The Potential and Limitations of 3D Modelling and Animation Technologies and Techniques: Part 3

Okay so in the previous blog posts about the limitations and possibilities a common thought of mine is that using motion capture to create humans hasn't been as successful as when its been used to create creatures. Although, that being said when motion capture has been used to create humans often it has made these characters more emotionally relatable than if they had just been animated without it. A key example for me is the Grand Theft Auto video game series.


So when I played Grand Theft Auto Four, the main protagonist had been created without motion capture and although I really liked playing as the character there was an emotional disconnect of which I had fully realised until playing the fifth in the series.





And then the fifth game in the series came along that had been created with using motion capture and I completely noticed the difference. There is now so much more emotion in the characters and they feel so much more life like and personally I found I could connect with them far easier.









(Above: The real life actors who portray the three GTA5 protagonists Trevor, Franklin and Michael)

Now these characters because of the motion capture technology are easier to relate to and we as the player feel we can relate to them easier. That being said, playing the game I still find there is a disconnect to reality which in the case of playing a Grand Theft Auto game I feel is great and one of the games strong points. The reason for this is that for one some of what these characters do in the game is pretty appalling, their are many causalities and a lot of destruction is caused, destruction we the player are responsible for. But it doesn't matter because we know what we're playing isn't real, it's a fiction, they look realistic but we know their not real which is very important. I personally feel if the characters did just look like real human beings the player would not be comfortable carrying out any of the actions that take place in the game. Now whether this is a limitation or a potential to me is slightly unclear, I feel it's neither. I feel the Grand Theft Auto franchise has met a nice point to stay at regarding it's animation in Grand Theft Auto Five.