#25dof

[cute-pluto]

6/25

(this ones a redraw!)

2024 -> 2021

[boyswhofellout]

25 Days of Fanfic

I will be picking from two lists of 25, one list of Christmas prompts and one of characters I love/write for, and whatever two results I get will become a Christmas one-shot.

For example, a character I could pick might be Bucky Barnes and the prompt idea could be first Christmas together, or Fred Weasley and decorating. The possibilities are nearly endless, and I'm very excited to a)be writing again b) get into the holiday spirit and c) share my work with the world again!

Fics will be posted once a day starting December 1st and going all the way to December 25th. Each day will be a different character, possibly from a different fandom, so stay tuned!

[squidhominid]

Mocap suit newsletter, 4/30/2022

Hey!

In lieu of proper streaming content, I thought I'd share a project I'm working on: a DIY motion capture / face capture rig.

So. As you all most likely know, I’ve always had an interest in VR. And, body tracking (and things like eye and lip tracking!) for social VR has always appealed to me. Not only that, but even before getting into V-Tubing, I was looking into how to use VR body trackers for things like mixed reality. Given this, it’s no surprise I was attracted to the concept when I found out that some 3D V-Tubers used HTC Vive trackers for hand tracking instead of a dedicated hand tracker like a Leap Motion.

For a while I played with the idea of going 3D with hand tracking myself, but in truth this wouldn’t work for my setup. Leap Motion tracking would fail outright because I’m holding a controller, and while using Vive trackers solves tracking while holding objects, I lose finger tracking. I can’t substitute button inputs either unless I modify my controllers and use something like RetroSpy, which isn’t something I want to do. Of note, this is also why I can’t use Spud Controller. I really wish I could use Spud Controller.

Enter the LucidVR Gloves. Cheap, DIY haptic gloves made by LucidVR, for use as VR controllers. I’ve been wanting to build a pair for ages now, and am mainly just waiting for newer prototypes at this point; I’d really like to see splay sensors get added first. But I digress; if I could make a cut-down version just for finger tracking, it just might work. Unfortunately, Lily, of Creator’s Grimoire, has advised me that the LucidVR gloves are too cumbersome for this purpose. However, people from the LucidVR community have told me that a ‘claw’ style glove may work better, as this allows for a better range of movement, so I am presently monitoring a project by Nilheim Mechatronics Discord server member victor58141 to create a 25DOF bionic hand control glove that would be suitable for this purpose. This project uses a ‘claw’ style as recommended by the LucidVR community, as well as individual potentiometers for each joint instead of one for each finger, attempting to recreate this unreleased design from Will Cogley / Nilheim Mechatronics:

But I digress, that isn’t why we’re here. Let’s keep going.

As some of you know, I’ve been on something of a weight loss journey these last few months. But, one issue: I don’t exercise nearly enough. I live a fairly shut-in lifestyle thanks to COVID and remote education. Even two years into the pandemic, I’m not very comfortable taking risks. My dad, who I live with, may be in full remission thanks to chemo, but his cancer could recur at any time. If I brought COVID home and got him ill, it would be really bad. So, I don’t really go out.

So, I need a way to incorporate exercising into my otherwise fairly sedentary routine. One thing that worked fairly well for me in the past was streaming. Before becoming a V-Tuber, I regularly would stream Ring Fit Adventure, and I found doing so to be fairly good at keeping me motivated. But, what to do about the camera? When I streamed it, I used a room camera and greenscreen so you could see me doing exercises. How would that work with a V-Tuber avatar?

Ah, but what about motion capture? I told you we’d circle back to the main point.

Before we talk about the reason we’re all here however, the DIY setup, let’s look at the professional options. There are many options here, like the Xsens MVN Link suit famously used by CodeMiko. But the MVN Link costs ~$13,500 plus ~$10,000 a year in licensing, AFTER a 50% ‘indie discount’. Even if I got the Xsens MVN Awinda Starter, their lowest-end model, it’d still be $3,790, and likely still have licensing fees for the MVN Animate Plus software. And this is all before the $5,000 optional finger tracking gloves. Ouch.

The Shadow Motion Capture System, by Motion Workshop, is another option. Their streamer kit has out-of-the-box integration with Unity and Unreal for realtime capture…for $5,000. And, I can’t find any mention of out-of-the-box V-Tubing solutions that support it. Not only that, but I cannot find any mention of a finger tracking solution.

The Perception Neuron PN3Body Kit from Noitom is much more attractive, with the lowest price yet for the professional options: $3,400, with an optional finger tracking kit for $1,100. And, on top of that there’s also support for it built into VUP, as well as a section on how to use it with VSeeFace on their website, so you don’t need to bring your own V-Tuber software (Motion Workshop) or pay licensing fees (Xsens).

And, for even cheaper, there’s the Rokoko Smartsuit Pro II, for $2,745. You can also get a bundle with the Rokoko Smartgloves for $3,495, or for $3,995 you can get the suit, the gloves, AND their Face Capture bundle. Truly an exceptional deal compared to the other options. However, like the Xsens suit, it requires software licensing, only including a year of use before you need to start paying $20/mo per user to keep using realtime tracking data, plus $40/mo per user for face tracking if you opted for that option. A small cost, yes, but one that could add up very quickly; that $60/mo ends up ultimately being $720/yr, and even if you forego face tracking, that $20/mo is still $240/yr.

But wait, what if I can’t afford any of those? Well, it turns out there’s another option, and it’s PROFOUNDLY cheaper: make it yourself using SteamVR trackers! And, if you’re like me, you already own a good amount of the hardware you’ll need.

It turns out there’s a tool called VirtualMotionCapture, that can interface up to 10 SteamVR trackers with VSeeFace (head, hands, elbows, chest, knees, and feet), for the price of only a $3/mo Patreon or Pixiv Fanbox subscription to get access to download links that have the VMC source feature enabled. A far cry from the previously listed professional options’ 17 trackers, but it’s close enough for jazz. All you really lose is shoulder/upper-torso tracking, and you’re switching from upper/lower arm/leg trackers, to just elbow/knee trackers, which is fine since we’re not using inertial tracking.

Assuming you don’t have any base stations or trackers already, this would cost about $1,625, only around 60% the cost of the Rokoko body suit, and with a subscription that only costs 15% as much (5% as much if you include the cost of face tracking), working out to be $36/yr, or an annual cost of less than a month of Rokoko’s software. And, if you don’t plan to update your copy of VirtualMotionCapture, you can cancel your subscription at any time and keep the software. You only need the subscription in order to access the download link. But, if I were you, I’d still pay for it; it’s good to support the people who make the tools you rely on, after all, and it’s only $3.

But let’s say you have base stations and some body trackers / straps already. At least three for something like VRChat, up to eight for more complex apps like NEOS or the currently-ongoing public beta for VRChat’s new IK system. In that case it’d cost between about $370 (if you have eight already) and $970 (if you have three already). This is assuming your final setup will consist of 8 Tundra Trackers and 2 Vive Trackers 3.0.

So as to not inflate the length of this newsletter, I won’t go into the entire build process here; if you want to see that, go here for a complete parts list and build guide.

Credit to Suvidriel and Hussein Abdallah on YouTube for their guides on how to set up VirtualMotionCapture and put SteamVR into headless mode, respectively, which I used as a reference while writing my instructions. Links to their videos are below:

I plan to look into what it would take to make finger tracking gloves as well, but for now this is out-of-scope; modifying the LucidVR gloves is a promising option, and likely what I’ll be doing in the short-term (and writing a similar guide on how to make it work, as well as releasing custom software to use them with VSeeFace). In the longer-term, while it may take up to a year according to their creator, I’d also like to see what happens with the aforementioned bionic hand control gloves, because it will have much better range of motion both for your physical hand as well as for the tracking. Again, I will be writing a guide as well as releasing software once it is possible to do so. For reference, the current iteration of the LucidVR gloves is estimated to cost about $60 to a pair, before the cost of the trackers, and the software is free.

“That’s all well and good, but what about face tracking?”, I hear you ask. Well, I’ve considered that as well. Let’s look at some existing options.

First, I want to discount full-system options like the Facegood D2. At $470 complete with the camera, this seems like a bargain compared to other options. But, it uses proprietary software, and I cannot find any mention of a way to get realtime output or integrate that output into other software. Also, it’s wired, so if you need a wireless setup, e.g. for a dancing or fitness stream, it’s an absolute non-starter. And Facegood’s offerings only get more unreasonable from there: their higher-end models, the single-camera P1 and dual-camera P2, cost $8,000 and $39,800, respectively, and both say to contact them for the most up-to-date price. Yikes.

No, what we need is a headset that acts as an iPhone holder, so we can use existing iPhone apps for facial motion capture that already work with VSeeFace. And, guess what? Not only do these exist, they’re fairly standard in industry! But, with industry, comes industry prices…

Our first option is the Standard Deviation FaceCam HMC. It’s able to be adapted for a variety of camera styles at the buyer’s request, or you can buy the ‘FaceCam Premium’, which comes with a camera system. But, this ‘Premium’ option is so expensive you need to ‘inquire’, not order. If you need to ask how much it costs, you can’t afford it. But again, what we’re more interested in is their iPhone option, the FaceCam iPhone HMC, which they sell as a standard model. Well, this one costs only $1,250, with two caveats: bring your own iPhone, and no solution for face lighting if you’re shooting in poor lighting conditions. Ouch.

Next is what I think is the most ridiculous option, the MOCAP Design M2 Headcam. Like the Standard Deviation headset, it can be ordered in a variety of styles for different camera types: you have your choice of every non-SE iPhone from the X to the 13 Pro Max, the GoPro Hero 5/6/7 Black, or the Intel RealSense D415. This will run you $1,700 at the moment of writing this, discounted from $2,000. And, and this is why I think it’s ridiculous… face lighting is extra. $325 extra. Just for two small white LED diffusers that attach to the camera mount. And, to add insult to injury, yet again bring your own iPhone.

Of course, there’s also the earlier-mentioned Rokoko Face Capture system, for $695, plus $60/month once the one-year software licensing runs out, and, like all the other options, still requires you to already have an iPhone. And, all it essentially amounts to is a somewhat cheap-looking chest harness; the bulk of the $695 seens to be for the software licensing, which would otherwise be $720. Unless you have a need for the Rokoko software, it doesn’t very much seem worth it.

And finally, we have the Perception Neuron Face MOCAP Helmet, for $650. Yet again bring-your-own-iPhone. This seems much more reasonable than all the other options, until you see what it is: a modified skateboard helmet with a counterweight on the back and an iPhone mount on the front. Couldn’t we build something like this, for much less than $650?

Obviously the answer is ‘yes’, in fact for about $370. And that’s INCLUDING the cost of a used iPhone XR, AND face lighting. Credit to filmmaker Jae Solina, JSFILMZ on YouTube, for the original design I based mine on. I don’t want this newsletter to go on for too long, so instead go here for a separate build guide and parts list I wrote for the helmet.

Additionally, as a reference here are the videos Jae Solina made about his helmet build:

And, here’s a photo of the helmet I put together (more photos are in the build guide):

Finally, to charge everything, I also chose to get a 15-port USB charger, 14 USB-C charging cables, and a Lightning cable. The build guide for this is incredibly simple: just plug in the USB cables. Regardless, a part list and build guide is included in the summary below, if only so you have links to the exact charger and cables that I purchased.

So, to summarize: I’ve built a body mocap suit, as well as a face mocap helmet. I’m planning on using them for Ring Fit Adventure streams. I’ve released build guides on how to make them for yourself, if you want something similar. And, I’m planning to make and release custom hardware, software, and build guides on how to add finger tracking, at some point in the future.

Yet again, here are links to my build guides and parts lists, including links to order the parts for yourself:

Mocap Suit Build Guide

Mocap Helmet Build Guide

Mocap Suit Charger Build Guide

And here are the videos I used as a starting point when coming up with said guides:

Of course, this all would be useless without a 3D model…😉

Credit to Molegato, who has been absolutely wonderful to work with and has done an exceptional job on the above model. See you soon. <3

[robertcarlyle-blog]

Mistletoe 25DoF

Word Count: 1,456 Rating: M  Characters: Mattex & Doctor/River Notes: For the 25 days of fic challenge. I couldn't decide if I wanted Mattex or River/Doctor, so I did both. I don't know if I'll do this for each one, but for now it works! They'll just all be tagged under 25DoF.

---------------------

MISTLETOE- MATTEX

Alex stood in the doorway silently, a fond smile on her lips as she watched Matt, Karen, and Arthur arguing over whose turn it was to roll the dice. They were playing a board game, but Alex had opted out, instead informing them that she was going to make dinner tonight. No take-out. She had expected some form of argument, but they had all cheered and excitedly asked her what she was going to make.

So she had popped over to her own flat to grab what she needed. Karen’s kitchen was barely stocked, containing more alcohol than actual food, but the other three had insisted that she cook there.

“I’ll miss you too much if you don’t come back right away, Kingston,” Matt had whined. She smiled at the reminder and moved back over to the counter, the sound of her friends’ bickering following after her. She began whisking dessert together while dinner simmered in the oven, humming to herself as she looked around the kitchen. There was a surprising amount of Christmas decorations on Karen’s walls.

Alex hadn’t put any up in her flat. Salome usually did the decorating with her, and she would be spending the holiday with her father this year. The thought of putting them up on her own was bittersweet, and so she had skipped it altogether.  

When there was nothing more she could do in the kitchen but wait, she moved back over to the door frame and leaned her shoulder against it. The others had finally settled down, and they were all intensely focused on the game. Matt was on his knees, drumming his fingers over his thighs as Karen rolled from her position on the couch. Arthur was sprawled out on his side, watching it all as he swirled his drink around.

She caught Matt’s eye suddenly and offered him a grin when he winked at her before setting his drink down. He seemed to pause for a moment, his eyes flickering over her quickly before he grinned and sprung to his feet. “How’s dinner coming along, Kingston? It smells amazing in here.”

“It should be ready in another thirty minutes or so,” she replied, watching him curiously as he made his way over to her. She squeaked when he suddenly snaked an arm around her waist and tipped her back. “Matt—“

He cut her off, shocking her by swooping down and pressing a firm kiss to her lips. She clung to his shoulders as he kept her tipped, and her mouth opened under his when his tongue swept boldly over her lips. The sweet taste of the chocolate he had been eating and the drink Karen had mixed for him flooded her mouth as their tongues danced. A tiny moan left her before she could stop it when she felt one of his hands snake into her hair and cup the back of her head. Heat pooled between her thighs and she lost herself in him.

It wasn’t until she heard Arthur and Karen whispering to each other that she remembered they had an audience. She pulled away from Matt when he straightened, bringing her up with him. Her cheeks were flushed and she stared up at him. They were both short of breath and he hadn’t yet relinquished his hold on her waist.

“What was that?” she demanded in a quick whisper

He gave her a lazy smile. “I caught you under the mistletoe, Kingston. Did you think I’d pass up that opportunity?”

Her eyes jerked up and she her flush deepened as she realised that she was indeed standing under mistletoe. “I don’t think that was the type of kiss they had in mind when they say to kiss under the mistletoe,” she murmured, her eyes dancing as she looked up at him. She bit down on her lip when he grinned slowly.

“Oh? Sorry. Should I try again?” He leaned back in, placing a quick peck on her lips before pulling back.

“Rubbish!”

Matt looked offended. “Oh, and you’re the mistletoe expert?” he demanded. She grabbed his shirt and tugged him down, pressing their lips together firmly. She kept it sweet, resisting the urge to push her tongue into his mouth before smoothing her hands over his shirt and pulling back.

“That’s how you do it,” she breathed.

He licked his lips, his eyes hot before he leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Is that the only trick you’ve got?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” she retorted cheekily, spinning on her heel and sauntering back over to the oven. When she looked at him over her shoulder, she saw his gaze snap up from her arse to her face.

“Oi, stupid face! Stop molesting Alex and get back in here!”

 ---------------------------

MISTLETOE- RIVER/ELEVEN

The Doctor was sputtering as River advanced on him. His hands flailed uselessly, brushing against the mistletoe that covered every inch of the TARDIS.

She was smiling mischievously at him. Oh, was he ever young. He didn’t even know who she was yet. As much as she loved running into his older self, she couldn’t deny the thrill she got when she could corner him young.

She continued advancing until he backed himself up against the console. The TARDIS hummed loudly, causing him to jump and her to grin.

“Don’t you think she’s trying to tell you something?” she asked, gesturing to the green that covered every inch of the TARDIS. She pressed herself up against him, fluttering her lashes when he squeaked.

“R-River—“

“Shh,” she breathed, leaning in to kiss his neck. “Mm,” she purred, running her hands over his chest before slipping them over his hips. She unclipped his braces deftly even as she nipped at his wildly fluttering pulse.

“What are you doing?” he squeaked, his flailing hands finally settling on her hips.

She ignored him for the moment, sliding a hand around to cup the front of his trousers. He jerked, his breath catching as she squeezed.

“River!” despite the scandalized tone he used, his hands tightened on her hips and she felt him stiffening under her palm.

“Mm?” she asked, nipping at his jaw and smiling as he tipped his head back.

“M-mistletoe is for kissing!” he protested. “N-not…”

She stood on her toes so she could reach his ear. “It is, but considering the amount of it littering the floor, I think I can kiss wherever I like.” She gave him a squeeze to emphasize her point before using her other hand to unfasten his trousers.

She shoved the material down with both hands before leaning back to look down at his prominent erection. “Ohh,” she purred, wrapping her fingers around his shaft. “Not that young then that you don’t know how good my kisses can be.” She looked back up at him and saw the flush on his cheeks before chuckling softly and lowering herself to her knees. “Naughty Doctor, making me think we’d never done this before.”

She didn’t wait for his response, instead wrapping her lips around him and working him into her mouth. His hands immediately tunneled into her hair and she moaned when he began rocking his hips. Obviously this Doctor was far older than she had first assumed if he was aware of how much she enjoyed him doing that. She let him guide her along his length, humming every now and again and making him grunt and swear above her.

She placed her hands on his thighs, lightly raking her nails along the skin there and making his legs shake as she took him inside her again and again. He was hitting the back of her throat with each thrust and she resisted the pull of his hands the next time he slid into her mouth. She took him as far as she dared, feeling his fingers twitch and tighten in her hair when she swallowed. Her throat muscles contracted around him and he swore, tugging her back. She chuckled, keeping the head of him in her mouth before resuming her bobbing motions.

“River,” he whinged when she wrapped a hand around the base of him. She quickly pumped every inch of him her mouth wasn’t on, listening to the desperate gasps leaving him. She knew by the way his hips were jerking that she didn’t have much more work to do and so when he stiffened and cried out, she obligingly swallowed the hot liquid sliding down her throat.

He was trembling as she stood from the floor and dusted herself off nonchalantly. “Blimey, River,” he panted, running a shaking hand through his hair.

She eyed him appreciatively, smiling at him when he blushed. “So,” she breathed, moving to and leaning back against the railing. “When do I get my kiss?” 

[cute-pluto]

25dof 2024 all in one post

[cute-pluto]

3/25

[cute-pluto]

1/25

[cute-pluto]

if you have cool winged bugs and birds, you can submit them for me to draw cute girls as for 25dof. submissions wont be responded to but i will tag on the art post if i end up using them.

[cute-pluto]

5/25

[cute-pluto]

4/25

[cute-pluto]

2/25

[cute-pluto]

world so sad im not gonna work on 25dof in the right month again this year bc im. uh. *gestures vaugely*. but i will probably do it january and i do have a fun new twist on it i think ill enjoy that ill spend a bit of next month setting up for myself

[cute-pluto]

good beautiful morning 🌅 you may be wondering if i did jack shitt for 25dof (2023 (2024)) since its past the 25th. or not. because it only exists in my beautiful mind. and. well. for the majority of this year so far ive just kind of been the eeper. so yeah I didn’t really draw it all.

this is the first time I just completely blew it since I started it back in 2014 and no one but me is beholden to this because no one knows it exists so you might think its not a big deal. but dont you worry. every little thing ever is world ending so im killing my self as we speak. *gets sleepy in the process and falls to the ground unconscious*

[cute-pluto]

25

[cute-pluto]

8

you can see the exact moment i gave up on lineart

[cute-pluto]

14