Professional Markerless Motion Capture
AI-powered pose estimation from any camera. Wear what you want, skip the calibration, and get studio-quality results in any well-lit space—no dedicated mocap stage required.
What is Markerless Motion Capture?
Markerless motion capture is a technology that tracks human movement from video without requiring the performer to wear special markers, suits, or sensors. Using advanced computer vision and machine learning, markerless systems detect body pose directly from camera footage.
Traditional motion capture has relied on two main approaches: optical systems that track reflective markers with infrared cameras, and inertial systems that use sensor-equipped suits. Both require expensive equipment, extensive setup, and restrict what performers can wear.
Markerless mocap eliminates these constraints. With mimem.ai, you can capture professional-quality motion data using any cameras—even smartphones—in any environment, with performers wearing normal clothes or costumes. The AI handles the complex task of detecting and tracking body joints through every frame.
Traditional Mocap is Holding You Back
Marker-based systems were revolutionary—but their limitations are now obstacles to creativity and productivity.
Mocap Suits Are Uncomfortable
Tight lycra suits with dozens of sensors restrict movement and require 15-30 minutes to put on properly.
Markers Fall Off Mid-Performance
Reflective markers detach during intense movement, ruining takes and requiring constant reapplication.
Calibration Takes Hours
Traditional optical systems require precise camera calibration with wands, taking 1-2 hours before any capture.
Expensive Dedicated Studios
Optical systems need custom IR lighting and clean backgrounds. Inertial suits avoid the studio but introduce drift and fragile hardware.
The Freedom of Markerless
Capture motion anywhere, with anyone, wearing anything
AI-Powered Pose Estimation
Our deep learning models detect and track 51 body joints from video alone—full body, hands, and feet—no markers, no suit, no special equipment.
Multi-View Triangulation
Combine footage from 2-12 cameras for dramatically improved accuracy. Our AI automatically synchronizes and triangulates 3D positions.
Multi-camera guide →No Calibration Required
Skip the hours of setup. Our AI handles camera synchronization and spatial alignment automatically.
Full Body + Hands + Feet
Track the entire body including individual finger joints and toe positions. Perfect for detailed character animation.
Hand tracking guide →No Dedicated Studio Needed
Capture in your living room, garage, or on location. Good lighting and an unobstructed background are recommended, but no green screen or infrared rig required.
Wear What You Want
Perform in costume, casual clothes, or character wardrobe. No tight suits or sensor placement required.
How Markerless Mocap Works
Video Capture
Record your performance with any cameras—smartphones, webcams, DSLRs, or professional video cameras.
AI Pose Detection
Our neural network analyzes each frame, detecting body pose and joint positions with sub-pixel accuracy.
3D Triangulation
Multi-view geometry combines 2D detections from all cameras into accurate 3D skeletal positions.
Temporal Smoothing
Advanced filtering removes jitter while preserving the natural dynamics and timing of the original performance.
Fast Action at 30fps
High-speed boxing captured with just 3 cameras — no suits, sensors, or markers
Independent Creator Review
Charlie Driscoll compares markerless mocap solutions for MetaHuman performance capture in Unreal Engine 5
The New Markerless Mocap King?
Nils Gallist puts mimem.ai through its paces — comparing accuracy, foot stability, and value against other markerless solutions
Markerless vs Traditional Mocap
See how AI-powered capture compares to established methods
| Feature | mimem.aiRecommended | Move.ai | Rokoko / Xsens | Optical (Vicon) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Setup Time | 2 minutes | 15 minutes | 30+ minutes | 2+ hours |
Starting Price | Free | $7,000/year | $2,500–$25,000+ | $50,000+ |
Markers/Suit Required | ||||
Calibration Required | Minimal | |||
Multi-Camera Support | Up to 12 | Up to 8 | Unlimited | |
Hand & Finger Tracking | Add-on ($) | Add-on ($$$) | ||
Good Lighting Required | ||||
Costume Friendly | ||||
Foot Stability | Firmly planted | Good | Poor (auto-lock issues) | Excellent |
Drift Over Time | Yes (inertial drift) |
Industry Applications
Markerless motion capture is transforming how industries capture and analyze human movement
Game Development
Create character animations for games of any scale. From indie projects to AAA productions, markerless mocap fits any pipeline.
Film & Television
Capture performances on set, on location, or in pre-visualization. No mocap stage required.
Virtual Production
Real-time character animation for LED wall productions and live broadcasts. Integrate with Unreal Engine for instant results.
Sports Analysis
Analyze athletic movement without disrupting performance. Capture in the field, on the court, or in the gym.
Medical & Research
Study human movement for rehabilitation, ergonomics, and biomechanics research without marker artifacts.
Education & Training
Teach animation and movement analysis without expensive equipment. Perfect for schools and workshops.
Trusted by Professionals
“Same footage... processed using Move Pro, the $7,000 per year system. And on the right we have Mimum, which is using just three of the six GoPros and costs $25 per month. They're both really good.”
“Most systems do have a major problem when you leave the floor... In this example, he sits down, which is already a difficult task, and lifts his feet. This blew me away.”
“It's astounding how good the animations are, I barely have to clean up the animations, I'd say they look as if they are from optical mocap.”
“In terms of mocap quality I prefer mimem to Rokoko. Rokoko auto-footlocking sucks, and I don't have time to manually fix up 1 hour+ of footage. For footlocking, mimem wins.”
Accuracy You Can Trust
“I'm really impressed with just the raw capture... it's staying really stable as I move around the volume, turning in all different directions, it's not getting confused.”— Charlie Driscoll, YouTube Creator
When Markerless Excels
- ✓Walking, running, and locomotion cycles
- ✓Conversational gestures and acting
- ✓Dance and choreography
- ✓Sports and athletic movement
- ✓Combat and action sequences
Tips for Best Results
- →Use 4+ cameras for complex movements
- →Ensure good, even lighting
- →Position cameras at varied heights and angles
- →Keep the subject fully visible in all views
- →See our lighting guide for detailed tips
Frequently Asked Questions
Markerless motion capture uses computer vision and AI to track human movement from video, without requiring the performer to wear special markers, suits, or sensors.
Traditional motion capture systems require either:
- Optical systems: Reflective markers on a suit, tracked by infrared cameras
- Inertial systems: Sensor suits with accelerometers and gyroscopes
Markerless systems like mimem.ai eliminate this requirement entirely, using AI to detect body pose directly from regular video footage.
Modern markerless systems have closed the gap significantly:
- Simple movements: Comparable to marker-based systems
- Complex movements: 85-95% of marker-based accuracy with multi-camera setup
- Extreme poses: May require more cameras or manual cleanup
For most production work, markerless mocap produces results that are indistinguishable from marker-based capture after standard animation cleanup.
It depends on your accuracy requirements:
- 1 camera: Good for simple movements, walking, gestures
- 2-3 cameras: Great for most use cases, handles some occlusion
- 4-6 cameras: Professional quality, handles complex movements
- 6-12 cameras: Maximum accuracy for challenging performances
Our free plan supports up to 3 cameras. Pro plan supports up to 12. See our pricing page for details.
Any camera that records video works with mimem.ai: smartphones (iPhone, Android), webcams, GoPros, DSLRs, mirrorless cameras, cinema cameras, or security cameras. Higher resolution and frame rate produce better results, but even basic webcams can capture usable motion data.
Markerless mocap does need good lighting and clear visibility of the subject—but unlike optical systems you don't need an infrared rig or dedicated studio. A well-lit living room, garage, or outdoor area with natural daylight works well. Inertial suits (Rokoko, Xsens) can work in the dark, but they suffer from drift on longer takes and fragile hardware.
Performers can wear almost anything. For best results:
- Fitted clothing works better than very loose or flowing garments
- Contrasting colors against the background help visibility
- Avoid very dark clothing in dark environments
- Costumes are fine—capture in character wardrobe when needed
Unlike marker-based systems, there's no need for tight lycra suits or marker placement.
mimem.ai currently processes recorded video rather than streaming real-time capture. Processing typically takes 2-5 minutes for a 30-second clip. For real-time applications, we recommend capturing video and processing in batches. Real-time streaming is on our roadmap for future releases.
Currently, our AI focuses on tracking a single performer per capture session. For scenes with multiple performers, we recommend capturing each person separately or using dedicated camera setups for each performer. Multi-person tracking is planned for a future update.
Ready to Go Markerless?
Start capturing professional motion data without suits, markers, or expensive equipment