Preparing and rigging custom artwork for motion capture

[tombraider23]

I've searched for a few days for the answer, but couldn't find it. My apologies if this is duplicate.

I'd like to animate a custom drawing using motion capture. I'm unclear on how to prepare the custom artwork for mocap animation -- both facial and body animation.

Do I have to break it down into pieces (e.g., eyes, eyebrows, arms, etc.)? Or, can I just use modern rigging to create a rig for the image (including the face), and then do motion capture?

If you could break down what exactly needs to be done to prepare a custom drawn character for motion capture -- both facial and body -- I'd really appreciate it.

[kglad]

is this a "character animator" (not animate) question?

[tombraider23]

Ah, yes it's a Character Animator question. My apologies -- I'll post to that community...

[kglad]

no need. i'll move this.

<moved from animate>

[TheOriginalGC]

Puppets for Character Animator (CH) need to have the parts separated into layers, starting with the head and body. Features in the head include left and right eyebrows, eyes, and the mouth. In the body there is usually the torso, arms (left and right), hands and legs. Hopefully this video can help you through the process. Creating a Photoshop Puppet (Adobe Character Animator Tutorial) - YouTube

[tombraider23]

Thank you. Just to confirm -- the image has to be separated into parts even with motion capture?

[TheOriginalGC]

The short answer is yes. But perhaps it would help me to understand what exactly you mean by "motion capture." Because as I understand it, any puppet that works with CH needs to be separated into layers. But I might be misunderstanding your intentions. 

[TheOriginalGC]

By any chance are you talking about the characterizer feature? That's a different process entirely. Characterizer (Adobe Character Animator Tutorial) - YouTube

[tombraider23]

Thanks for your messages. I'm actually talking about the body tracking: https://youtu.be/gWBLAcTWH5Q

There's a section on rigging, where he uses a separated character.

However, it seems now there is a new type of rigging available where you can rig without separating the image into parts -- modern rigging: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYeXZOOCIwCsWRz47tTaSdL9gCIh5rdXL

Can I just apply a rig to my character as shown in this playlist (but on a human), and perform body as well as facial mocap/body tracking?

I'm just trying to get to mocap without having to separate my image into parts because it can get intricate.

[TheOriginalGC]

Ah, now I see. As far as I know, Modern Rigging is strictly in Adobe Animate and not CH. Layers are needed in CH, but you can use something like modern rigging on the limbs - you don't have to separate forearm and upper arms (or legs), but simply rig the points on the limbs. Bear in mind that the less separate layers, the more "squishy" your puppet gets, with the face and limbs bending in surprising ways. 

[tombraider23]

Oh wow, I didn't realize there were two different animation products! Thanks for this explanation, and I'll check this out further. Somewhere, my signals got crossed. Thanks for your help, and I'll post again if I still have questions.