WebAnimate offers free production-level tools for mocap rework and animation retargeting.
Referring to their new browser-based product as “animation on the go,” UK-based IKinema has released a free public beta of WebAnimate, an all-in-one platform to retarget and customize animation through the browser.
WebAnimate is based off the same IKinema technology currently used by major studios including Framestore and 20th Century Fox. WebAnimate’s built-in toolset allows users to fashion rigs, manipulate bones, retarget/ customize motion capture data and animation all in the span of a few minutes. The target audience is independent studios and individuals working on games, films, and mobile projects.
WebAnimate can apply mocap data to characters, re-work mocap data, load assets, pass animation from one character to another, or customize and export to a game or a movie project.
“We recognized a need for an affordable solution for small studios and amateurs exploring this field, so we adapted our product to address it. WebAnimate will give all indie developers a new power tool for their creative arsenal,” says Alexandre Pechev, CEO of IKinema.
Traditionally, this functionality has been only available to high-end markets. WebAnimate is trying to democratize this technology by making its high-end software accessible to anyone who wants to use it, via the browser.
Based in the UK, IKinema uses patent-pending technology for fast full-body solving and animation. IKinema’s technology enables animators to rig characters and stream, record and retarget motion capture data in a fraction of the time and cost of alternative solutions. In addition to the new browser-based version, solutions are available as game middleware or as standalone software.
WebAnimate is available now and can be used by visiting http://www.ikinema.com/webanimate/. It will remain free of charge while in its beta period. After that, users will only be charged when their animations or poses are exported for commercial use.
