Live Motion Capture

Live Motion Capture The method that records a live motion event, which then is being translated into usable mathematical conditions by tracking a number of key points that are being combined in space over time to get a single three-dimensional representation performance is called Motion Capture. To simplify the meaning of this technology, it enables the use of real performance to a digital one. Everything that exist in our world and has actual motion could be then captured; each moving part of that subject has its key points that provide the motion. When that technology is being used on a human as an instance, key points are the actual joints and they work as pivot points and connections for the bones. Usually when that is being done, all of the sensors, potentiometers or markers identify the points and that transmits the data to the main device. The performance that is being used to get a character to life is called performance animation, and motion capture is related to the actual technology that coll ects the motion. To conduct that, motion capture needs to be done and then that is being transmitted to the 3D character. That being said, mocap obtains all of the information that represents motion, while the performance animation on the other hand, is the final deliverable of a character created by the performer. Menache, A. (2011). Understanding motion capture for computer animation. Burlington, MA, Morgan Kaufmann. Motion Capture is known as Motion tracking and in most cases as `Mocap`, in any case it is actually 3D Animation. The process in which recordings of human movement are translated into digital form by recording every pivot point on the actor/actresses body. After this footage is filmed it is then translated onto a 3D model. Since the 1970`s that technology has improved drastically and Performance Capture is a term referred to when Motion Capture animates small human features such as fingers, expressions and facial features. That process is actually very time consuming. For instance, the performance capture in 2009 20th Century Fox award winning film â€Å"Avatar†, took over 15 years to create and the reason for that is that the amount of sensors that were used to portray these expressions was immense. The concept of animation dates back to more than a thousand years ago when Chinese zoetrope-type device was built to produce the illusion of motion from a burst succession of stat ic images. To present, everyone is familiarized with the different types of animation, from traditional hand-drawn image frames, to the Claymation or technology of Stop Motion. Until the arrival of the Computer Graphics that has not shifted for all that time. The most known categories of character animation to date are three. The first category consists of algorithmic and model-driven approaches. An example is the dynamic physics-based model, like reverse pendulum. The second category is the digital key-framing and hand driven, a workflow alike the original animation creation but with the assist of 3D creation tools. Motion Capture is the last category, it was first developed in the late 1970`s but it hasn`t been recognized as a revolutionary animation technique until the mid 1980`s when it was used for entertainment purposes. Inspired by â€Å"Rotoscoping†, an old time consuming animation technique that was being used in the early 1900`s, in which the animation would track m ovement frame to frame. In the field of entertainment Motion Capture is considered as the descendant of that same technique, which is still being used by some traditional animation studios to duplicate realistic motion from movie footage over to a cartoon characters. For centuries some of the motion capture technologies have been used in different ways, most known for its medical and military purposes. Originally it was examined by the Military to track head rotations of pilots by electromagnetic motion capture. Capturing motion could be done in few different ways. A lot of them use camera systems that produce digitized views of the performance, which afterwards is used to combine the location of the key points represented by one or more markers. Other way of capturing motion is being made by using electromagnetic fields or ultrasound to track a group of sensors. Also available is the mechanical system, which is based on the linked structures or the armatures that use potentiometers to identify the rotation of every link. Menache, A. (2011). Understanding motion capture for computer animation. Burlington, MA, Morgan Kaufmann Motion Capture input systems Prosthetic That is probably one of the first methods that have been used for capturing motion from various parts of the human anatomy. These methods include simple switching type of motion detection systems as well as complex tracking systems. If it wasn`t for the complex mechanical needs and the performance inhibiting qualities which are generally associated with such designs the latter type of prosthetic motion capture could be an ideal approach. Nonetheless, this method uses armatures which have to be attached all over the performers body. Afterwards they are being connected to each other by using a series of rotational and linear encoders. Once that process is complete all the encoders are connected to an interface that simultaneously reads all the encoders and prevents data loss. In the end through a set o f trigonometry functions the actual performer`s motion is being analyzed. (http://www.siggraph.org/education/materials/HyperGraph/animation/character_animation/motion_capture/motion_optical.htm) Acoustic This is a complex method that involves the use of audio receivers. Large amount of audio transmitters are strapped to performers body. Each receiver calculates the time that it takes for the sound to travel from each transmitter. In the 3D space the distance of the receivers is being measured to provide a point in the dimension. Normally the optical systems are occupied by occlusion problems which in that case is none existent and is considered as and advantage. (http://www.siggraph.org/education/materials/HyperGraph/animation/character_animation/motion_capture/motion_optical.htm) Magnetic This is one of the most used methods for performance capture. In that case it is used a centrally located transmitter, as well as large amount of receiver that are strapped on to various parts of the performers body. Once that is complete the receivers measure their spatial relationship to the transmitter. Every receiver is linked to an interface that can sync to prevent data skew. Each receiver then obtains the data stream which consists of 3D positions and orientations for each other. That data is usually applied to an inverse kinematics systems to an animated skeleton. The magnetic method shares the same advantage as the audio method, it lacks occlusion problems. (http://www.siggraph.org/education/materials/HyperGraph/animation/character_animation/motion_capture/motion_optical.htm) Electromagnetic Motion Capture is one of the more technical type of Motion Capture relying on transmitters and receivers to track movement. Optical Optical Motion Capture is another type of motion capture, it requires the actor or actresses to wear reflective sensors over a tight â€Å"Mocap Suit†. They would then proceed with their act an at that time several cameras will be tracking th e reflective pads. Recently, that type of motion capture has become quite popular. The advantage of that method is that it doesn`t require any sort of cables and the actor can perform freely. That system requires over three cameras, each of which is equipped with its own light so that it can illuminate the field of view for the specific camera. A frame buffer is being used that is connected and synchronized with each camera. The computer receives view from each camera in order to measure a 3D position of each marker. (http://www.siggraph.org/education/materials/HyperGraph/animation/character_animation/motion_capture/motion_optical.htm)

How Does Fitzgerald Tell the Story in Chapter 9 Essay

In the Great Gatsby, the last chapter of the novel is told two years later still from the perspective of Nick. Nick is writing two years later after the events with Gatsby, showing that a considerable amount of time has passed between its occurrence yet it is still fresh in Nick’s mind. The fact that Nick is still reminiscing about Gatsby and has written a book about him highlights the huge impact that Gatsby has had on Nick’s life. The strong connection that Nick feels has been created between Gatsby and himself is evident particularly in chapter 9 as it is apparent that Nick feels â€Å"responsible† for him. Even two years later Nick feels a sense of responsibility and loyalty towards Gatsby and that he is owed the truth instead of all the malicious lies which are created by the reporters, similar to that of all the party goers. The idea that nobody respect Gatsby the way he does leads Nick to believe that there was a â€Å"scornful solidarity between Gatsby a nd me against them all†. And so the start of his book begins two years later, the book that Nick hoped to clear Gatsby’s name with and right the wrongs that occurred that summer. In the final chapter of the ‘Great Gatsby’, Fitzgerald creates a sense of finality for the reader suggesting â€Å"the party was over†. Through the use of the repetition of the word â€Å"last† Fitzgerald also demonstrates the end of Nicks experience with Gatsby. The reader acknowledges that Nick finds it hard to move on and accept Gatsby’s death as he tries to keep him alive through the creation of false memories as a result of his grief, believing Gatsby to have told him that â€Å"I cant go through this alone†. The obsession that Nick has with Gatsby is more evident as Nick tries harder and harder to create the funeral he feels that Gatsby deserves, however he was met with much disappointment by those who Gatsby had done so much for. During Nick’s attempts at assembling Gatsby’s funeral he tries very hard to get the people Nick thought were Gatsby’s friends to attend. The difficulty that occurred as a result of Nick’s attempt highlights just how little an impact Gatsby truly had on any of their lives as â€Å"nobody came†. Fitzgerald uses this two-word sentence at the end of the paragraph to emphasise the betrayal Nick felt towards Gatsby, that after everything he did for everyone else, no one other than himself truly cared about him. The disappointment that Nick shows when nobody other than Gatsby’s father and a few servants came, made Nick feel angry towards everyone else as the contrast between Gatsby in life and death is so hugely different and it is now a world in which Nick takes a while to accept. In life, Gatsby was someone who burned bright through his dreaming, yet in death he had become someone who was forgotten in an instance, indicating the little influence he had on the lives of so many.

Macbeth: A Failure As King? Essay

To be regarded as a great king involves many important factors such as being honorable, gracious, and fair. It is far more difficult to regard a king as being great than as being a failure. In Macbeth there are examples of great kings as well as failures as kings. Duncan is a fair and gracious king who is kind to all of his subjects, and Malcolm has the potential to be a great king through the way in which he fights to overthrow Macbeth. Macbeth, however, through his lack of noble qualities is another story. Through arrogance, actions, and cowardice versus bravery Macbeth emerges as the only true failure as a king. Arrogance surfaces in Macbeth because the protagonist believes that he knows better about everything than anyone else. For example, Macbeth is arrogant to his own thoughts and feelings. He easily lets Lady Macbeth manipulate him into killing Duncan by questioning his manhood. Again, Macbeth is just as arrogant when he quickly dismisses Macduff as a threat because an apparition tells him that â€Å"none of a woman born shall harm Macbeth† (IV. i 86-87). Only after a short while does Macbeth decide to kill Macduff, and only as a precaution in case Macduff was actually not born of a woman, which Macbeth does not know, and does not even plan on finding out. Finally, Macbeth is very arrogant when an apparition tells him that he will be overthrown when Birnam wood comes to him: That will never be: Who can impress the forest, bid the tree Unfix his earth † bound root? Sweet bodements! Good! Rebellious dead, rise near till the wood Of Birnam rise, and our high plac’d Macbeth Shall live the lease of nature, pay his breath To time and mortal custom (IV. i 103-109) Macbeth feels very secure in his position as king of Scotland, and that he has absolutely nothing to worry about. He does not even attempt to decipher the riddle. Macbeth’s arrogance is brought on by the seeming sureness of his position and by excess pride, and it is a huge cause of his downfall. Actions reflect largely upon the type of person one is and whether one will be a success or a failure. To begin with, Macbeth kills Duncan, who is also a king. The only reason he kills Duncan is that Macbeth has ambition to become the king. Subsequently, Macbeth kills Banquo because he is a threat to him, and he, or his sons, could take the throne away from Macbeth at any  time, or so Macbeth believes: To be thus, is nothing, But to be safely thus: our fears in Banquo Stick deep; and in his royalty of nature Reigns that which would be fear’d: â€Å"tis much he dares, And, to that dauntless temper of his mind, He hath a wisdom that doth guide his valour To act in safety. There is none but he Whose being I do fear; and under him My genius is rebuked, as it is said Mark Anthony’s was by Caesar. He chid the sisters, When first they put the name of king upon me, And bade them speak to him; then prophet like They hail’d him father to a line of kings: Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown, And a barren scepter in my gripe, Thence to be wrench’d with an unlineal hand (III. i 52-67) This heartless murder demonstrates Macbeth’s ruthless actions which cause chaos, since the Great Chain of Being has been disturbed. Last of all, Macbeth once again shows his cruelty with the murders of McDuff’s family. Macbeth originally set out only to kill McDuff, and only slaughters McDuff’s family just to make sure that in the future none of them will be able to harm him. Macbeth is not remorseful in any way for any of his actions, and is a cold-blooded killer. Cowardice and bravery determine whether a character will become a success or a failure in life. If one is a coward, one cannot properly rule a country because one will not be able to stand up to any opposition, and be a guide to doing the right things for others. In fact, Macbeth fulfills his own destiny knowingly when he and Lady Macbeth plot to murder Duncan. Even though Macbeth wants to become king desperately, right before the murder he becomes a coward and tries to back out: We will proceed no further in this business: He hath honour’d me of late; and I have bought Golden opinions from all sorts of people, Which would be worn now in their newest gloss, Not cast aside so soon. (I. vii 33-37) Only after Lady Macbeth’s persuasion and manipulation does Macbeth regain a bit of bravery to proceed with the murder. In addition, Macbeth is a coward because he manipulates others into doing his â€Å"dirty work† for him, as for example, arranging the murder of Banquo: Do you find your patience so predominant in your nature, That you can let this go? Are you so gospell’d, To pray for this good man and for his issue, Whose heavy hand hath bow’d you to the grave And beggar’d yours for ever? (III.i 93-98) Macbeth is not involved in any of the killings, other than Duncan’s, and he cowardly hides behind murderers to avoid any guilt he  may have. In comparison, Macbeth shows bravery at the end of the play. Macbeth shows that he is capable of bravery when he does not give up without a fight: I will not yield, To kiss the ground before young Malcolm’s feet, And to be baited with the rabble’s curse. Though Birnam wood be come to Dunsinane, And thou oppos’d, being of no woman born, Yet I will try the last. Before my body I will throw my warlike shield: lay on, Macduff, (V.viii 32-38) Macbeth knows that he will be overthrown since everything the apparitions said would have to happen for him to be overthrown actually happened, but he still has faith in himself, and continues fighting. Though Macbeth demonstrates both cowardice and bravery, his cowardice far more apparent and intentional, and his bravery is only self beneficial and, therefore, selfish. Through arrogance, actions and cowardice versus bravery, the protagonist in Macbeth , is regarded as a failure because of his selfishness, and utter lack of remorse for his actions. While other kings strive to do good, Macbeth dwells further and further into evilness and makes it apparent he is the only true failure as a king.

Job Prospects for ESL Teachers in the U.S.

If youve ever thought about changing professions to become an ESL teacher, now is the time. Increasing demand for ESL teachers has created a multitude of ESL job opportunities in the US. These ESL jobs are being offered by states which are offering a number of job training opportunities for those not already qualified to teach ESL. There are two principle types of ESL jobs that are in demand; positions which require bilingual teachers (Spanish and English) to teach bilingual classes, and ESL positions for English-only classes for speakers who have a limited ability in English (LEP: limited English proficiency). Recently, the industry has moved away from speaking about ESL and has turned to ELL (English language learners) as the preferred acronym.   ESL Job Demand Facts Here are some statistics that point to the great need: According to the  National Center for Education Statistcs, In school year, 27 percent of all schools with bilingual/ESL teaching vacancies found them very difficult or impossible to fill, more than for many other teaching fields. Since this report, the number of ESL job vacancies has grown rapidly.From the same report: As the number of children with difficulty speaking English has increased (from 1.25 million in 1979 to 2.44 million in 1995), so has the burden on school systems to recruit teachers with the skills necessary to teach these classes. The difficulty schools have in filling such positions is one indication of whether the supply of bilingual and ESL teachers is adequate to meet the demand.The number of LEP speakers grew 104.7%, from 2,154,781 in 1989 to 4,416,580 in 2000 according to a survey performed by the National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition. Now for the good news: As a means of meeting the ESL job demand a number of special programs have been implemented around the United States for non-certified teachers. These programs provide an excellent means for teachers who have not taught in the State education system to take advantage of these opportunities. Even more exciting, it provides an opportunity for those from a wide variety of backgrounds to become ESL teachers. Some of these even provide a financial bonus (for example a bonus of up to $20,000 in Massachusetts) for joining their programs! Teachers are needed throughout the country, but principally in large urban centers with high immigrant populations.   Education Required In the U.S., the minimum requirement for programs is a bachelors degree and some sort of ESL qualification. Depending on the school, the qualification required might be as simple as a months certificate such as the CELTA (Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). The CELTA is accepted around the world. However, there are other institutions that provide training online and in weekend courses. If youd like to teach in a community college or at a university, youll need at least a masters degree preferably with a specialization with ESL.   For those who would like to teach in public schools (where demand is growing), states require additional certification with different requirements for each state. Its best to look into the certification requirements in the state in which you would like to work.   Business English or English for Special Purposes teachers are in high demand outside of the country and are often hired by individual firms to teach staff.  Unfortunately, in the United States, private companies rarely hire in-house teachers.   Pay Despite the need for quality ESL programs, pay remains rather low except at larger accredited institutions such as universities. You can find out about average salaries in each state. Generally speaking, universities pay best followed by public school programs. Private institutions can vary widely from near minimum-wage to much better-paid positions.   To meet the growing demand for ESL teachers, a number of websites have created invaluable resources for the recruitment of teachers. This guide provides some tips on becoming an ESL teacher. Other opportunities are open to those who are in mid-career  or do not have the exact teacher certification required by any individual state for ESL jobs in the public school system. For more information on teaching ESL in the United States, TESOL is the leading association and provides a great deal of information.