PoseCap

What PoseCap is

PoseCap is a free, open-source Blender extension that streams markerless full-body poses to a character in Blender in real time. It captures movement from a webcam or processes a video file, and can record motion as keyframes on Blender's timeline. The extension also supports live streaming, single-pose capture, and SMPL-X model management. Pose data travels from a separate engine process to Blender over a local connection.

PoseCap offers two capture backends. MediaPipe Lite is designed for CPU-first capture and does not require a GPU or provider account. PEAR provides higher-fidelity capture and requires an NVIDIA GPU with driver R570 or newer. The getting-started guide describes bringing in a Mixamo or Unreal character and converting it in one click. Blender 4.2 LTS or newer is required. The project lists Windows 10/11 as its current target and describes a native Linux installation path; macOS is not currently planned. SMPL, SMPL-X, and FLAME models are not included. Research use requires separate registration and acceptance of model terms, and commercial production requires a Meshcapade commercial license. PoseCap's monocular depth estimation locks poses to the pelvis, so general world translation is not available.

Who it suits

PoseCap suits Blender animators who want to capture body movement from a webcam or video without a mocap suit, markers, or external mocap software. It is also relevant to users who can run Blender 4.2 LTS or newer on Windows 10/11 or use the project's native Linux installation path.

Limits

PEAR capture requires an NVIDIA GPU and driver R570 or newer. SMPL, SMPL-X, and FLAME models are not distributed with PoseCap; research use requires separate registration and agreement to model terms, and commercial production requires a Meshcapade commercial license. Captured poses are pelvis-locked, without general world translation.

Getting started

1. Install Blender 4.2 LTS or newer on Windows 10/11, or use the native Linux installation path.
2. Get PoseCap from its GitHub project.
3. Choose MediaPipe Lite for CPU-first capture, or PEAR if you have an NVIDIA GPU and driver R570 or newer.
4. Bring in a Mixamo or Unreal character and convert it in one click, as described in the getting-started guide.
5. Connect a webcam or provide a video file, then use the Blender extension to stream, capture a pose, or record timeline keyframes.
6. If using the Windows installer, compare its published SHA-256 file or use the provided GitHub CLI attestation verification command.

Verdict

Choose PoseCap if you want webcam or video-based body capture in Blender, with MediaPipe Lite available for CPU-first use. Look elsewhere if you need general world translation, macOS support, or bundled SMPL-family models; PEAR also depends on an NVIDIA GPU and a recent driver.