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Motion-capture dataset pricing and deliverables
Compare existing motion licences and custom capture quotes using accepted motion time, performer coverage, skeleton schemas and processing scope.
Published 2026-10-27 · 6 min read
| Quote item | Required comparison |
|---|---|
| Volume | Session-minutes versus performer-minutes and accepted takes |
| Signals | Native capture, estimated pose and derived labels |
| Schema | Skeleton, coordinate frame, units, rates and processing version |
| Costs | Capture, cleanup, retargeting, annotation, licence and rework |
Motion-capture pricing needs three separate questions: what does recording cost, what processing is included, and what licence covers the delivered data? Hardware or software subscription prices do not answer how much a buyer pays for a finished motion dataset.
There is no verified universal per-minute dataset rate in this guide. Define captured signals, action coverage, performer diversity, processing and permitted use before comparing a library licence with a custom session. An animation clip, marker trajectory, inertial recording and video-estimated pose are different products.
What public offers do and do not establish
Rokoko’s motion-dataset page invites buyers to contact it about licensing and says sample data can be provided before a commercial agreement. The page checked for this guide does not publish a universal dataset dollar rate. This is evidence of a quote-led offer, not an independently audited catalog or a Fiund supply claim.
AMASS publishes a licence for non-commercial scientific use with restrictions on commercial use and redistribution. Do not treat a research download as a commercial training licence or resell it as your own inventory. Check the actual dataset and any associated model or source terms for your use.
Separate capture from estimated or retargeted pose
Describe the original system and available signals: optical marker observations, inertial measurements, synchronized video or another source. Then identify processing used to produce skeletons, joint rotations, body-model parameters, contact labels or retargeted animation.
Even a sensor-based capture pipeline may estimate a skeleton. Name the processing and reference method rather than describing every derived joint as directly measured ground truth. Preserve native capture files where available and identify missing body, finger, face or object channels.
Ask for a schema example before a price comparison
An illustrative manifest could list session_id, performer_id, take_id, action, duration_seconds, capture_method, skeleton_version, units, sample_rate, processing_version and restriction_status. Use anonymous performer IDs; an example schema is not an available dataset.
Request joint names and parent hierarchy, coordinate axes, handedness, length and angle units, rotation representation and root-motion convention. For C3D deliveries, the official documentation explains POINT:RATE and POINT:UNITS. Inspect the exported values and test a file rather than assuming an extension guarantees compatibility.
Normalize accepted motion time and project costs
Count unique elapsed motion separately from simultaneous performers and exported representations. A ten-minute two-person interaction contains ten session-minutes and twenty performer-minutes. A BVH and another export of the same take do not create new independent motion.
Hypothetical only: a $3,000 project delivering 60 accepted performer-minutes implies $50 per accepted performer-minute before separately excluded costs. If 30 minutes are accepted for the same total, the unit cost is $100. These assumed values explain acceptance sensitivity; they are not vendor rates or Fiund offers.
Define pilot acceptance and licensed scope
Request separate costs for performers, facility time, setup and calibration, capture, cleanup, retargeting, annotation, review, rework and the licence. Identify minimum booking charges and whether the usable accepted material is priced independently of the booked session.
Review a pilot for action coverage, missing markers or tracking gaps, drift, foot sliding, contact behavior and the actual downstream import. Agree project-specific tolerances and correction responsibility; no universal threshold is asserted here. Fiund confirms sourcing and availability after a brief, and its standard buyer licences are non-exclusive and prohibit synthetic voice or likeness replication.
Before requesting an assessment or quote
- Define session time versus performer time.
- Inspect sample files and skeleton documentation.
- Separate capture, processing and licence costs.
- Check dataset terms and agree pilot acceptance.
Frequently asked questions
Does a motion-capture suit’s price tell me my dataset value?
No. Equipment, capture services, processing and a dataset licence are separate costs or transactions.
Is video-estimated pose the same as optical motion capture?
No. Document the source, estimation pipeline and validation. They may support different tasks and should not be represented as identical measurements.
Can I resell a research motion dataset?
Do not assume permission. Review the actual dataset and associated terms; the cited AMASS licence restricts redistribution and commercial use.