Create props

In Shogun Live, you can create simple, single-segment (and therefore rigid) props.

For information on creating a prop as a custom L-frame, see Set the origin with a custom L-frame.

Load subjects and props via .mcp file

For an easy way to quickly load subjects and props from an existing scene, you can load an .mcp file directly into Shogun Live.

To quickly load subjects and props from an .mcp:

1. At the top of the Tracking panel, select the Load tracking configuration button .

2. From the Load Tracking Configuration dialog box, select or browse to the required .mcp file.
   The subjects and props are displayed in the Tracking panel as normal.

Place markers on props

When placing markers on props, note that a minimum of four markers is recommended for each prop. Be sure to:

• Place the markers across the prop object to reach the extremities as far as possible.
• Avoid placing markers in a straight line and/or on the same plane.
• Avoid placing markers symmetrically.
• Prevent marker swaps by avoiding placing prop markers too close to the hands or where the actor will interact with the prop.For example, if a performer will interact with a prop, place markers at the extremities of the prop, but not directly in the location where the interaction occurs, as shown below, where a performer holds a sword:

  

To create a single-segment prop:

1. Ensure the markers are positioned on the prop as described above.
2. Place the prop in the volume.
3. In Shogun Live, in the Settings menu, select Preferences (or press SHIFT+P).
4. In the Preferences dialog box, on the User tab, go to the Folders section and ensure that the Props folder is as required, or if not, select the button to the right of the Props line to specify the appropriate folder.

   

5. In the 3D Scene, select a minimum of four reconstructed markers. To ensure that Shogun Live places the bone logically within the prop, select (CTRL+click) the markers in the following order:
   • The first selected marker defines the origin (base) of the prop bone.
   • The second selected marker defines the end of the prop bone.
   • Any other markers can be selected in any order.

6. In the Tracking panel, in the Prop field, enter a name for the prop and select Create.

   

   A single-segment prop is created from the selected markers and appears in the 3D Scene in the orientation defined by the order in which you selected the markers in the previous step.

   The prop is displayed as a node on the Tracking panel on the right of the Shogun Live window.

   

   The prop's .mcp file is saved to the location specified in step 4 above.

7. If required, to select a mesh for the prop, or to change its color, ensure that the prop is selected in the Tracking panel and then choose a mesh and/or color on the Properties tab. Prop meshes are FBX files, by default stored in: C:\Users\Public\Documents\Vicon\PropMeshes.

8. To rename or remove a prop from the current scene, in the Tracking panel, right-click the prop and then click the relevant option. (You can also double-click on the prop to rename it.)

   

   After you have saved props, you can import them into subsequent takes as required.

Note that in addition to creating simple, single-segment props, you can also import both simple props and more complex, multi-segment props by setting the Import Subject button at the top of the Tracking panel.

Add markers to, or remove markers from, props

Shogun 1.8 and later enables you to add or remove markers to or from props. This is particularly useful, if, for example, an LED fails and needs to be replaced, or a passive marker falls off a prop.

If a marker is removed from a prop, you can manually select and remove the marker from the reconstruction. Similarly, if a marker is added, you can assign it a label and make it part of an existing reconstruction.

To manually remove a labeled marker from a prop:

1. In the Tracking panel, ensure that the required prop (which must have more than four markers) is selected, and in the 3D Scene, select the labeled marker that you want to remove.
2. On the Setup tab, in the Modify Object line, select Remove Marker.

   

   The labeled marker is removed from the object.

To add an unlabeled marker to a prop:

1. In the 3D Scene, select the required unlabeled marker.
2. At the top of the Tracking panel, CTRL+click to select the required prop.

3. On the Setup tab, in the Modify Object line, select Add Marker.

   The unlabeled marker is added to the selected object.

Move props

To move props in Shogun Live, you use the Object Manipulator, at the top of the 3D Scene view.

To use the Object Manipulator:

1. Pause the real time (press the spacebar or select Pause or the Play/Stop button) and in the Tracking panel on the right, select the object that you want to move.

2. If the Object Manipulator isn't displayed, select the Object Manipulator button or press M.

   

   Tip: To scale the manipulator, press the + or - keys.

3. Drag to move the prop in the 3D Scene view or enter the required values in the Object Manipulator fields.
4. To change between global and local values, select the Object Manipulator symbol:

   

You can use the manipulator to quickly align a prop to the world axis.

To align a prop to the world axis:

1. Pause the real time and in the Tracking panel on the right, select the prop you want to align and press M to display the Object Manipulator.
   In the Workspace (3D Scene view), the Object Manipulator is displayed. By selecting the Object Manipulator symbol (top left), you can set it to Local (values at zero) or Global (values relative to the scene origin).

   

2. To align the selected prop to the scene origin, ensure the Object Manipulator is set Global and change all the values to zero.

   

Work with static meshes

With Shogun Live 1.6 and later, you can import objects (FBX files) that represent set pieces and LED display walls into Shogun Live and manipulate them within your scene. This is useful when setting up your 3D environment, enabling you to:

• Calculate the positions of scenery and LED display walls within the tracked space.
• Position actors within the tracked space.
• Approximately place cameras ahead of a shoot.

To import a static mesh into your scene:

• In Shogun Live, at the top of the Tracking panel, select the Import Mesh button , locate the required FBX file, and select Open.
  When meshes are imported, for convenience they are copied to C:\Users\Public\Documents\Vicon\SceneMeshes.

To change the mesh to a previously imported mesh:

• In the Trackingpanel, select the object and on theProperties tab, select the Mesh list and select the required mesh from the list.

You can translate and rotate the object mesh in the same way as you manipulate other props (see Move props).

After you have finished capturing your scene that contains a static mesh, you can load the resulting MCP file into Shogun Post. For information, see Load static meshes into Shogun Post.

Load static meshes into Shogun Post

In Shogun Post 1.6 and later, you can load an MCP file that was captured in Live and contains a static mesh. When you load the MCP file into Post, the static mesh is displayed as an object whose default translation and rotation values are those that you specified in Shogun Live.

The default path to which static meshes are saved is:

• C:\Users\Public\Documents\Vicon\SceneMesh\
  As with other default locations, you can change the path by editing it in the Preferences dialog box (on the General menu, select Preferences and on the right of the Directories tab, select Scene Meshes).