biomechanics research. Velcro slip-on mocap shoes are generally preferred for repeated sessions since they save setup time and keep marker placement consistent between performers.

Question 5

What are fabric mocap gloves used for?

Accepted Answer

These are lightweight velcro gloves used to attach passive reflective markers for hand and finger tracking. Unlike electronic/sensor-based mocap gloves, these are purely a mounting surface - the tracking data comes entirely from the optical markers and cameras.

Question 6

What is an inertial motion capture suit, and how is it different from a marker-based system?

Accepted Answer

Inertial suits (like Noitom's Perception Neuron) use IMU sensors (accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers) sewn or strapped into the suit to measure orientation and movement directly on the body with no external cameras or markers required. Optical marker-based systems instead track reflective markers using an array of external infrared cameras, which requires a dedicated capture volume.

Question 7

Is Noitom mocap as accurate as optical mocap?

Accepted Answer

Inertial systems are generally very good for relative body movement and rotation but can suffer from positional drift over time since they don't reference fixed external cameras, abnd global position has to be estimated rather than directly measured. Optical systems like those from OptiTrack maintain higher absolute positional accuracy but require a calibrated camera volume and are limited to that capture space.

Question 8

Do magnetic fields affect inertial mocap accuracy?

Accepted Answer

Yes, since IMUs often include magnetometers for orientation reference, nearby metal objects, electronics, or strong magnetic fields (like rebar in concrete floors or large metal set pieces) can cause drift or jitter in the captured data.

Motion capture suits for optical and inertial tracking needs

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