Sarah Clarity Studios

Chapter 1: Wardrobe for Capture

Created by Sarah Choi (prompt writer using ChatGPT)

Wardrobe for Capture (Markers, Fit) — A Collaboration Guide for Character Concept Artists working with Scans, MoCap & Photogrammetry

Why wardrobe choices decide your capture quality

Directing capture doesn’t start on the volume floor; it starts at the sketch. The fabrics, closures, surface detail, and fit you propose will either help or hinder scanners and tracking systems. For concept artists—both on the blue‑sky concepting side and in production—designing for capture means pre‑engineering silhouettes, materials, and marker strategies so that technicians can record accurate geometry, motion, and texture without re‑costuming the character. Good capture‑aware design reduces retakes, stabilizes budgets, and preserves your intended look on‑screen.

Capture contexts at a glance

Photogrammetry scans need matte, non‑repeating, richly textured cues to triangulate points across overlapping photos. Optical motion capture needs visible markers (passive reflective or active) arranged on known skeletal landmarks with minimal occlusion and jitter. Inertial systems prefer compression fits that keep IMUs rigid relative to bones. Hybrid volumes (optical + inertial + video solve) add synchronized video and sometimes depth cameras, which are sensitive to speculars and moiré. Your wardrobe must serve the dominant modality without sabotaging the others.

Designing the base layer: fit, comfort, and signal

Begin with a compression base layer that anchors markers and sensors while managing heat, sweat, and skin shear. Concepts should specify:

Paragraph 1. Choose medium‑to‑high compression knits with four‑way stretch so markers stay stable under dynamic loads. Avoid excessive sheen that blooms under IR or LED rigs. Panels should follow myofascial lines to reduce wrinkling in extreme poses.

Paragraph 2. Place seams, zippers, and gussets away from bony landmarks used for marker placement (acromion, lateral epicondyle, ASIS/PSIS, greater trochanter). When a seam must cross a landmark, include a plain panel option or concealed zip so techs can shift the marker without sewing.

Paragraph 3. Ventilation and hygiene matter across multi‑day shoots. Specify breathable zones (mesh at popliteal fossa, axilla, lumbar), sweat‑wicking yarns, and duplicate sets for rotation. Design a neutral “capture colorway” even if the hero costume is vibrant; you can relayer or recolor digitally.

Marker strategy baked into the garment

Markers are not an afterthought; treat them as a layer in your callouts.

Paragraph 1. Optical mocap: plan flat “pucks” or hemispherical retroreflective markers on reinforced islands. Indicate primary and backup positions to solve occlusion when characters cross arms, shoulder a weapon, or wear a cloak. Create art for removable covers that convert a marker island into a decorative grommet or stitch cluster when markers are off.

Paragraph 2. Video‑solve and AI tracking: propose high‑contrast, non‑periodic fiducials (e.g., AprilTags/ArUco‑like patterns or asymmetric cross marks) printed on the base layer beneath translucent costuming. Keep spacing irregular to avoid ambiguous solves. Scale tags to be legible at the farthest camera distance in the volume.

Paragraph 3. Inertial suits: design rigid mounting tabs for IMUs at tibia, femur, pelvis, forearm, and torso segments. Tabs must not float; add internal boning or anti‑slip silicone. Call out cable routing (or battery pouches) and strain relief so props or belts don’t snag.

Photogrammetry wardrobe: letting the solver see

Photogrammetry thrives on micro‑variation and hates sameness.

Paragraph 1. Favor matte, slightly toothy fabrics (brushed cottons, sueded knits, peached nylon) and discourage mirror finishes, vinyl, chrome beads, and sequins. If the character demands gloss, plan a de‑gloss capture variant (sprayable matte coat or swap panels) and note it in your handoff.

Paragraph 2. Avoid regular micro‑patterns (fine stripes, tiny checkerboards) that alias into moiré. If prints are essential, upsize motifs and introduce noise or grain. Indicate a “scan variant” print with randomized speckling for capture days.

Paragraph 3. Edges and overlaps create ghosting when they lift between shots. Design understitching and discreet tacks to keep collars, plackets, and hem flanges flat. For capes and skirts, include temporary basting points to pin layers during the scan turntable.

Texture & color capture: lighting, references, and neutralization

Paragraph 1. Specify a cross‑polarized texture capture pass and provide a plan for specular‑neutral garments (temporary matte spray, alternate fabric swatch). Include a note to capture both polarized and unpolarized sets to separate albedo from specular response.

Paragraph 2. Always include a color target (e.g., neutral gray and standardized patches) and fabric swatches of each material used in the hero costume. In your concept packet, show the expected albedo range so texture artists can sanity‑check exposure.

Paragraph 3. For leather and knits, design a “scan tile” accessory—a flat panel constructed from the same material and stitch pattern—to be shot alongside the subject for high‑res texture tiling without body curvature distortion.

Silhouette management: keeping reads while exposing landmarks

Paragraph 1. Your hero silhouette must coexist with capture needs. Propose a capture‑day silhouette that preserves iconic line while opening windows around skeletal landmarks—e.g., sleeveless or raglan‑zip options that reveal deltoid/shoulder landmarks; detachable hip skirts that expose ASIS.

Paragraph 2. For voluminous or layered looks (robes, tactical webbing, fur), provide a “shell off/under‑suit on” configuration. The under‑suit carries markers and IMUs; the shell is donned for witness cams or later performance re‑targeting tests.

Paragraph 3. For headgear and hair, include bald‑cap or short‑wig capture variants with discreet fiducials along the hairline and mastoid. For helmets, add removable geometry windows to reveal ear and jaw landmarks used in facial solve alignment.

Closures, trims, and noise discipline

Paragraph 1. Concept trims that are quiet, low‑profile, and non‑reflective: coil zippers instead of chunky metal teeth; covered snaps; Delrin buckles. Provide “sound‑stage” variants because suit mics and volume acoustics exaggerate rattle.

Paragraph 2. Where armor plates or jewelry are essential, draw soft capture substitutes—EVA foam or 3D‑printed matte stand‑ins—that match volume and weight distribution without speculars. Ship the real trims for hero photography later.

Footwear and ground truth

Paragraph 1. MoCap floors are slippery. Design outsoles with non‑marking, high‑grip rubber and plan for a neutral capture shoe that matches ankle height and flex of the hero boot. Keep ankle bones (medial/lateral malleoli) visually findable for marker placement.

Paragraph 2. If the character’s gait depends on lifts, blades, or hooves, propose a capture appliance that preserves kinematics (rocker soles, stilt plates) but includes hidden anchor points for markers and safety tethers. Offer a “flat kinematic proxy” for safety rehearsals.

Capes, cloaks, tails: taming secondary motion in capture

Paragraph 1. Secondary elements occlude markers and confuse solvers. Provide a capture harness plan: tuck‑loops, removable weights, or magnets that park fabric during takes. For tails/wings, specify detachable lightweight proxies with embedded markers for separate solve passes.

Paragraph 2. For cloth‑heavy characters, pair a body capture day with a separate high‑speed reference shoot (bare under‑suit + hero cloth on mannequin) to capture drape characteristics under controlled wind and motion ramps.

Directing the capture day: what concept artists should request

Paragraph 1. Define default poses in the concept packet: neutral A‑pose or 30° relaxed A‑pose (often preferable to T‑pose), a set of ROM (range‑of‑motion) moves that expose problem areas (cross‑body reach, deep squat, kneel, overhead reach), and “hero actions” tied to gameplay verbs.

Paragraph 2. Annotate where props attach and how wardrobe will clear them. Include diagrams for holster clearances, strap slack, and sling lengths that avoid marker occlusion. Provide an alt‑routing sketch if a cable or sheath would cross a marker cluster.

Paragraph 3. Ask for synchronized witness cams and HDRI/light probes in the volume. Even if lighting is not your department, those captures make your texture/material intent reproducible.

Integrating scans into the art pipeline

Paragraph 1. In concepting, call out topology expectations: where you anticipate edge‑flow for deformation, where cloth needs wrinkle ranges, and which trims will be modeled vs. baked. This helps scan cleanup and retopo teams plan loops around knees, elbows, and corsetry.

Paragraph 2. In production, receive the scan with metadata: capture variant notes, material IDs, fabric charts, and ROM footage. Compare to your intended silhouette and flag any scan‑day compromises (de‑glossed panels, pinned hems) that need digital restoration.

Paragraph 3. When baking textures from scan‑derived assets, keep the “scan albedo” separate from “look‑dev albedo.” The former is ground truth; the latter is graded for engine and art direction. Maintain a traceable chain so accessibility checks (contrast, readability) remain auditable.

Accessibility & inclusion during capture

Paragraph 1. Compression layers can be fatiguing or triggering; collaborate with performers to tailor pressure, provide adaptive closures, and schedule cool‑off breaks. Offer alternative donning sequences for mobility differences.

Paragraph 2. Skin‑safe adhesives (e.g., medical‑grade) and hypoallergenic fabrics should be part of your spec. Include modesty solutions for scan‑only underlayers and communicate clearly about when shell layers are on/off.

Paragraph 3. For color‑blind safety and readability downstream, keep the capture base in mid‑value neutrals so high‑contrast marker art does not bias later palette reads. Document final hero palette separately.

Budget levers you control as an artist

Paragraph 1. Plan a small “capture kit” in your concept BOM: duplicate base layers, extra marker islands, matte spray, de‑gloss panels, neutral shoes, and proxy trims. A few hundred dollars in prep often saves thousands in reshoots.

Paragraph 2. Design once, shoot twice: a unified capture variant can serve photogrammetry and MoCap days with minor swaps. Specify those swaps explicitly (e.g., replace fiducial‑printed torso with reflector‑marker torso on MoCap day).

Paragraph 3. Upfront testing beats hero‑day failure. Request a 10‑minute tech scout in the volume with your proposed fabrics and trims. Bring your scan tiles and capture shoes; record how they behave under house lighting and lenses.

Handoff documentation: what to include in your packet

Paragraph 1. A “capture variant” turnaround with layered callouts (under‑suit, marker islands, shell on/off) and a marker map legend.

Paragraph 2. A fit & closure diagram showing seam allowances near landmarks, hidden zips, and temporary tacks/basting points for scan control.

Paragraph 3. A fabric & trim board: physical swatches where possible, with notes on reflectance, weave, and any de‑gloss strategy. Include laundering notes so coatings don’t wash out mid‑shoot.

Paragraph 4. A capture day checklist: poses, ROM, hero actions, prop attach points, footwear, head/hair plan, color targets, HDRI/light probes, witness cam angles, and per‑scene continuity notes.

Production realities: when the hero costume fights the volume

Paragraph 1. Sometimes the art wins and the volume must adapt. If the director insists on mirror‑polished armor, argue for a dedicated “armor solve” session with tracking paint beneath, then replace the shell digitally. Make that plan part of your concept rationale.

Paragraph 2. Conversely, if the stage is fixed (tight budget, limited cameras), simplify the costume’s worst offenders for capture and re‑introduce complexity in look‑dev. Note which elements are aesthetic vs. kinematic so everyone knows what can be faked.

Final thought

Capture‑ready wardrobe is creative constraint turned superpower. By drawing garments that respect markers, fit, materials, and motion, you let performers move freely, solvers lock quickly, and scans integrate cleanly. Whether you’re inventing the look or shepherding it into production, your foresight keeps the artistry on screen and the chaos off set.