An animation studio in Hungary, DIGIC Services recently put out a video of them using mo-cap tech on cats. These very patient animals were wearing tons of little sensors and led to move the way the company wanted. The process for putting the sensors on a human can be a long process so seeing these cats in them is pretty neat. They must be very cooperative souls.
In the video you can see how the cats were led up ramps and through obstacles. It’s really cool to see how these animals reacted to the process. The final product was also really impressive.
As we move more into the CGI world with movies like “Garfield” or “Secret Life of Pets” more and more data is needed. Animators in the past had used traditional drawing techniques and would bring a real animal into the offices to sketch. With the animations on file digitally they could present an even easier way to get the movement.
Mo-capping a cat is also much safer than using live animals for stunts.