Deakin Motion.Lab Unlocking Cinematic Scale with OptiTrack Precision

The Challenge: Next-Level Volume, Uncompromised Mobility

For over a decade, Melbourne’s Deakin Motion.Lab (DML) has been a powerhouse in the Australian creative landscape. Operating as a creative consultancy with deep research roots at Deakin University, DML delivers cutting-edge content—from virtual production and real-time animation to advanced VR/AR implementation.

When a facility is defined by “state-of-the-art,” every technology refresh is a critical exercise in future-proofing. After ten years of successful operation, DML was ready for an upgrade. Their requirements were rigorous, demanding a system that could:

1. Scale Up: Handle high-density multi-person shoots (up to 15 actors) within their expansive in-house volume.
2. Go Mobile: Be lightweight, modular, and robust enough for frequent transport, enabling seamless outdoor and on-location shoots—a non-negotiable requirement for their diverse commercial and research portfolio.
3. Ensure Reliability: Minimize setup and calibration downtime, maximizing high-value capture time.

They needed not just a vendor, but an expert partner. After an exhaustive, year-long market exploration, DML chose the unparalleled flexibility and power of OptiTrack, supplied and supported by Tracklab.

The Solution: A Split System Built for Scale and Clarity

The Tracklab team engineered a highly flexible, hybrid optical solution centered around OptiTrack’s flagship cameras:

• Prime 41: Providing the raw, high-resolution power and tracking range necessary for expansive volume coverage.
• Prime 17W: Offering a superior field-of-view (FOV) to expertly fill in gaps and minimize common occlusion challenges, particularly when multiple actors are interacting closely.

This tactical split system allows DML to maintain comprehensive marker coverage across their entire capture area, ensuring the capture volume is completely utilized without sacrificing data quality. With the new system driven by OptiTrack’s Motive:Body software, the DML team can now stream hyper-accurate character data live, enabling real-time animation and virtual production workflows right on stage.

The Impact: Unprecedented Power, Professional Portability

The results speak for themselves. The OptiTrack system is not merely an upgrade; it’s a total game-changer for DML’s production capacity:

1. Multi-User Mastery

Initial stress tests proved the system’s formidable power, easily tracking 15 separate subjects simultaneously. This capacity, limited only by the number of suits DML has available, fundamentally redefines the scale of ensemble work and complex choreography they can deliver.

2. Plug-and-Play Reliability

The lightweight design and streamlined hardware have drastically reduced on-site setup and teardown times. DML staff report that the OptiTrack cameras are significantly more reliable, faster to connect, and simpler to recalibrate, whether they are in their Melbourne studio or working in a remote, unconventional location. This portability is the key to unlocking new creative possibilities, including outdoor tracking environments previously deemed too difficult.

3. Precision at an Expert Value

Dr. Jordan Beth Vincent, Research Fellow at DML, praised the decision, noting that the ability to test a full demo system provided by Tracklab was crucial to their informed investment. This allowed DML to validate that OptiTrack delivered exceptional performance and superior value compared to other high-end market solutions.

“The affordability, power, flexibility and reliability of the OptiTrack cameras are second to none,” says Chris Sutton, Tracklab Director. “We are thrilled to see DML leveraging this system to continue pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in film, gaming, and research.”

The collaboration between Deakin Motion.Lab, OptiTrack, and Tracklab has established a new benchmark for professional motion capture, proving that peak performance and agile portability can be achieved in a single, powerful system.