Differences between the prosthetic and organic mocap suit:

1) The suit. the prosthetic one still needs a suit on the actor, a heavy and bulky one at that. For the organic system, no extra equipment whatsoever is needed on the actor.

2) The way the 2 systems record data. the prosthetic system uses a wire connecting the computer to the suit. the organic system uses infrared light cameras in a white space.

3) the potential space within which the actor can move. the prosthetic suit actor can walk around as far as the length of the recording cable. the organic actor needs to stay within the white space and the vision range of the infrared cameras.

4) the potential range of open motions that the actor can do. the prosthetic suit actor, due to the suit's bulky and somewhat fragile nature, and also due to the recording cable, is limited in in his possible motions. the organic actor, with no attachments whatsoever, is a lot more agile.

5) the potential range of closed motions that the actor can do. the prosthetic suit, as it tracks the joints and limbs directly, allows things like crouching, sitting, and generally holding one's limbs close to herself. for the organic system, the same motions will register as a big black ball instead of a person, and may not be recorded correctly.



organic mocap system
advantages:

1) No bulky suit to wear out the actor and limit his movements.
2) Software-side, easier to set up. Just a basic rigged model, straight out of 3dsmax, then import to MotionBuilder.
3) Hardware-side, also easier to set up. As opposed to the suit that needs to be put on and removed with each use, the infrared cameras only need to be set up once and can be used repeatedly from then on.
4) No limits on the kind of people who can use the system. As opposed to the prosthetic suit that needs someone more or less as big as the suit itself, the organic system can be used by people of all ages and body types.
5) Malfunctions from broken wires and such due to being used by actors are impossible. As opposed to natural wear and tear on the prosthetic suit's wires, the only way an actor could break the organic system's physical setup is by deliberately kicking the floor cameras. In other words, the organic setup will last longer.

disadvantages:
1) Due to silhouette tracking and not joint tracking, closed movements that meld the limbs into the body may not be tracked properly.
2) Related to the limb confusion problem, smaller movements like fingers and toes may also not register properly.
3) Limited to the space and location of the camera setup; a small white box in the lab.
4) There's still some restriction to the actor's outfit. the system's cameras may still be confused by bright clothes that can make the actor blend with the white background of the camera set, and free-flowing hair or clothes or other loose bits that change the actor's silhouette.
5) There's still some restriction to the actor's movements. Particularly fast or random movements can still confuse the system. Plus, don't kick the cloth walls or floor cameras by mistake!