LEGO Designers Explore the Possibilities of Motion Capture

Below, please find a transcript of the video tutorial. Enjoy!

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LEGO is a beloved toy brand that has been a staple in many childhoods for generations. But what happens behind the scenes to bring these iconic toys to life? Recently, Rokoko had the pleasure of visiting a group of designers and artists from LEGO, who were eager to explore the capabilities of our motion capture system.

The team of 40 element designers and character artists from LEGO gathered for a day of fun and exploration with new technology and easy workflows. Their goal was to bring LEGO designs to life in an early stage and optimize the iteration process. 

The seamless experience of motion capture surprised many of the Lego team.

"It was fun, first of all, and quite impressive," said one designer. "Then I saw the screen, and to me, it was almost like I was talking to the rig. But when I was in there, it really felt weird, how seamless it was."

Another character animator on the team commented:

"It was fun to see my movement in transit into my character live, I was expecting limitations and restrictions with weight and stuff, but I didn't feel like that at all. Felt like I could make my movements as I wanted to."

LEGO is a content creation company that not only makes physical sets but also produces video games, animations, TV shows, and movies. For LEGO, exploring digital play is a crucial part of their design process.

"I really want to look into how our designers understand how digital play works and build more stuff for it, and Rokoko seems like an amazing fit for us."

While LEGO mini-figures only move in six different points of articulation, the Lego team found the motion capture technology to be incredibly valuable for concepting and bringing their characters to life.

"For us, it's nice to see how does this physical piece, this character, could come to life and how would they behave and how would they move? And I think for us, on the concepting side, it's really valuable and powerful," explained a Lego team member.

The ease of use and fun factor of the Rokoko system surprised the designers.

"It makes it more immersive. I know it's a tool, but it looks more like a video game, and you are the controller. So I think that's what really impressed me. That was like, okay, this is cool. This now is kind of rad."

In the end, the day was a success. The Lego team concluded that the ease of use and speed of the workflow that is possible with motion capture tools like Rokoko's is a no-brainer.

"For me, it's always been fascinating to see how you bring characters to life and how do we tell more stories. I think what's amazing is to see how quickly we can go from our models and ideas, you know, 3D models and ideas into testing them out in a real space. And I love the fact that for us, we could have 40 people in the room and still make it fun, interactive, and engaging."

The LEGO designers left the Rokoko studio excited about the possibilities of motion capture and the ways it can enhance their creative process. It was a pleasure to see the joy and enthusiasm they brought to the experience, and we can't wait to see what they create next.

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