This website assembly is in progress, thanks for your patience!

My teaching-learning journey at OSU has been rich with unique opportunities and amazing partners: faculty, researchers and students. I love exploring all aspects of digital movement at the ACCAD Motion Lab, where experiences ranging from semester-long classes to single-session workshops foster a reciprocal process of teaching and learning, continuous dialogue, and creative play.

motion capture (production and experimentation)

This class, taught annually since 2008, is open to both grads and undergrads from any department at the university. The students have the opportunity to learn elements of motion capture production for film and games: from running optical captures sessions to editing and sequencing movements in Motionbuilder and iClone. The students can also focus on developing realtime interactive and performance experiences where full body can act as a controller in the context of markerless systems for body and face. Digital puppetry or motion analysis for creative research applications may also be explored.Tech Notes: Vicon mocap, Motionbuilder, iClone, Unreal, AR-51 markerless systemPeople: ongoing support by graduate research associates

performance and narrative in virtual reality

For a brief and delightful few years between 2016 and early 2020s it was possible to track live mocap actors and physical props and locate them within the VR worlds in a way that matched virtual characters and objects with great precision. The sensations of sitting at a table, moving chairs, shaking a character's hand in VR was reinforced by haptic feedback from the physical objects and performers in the VR volume, tracked via motion capture. This setup became a platform for a course that we offered with Alex Oliszewski (professor of media design in the Department of Theater, Film and Media Arts at OSU). Within the context of the class students worked in groups to develop game prototypes or short immersive theater experiences (up to 20 min) with two conditions: the experience must be driven by a live actor/realtime character interaction and at least two different virtual environments must be involved in one experience. The latter allowed experience designers to choreograph moments and mechanics of transition from one virtual environment to another without leaving the physical volume. Tech Notes: HTC Vive Pro with trackers, Vicon Optical mocap system, Unity based interacitvity. People: Alex Oliszewski (Professor, TFMAA), Lakshika Udakandage, Tori Campbell (GRA, Design), Jonathan Welch.Reflections: A few thoughts on working with VR and live acting can be found in 2019 DRHA Conference Proceedings, p.176

acting for motion capture

Well that was just waay too much fun:))... this 2025 course engaged 9 students in the Acting MFA cohort in performing as virtual characters. Tech Notes: Realtime performance with Vicon, Unreal, as Mixamo and Metahuman characters.People: Co-taught with Kevin McClatchy (OSU, Theatre) and Tanya Calamoneri (OSU, Dance), Tanya led additional sessions focused on Butoh performance as a way to improve physical . Additional support by Skye Winters (Design MFA track)

physical theatre training: mime

In a special series held in the context of a theatre Mime class taught by Jeanine Thompson (OSU, Theatre) between 2016-2019 we experimented with students' learning mime performance through virtual reality. These and similar technology-centered workshops also became part of developing devised mediated performance There is No Silence. Further description can be found here and here. Video demo here.
Tech Notes: HTC Vive, Vicon Mocap, Unity. People: Jeanine Thompson, (Professor, Department of Theater, OSU) Lakshika Udagandage, GRA, Department of Design, OSU)

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse