Active Marker in Virtual Production

Active Marker is a Tracking term in filmmaking. In virtual production, the nuances of this term take on special meaning. Here, we break down the definition to give you a starting point.

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Basic Definition:

What is Active marker in virtual production?

A physical reference for tracking purposes with a unique i.d. such as a strobing LED bulb.

Active markers are light sources, LEDs that radiate an electromagnetic field detected in real time. Each LED is identified individually to ensure the mocap software doesn't confuse them with each other. Sometimes though, there are too many wires, which might prevent complex movements from the actors, and LED markers can be fragile and pricey.

Sometimes markers can be time-modulated, which means higher spatial and temporal resolutions, but this requires more powerful equipment and better mocap software.