Welcome to Visual3D™, the most advanced 3D analysis software available for biomechanical motion analysis (kinematics and kinetics). Proven in scientific and clinical research labs world-wide, Visual3D™ is the world's leading software solution for rigorous and accurate 3D motion analysis.
Visual3D™ can process data from nearly any type of motion capture system using the industry standard C3D format. It also processes any synchronized analog signals such as force platforms, load cells, instrumented treadmills, and EMG.
Visual3D™ computes the biomechanics based on Newtonian dynamics, and can do it in real-time.
Visual3D™ has been proven in multiple fields such as:
Gait analysis
Sports injury and performance assessments
Physical Rehabilitation
Ergonomics
Neuroscience
Animal studies
Entertainment
Industrial Processes
And many more...
Visual3D™ supplements, and is independent of, the data collection hardware and software used to create the 3D data files. By accommodating different laboratory coordinate systems, Visual3D software allows the user to interpret the data in the traditional format of the lab or clinic, but then reanalyzes the data automatically and presents it in a different coordinate system (e.g., a format defined by a standards committee such as that of the International Society of Biomechanics; Wu et. al., 2002). Visual3D incorporates advanced visualization techniques for animating the data including the ability to visualize non-spatial data such as EMG or net joint moments by rendering objects in the animation viewer whose color is based on the signal value at any frame.
6 Degree of Freedom modeling and analysis
Inverse Kinematics modeling and analysis
Data Integrity - Historical audit trail of signal processing and analysis steps
Advanced Modeling - Support for any marker set including custom minimal sets and clusters
Advanced signal Processing for 2D and 3D data
Pipeline processing for automated, repeatable analysis
Integrated reporting
Motion Capture Hardware Independent
Real-Time data streaming and analysis from most commercial optical Motion Capture systems
Visual3D runs on Microsoft Windows (or a Virtual Machine such as VMware or Parallels on an Apple OSX) and supports most Motion Capture systems directly.
Video camera results must first be processed and target-based motion data coordinates translated into C3D format.
Motion Capture Systems
supported include
(* vendors that support real-time data streaming):
CODA *
Motion Analysis Corporation *
Northern Digital Incorporated *
Phoenix Technologies *
Polhemus (Liberty) *
Qualisys *
Vicon (and Peak systems) *
Ariel
BTS
BioGesta
XSens
Other hardware (force platforms, instrumented steps, instrumented treadmills) supported
AMTI
Bertec
Kistler
and many more...
Visual3D™ has the ability to perform kinematic and/or kinetic calculations on non-standard marker configurations such as those used routinely by many laboratories.
Visual3D™ will accommodate legacy data that a laboratory may have archived that was collected using a non-standard marker configuration.
Visual3D™ provides a very powerful and flexible model construction capabilities.
Visual3D™ provides powerful and advanced landmark (virtual marker) creation methods.
Visual3D™ provides 6 degree of freedom modeling and a flexible Inverse Kinematics modeling.
Visual3D™ provides functional joint and functional axis calculations.
Visual3D™ provides a digitizing pointer to locating virtual markers.
Visual3D™ provides the capable to reproduce variations of the Conventional Gait Models (VCM, Orthotrak, Coda, etc).
At the core of Visual3D™ is the development of a flexible biomechanical modeling tool that can be used to define an unrestricted number of rigid segments and link them together in a cohesive fashion. Each segment is treated individually and is allowed to exist anywhere in space. Its movement is not constrained in any way. Due to this lack of constraints, analysis of joint motion is done based solely on the relative motion of the segments as detected by the motion-tracking apparatus.
Because the targets used to track the segments are often subject to measurement error and soft tissue artifact, motion about some of the degrees of freedom maybe much larger than the motion that would be realistically possible. Lu and O’Connor (1999) described a global optimization process where physically realistic joint constraints can be added to the model to minimize the effect of the soft tissue and measurement error. Lu and O’Connor termed this process Global Optimization while other inside the biomechanics community prefer the term Inverse Kinematics. (Inverse Kinematics is the term used by Visual3d but Visual3d’s approach is based on the Lu and O’Connor technique.)
Visual3D provides an integration between Motion Capture data and OpenSim (www.simtk.org)
One of the guiding principles behind the design of Visual3D™ is that your original data is sacrosanct – and must never be changed or modified. This protects the researcher and allows analysis results to be reproduced at any time.
Data is copied into the Visual3D™ workspace, and Plug-ins that do data conversions only read the original data.
All processed data can be reconstructed. Visual3D contains the entire history of processing steps to allows the precise re-processing of the signals so you can go back and make changes and if necessary re-run your analysis.
The visualization of motion data can be shown as skeletons, mannequins or user-defined animations that have been imported from external software. Ground reaction forces from force plates can be shown as vector arrows and force butterflys. EMG signals can also be visualized. The presentation of synchronized video is also possible within Visual3D.
Visual3D provides straightforward reports that are used to produce and interpret movement sequences, including a standard analysis report that can be generated with a minimum of input using automated processing scripts. At the same time, more advanced users will be able to access a more flexible analysis for less common applications (including unique patient populations) and to customize the report format.
The Pipeline processor provides access to the core of Visual3D™ functionality.
The Pipeline allows a set of Visual3D™ commands to be processed in sequence.
It provides a command line interface into all of Visual3D™'s functions. The Pipeline has the ability to manage files, define events, execute signal processing computations, create and edit modes, create and modify reports, and generated statistics. Edit boxes are usually provided for configuring each process step.
A pipeline can be used to define the processing steps for a given experimental data analysis protocol. This allows, for example, the director of the laboratory to control the processing that is done by a member of the laboratory. This may be essential for some experimental studies that require that all of the data analysis be performed consistently.
Any pipeline commands can be saved to a text command file. This file may be reloaded later, or combined with other command files to build a more complex pipeline.
Visual3D™ plug-ins integrate seamlessly into Visual3D™ and can be accessed through the pipeline processor.