Visit to Nopia – Real-Time Pandas and Motion Magic

As part of our ongoing exploration into new media and production technologies, Turku UAS visited Finnish studio Nopia — a unique production/post-production company whose name literally means “fast” in Finnish. True to that ethos, Nopia focuses on combining smart tech and in-house tools to streamline animation and production workflows, especially in the realm of character animation.

We met with founder Teemu Erämaa, who walked us through their innovative real-time motion capture setup. While many software tools now offer “out-of-the-box” mocap solutions for humanoid characters, Nopia has gone further — developing a system tailored specifically for non-human, stylized, or cartoon-like characters.

No traditional mocap suit is required. The setup uses commercially available VR controllers and trackers, running inside Unreal Engine. Facial capture is handled with an iPhone, and actions can be triggered in real-time via devices like an Xbox controller — for instance, making Angry Birds’ Red laugh or raise an eyebrow at the push of a button.

What sets the system apart is its curve-based approach, allowing animators to retain full control over character behavior and timing, which is often critical for IP integrity. The result? Real-time performances that are expressive, precise — and convincing enough to fool professional animators.

This same setup can be seamlessly integrated into virtual production workflows within Unreal, bridging the gap between performance, animation, and live content creation. The project originally began as a collaboration with Rovio, and it’s easy to imagine where this kind of improvisational, character-driven performance could lead — from games and animation to streaming and live interaction.

🎬 Want to see it in action?
 Check out Nopia’s R&D and game tests: