We present a system that allows users to visualize complex human motion via
3D motion sculptures---a representation that conveys the 3D structure swept by
a human body as it moves through space. Given an input video, our system
computes the motion sculptures and provides a user interface for rendering it
in different styles, including the options to insert the sculpture back into
the original video, render it in a synthetic scene or physically print it.
To provide this end-to-end workflow, we introduce an algorithm that estimates
that human's 3D geometry over time from a set of 2D images and develop a
3D-aware image-based rendering approach that embeds the sculpture back into the
scene. By automating the process, our system takes motion sculpture creation
out of the realm of professional artists, and makes it applicable to a wide
range of existing video material.
By providing viewers with 3D information, motion sculptures reveal space-time
motion information that is difficult to perceive with the naked eye, and allow
viewers to interpret how different parts of the object interact over time. We
validate the effectiveness of this approach with user studies, finding that our
motion sculpture visualizations are significantly more informative about motion
than existing stroboscopic and space-time visualization methods.Comment: UIST 2018. Project page: http://mosculp.csail.mit.edu