By Utilizing motion capture technology on a horse resembles the process used for humans, according to the developers of Equinox: Homecoming. However, there are countless additional logistical challenges that could arise.
Former developers from Helldivers and World of Warcraft have collaborated on an innovative multiplayer, open-world horse-riding management game titled Equinox: Homecoming. Given that the equines are pivotal to every aspect of the journey, the team determined that they needed to capture every movement through motion capture technology.
How does one even begin this process? “It’s done in the same manner as with a human,” studio director Craig Morrison explained to GamesRadar+. “We fitted them in a suit equipped with white balls, and the suit was, if I recall correctly, custom-made in Ireland, correct?”
“Ultimately, both the actors and the horse actor donned suits with helmets and cameras, and the horse was fitted with dots, including some on its ears,” CEO Colin Cragg added. “Everything was constructed to function identically for the horse as it did for the humans.”
After trying out several horses, the team chose the “very calm and patient” Bella, who seemed not to cause any issues during production. Instead, the obstacles arose from nearly every other element.
“Another challenge of capturing a horse involved establishing a setup in a Canadian barn spacious enough for a horse to trot, canter, and gallop while capturing the footage,” Morrison elaborated.
Cragg noted that they had about 60 cameras “installed on the exterior of the building,” but occasionally, the wind would shake the structure, causing the cameras to falter in synchronization. Consequently, the team constructed a “secondary superstructure inside the building to avoid vibrations from the elements.”
As if that weren’t challenging enough, delays caused by the superstructure and weather “pushed things late enough into the season” to leave the team with only three and a half weeks.