Deepmotion Animate 3D is a new service that converts a short clip of video into a fully 3D animation. It is currently free to use and is available in early alpha form at deepmotion.com. Future pricing details have not been announced beyond the following mention(s) on Reddit:
The service is unlimited through the end of the year if you join now. Once we do switch over our payment model, your account will stay free and have a number of free animation minutes that reset every month. Higher paid plans give you more minutes. We’re aiming to keep this service accessible to everyone!
To get started you simply register for a free account, confirm your email address, then upload a video and optionally a rigged 3D model in the standard t-pose. Next you let Deepmotion Animate 3D does it’s machine learning magic and convert your 2D video into a 3D animation. Once completed the animation can be downloaded in BVH or FBX formats. There are some guidelines however for shooting the ideal video for conversion.
- Camera: Should be stationary and parallel to your subject
- Character Placement: The entire body from head to toe should be visible, located 2-6 meters (6-20 feet) from the camera
- Lighting: Neutral lighting with high contrast between the subject and the background is recommended
- Size: Max video length allowed is 60 seconds and max size is 50.00 MB
- Occlusion: The subject should not be occluded by any objects and there should be a single subject in the motion clip
- Clothing: Do not wear loose clothing or clothing that covers key joints like knees and elbows
You can check out our review of Deepmotion Animate 3D in action in the video below. Of course it is an alpha release so expect improvements over time. If you want to trial it yourself, the YouTube channel EndlessReference is a decent source of test videos.