Autodesk MotionBuilder vs iPi Mocap Studio
Autodesk MotionBuilder
autodesk.com
iPi Mocap Studio
ipisoft.comSide by side
| Figure | Autodesk MotionBuilder | iPi Mocap Studio |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | $28.75/mo |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 8 | 10 |
| Spec score · Motion Capture Software | 9.2 (#3) | 8.0 (#16) |
| Spec score · 3D Animation Software | 9.1 (#2) | 7.8 (#22) |
| Spec score · Animation Software | 9.1 (#9) | 8.1 (#48) |
| Spec score · Game Motion Capture Software | 9.2 (#2) | 8.0 (#11) |
| Spec score · 3D Character Animation Software | 9.1 (#3) | 7.8 (#19) |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Purpose | MotionBuilder is 3D character animation software for capturing, editing, and playing back complex animations. | iPi Mocap Studio tracks an actor’s motion by analyzing multi-camera or depth-sensor video recordings made with iPi Recorder. |
| Support | Autodesk lists 24x7 online support options and resources. | The maker offers email-based technical support; perpetual licenses include support and updates for the first two years after activation. |
| Trial | Autodesk offers a free 30-day MotionBuilder trial. | The 30-day trial includes all Basic Edition features, after which animation export and live preview are unavailable. |
Plans
Autodesk MotionBuilder
- Annual subscriptionPriced on request
- Annual subscriptionPrice not published
- 3-year subscriptionPriced on request
- 3-year subscriptionPrice not published
- MotionBuilder free trialFree
- MotionBuilder 2025$2,145 a year
- Media & Entertainment Collection$2,790 a year
- MotionBuilder subscriptionPrice not published
iPi Mocap Studio
- Basic$165 a month
- Express$195, paid once
- Biomech Add-on$245 a month
- Basic$345 a year
- Biomech Add-on$495 a year
- Pro$495 a month
- Basic$695, paid once
- Biomech Add-on$995, paid once
- Pro$995 a year
- Pro$1,995, paid once
In their own words
Autodesk MotionBuilder
Autodesk MotionBuilder is 3D character animation software for capturing, editing, and playing back complex animations. Its real-time character engine automatically creates movements for biped or human skeletons, while manipulation tools let users alter a character’s position and orientation. The listed capabilities include motion capture, motion retargeting, facial animation, animation retargeting, and character retargeting. Autodesk says professional animation and game studios use MotionBuilder to produce animations. It is designed to complement Maya and 3ds Max and exchanges data through Autodesk FBX with applications that support FBX. MotionBuilder is available for Linux and Windows. The stated minimum hardware includes a 64-bit Intel or AMD multi-core processor, 8 GB RAM, 4 GB of free disk space, and a three-button mouse. Autodesk offers a free 30-day trial, but no free plan. A subscription covers installation on up to three devices for one named user, with use limited to one computer at a time, and includes the current version plus three previous versions.
iPi Mocap Studio
iPi Mocap Studio analyzes recordings made with iPi Recorder to track an actor’s movement and produce skeleton animation for humanlike characters. It accepts multi-camera or depth-sensor video and includes motion cleanup, refinement, jitter removal, trajectory filtering, and manual finger-pose keyframing. Character import and animation export support FBX, BVH, Collada, DMX, and SMD. Basic and Pro editions can stream poses to Unity projects through supplied C# scripts. Pro adds multi-person tracking, multiple-GPU support, and batch processing. The 30-day trial includes Basic features, but animation export and live preview stop being available afterward. AI tracking requires 64-bit Windows 10 or 11 and a compatible NVIDIA RTX or Quadro RTX GPU; documented AI features cover single-actor color-video projects. Licenses use online activation, one computer at a time, and an offline option is documented. The software runs on Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10, and 11. The listed Biomech Add-on costs $245 a month.