CMU Motion Capture Database
CMU Motion Capture Database: 2,605 motion sequences across 6 categories. Free for all uses. The most widely used motion capture dataset in robotics and animation.
2,605 motion sequences, free for all uses. The foundational motion capture dataset for robotics and animation.
Free / Public Domain BVH / AMC / C3D Motion Capture
Key Stats
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Sequences | 2,605 |
| Subjects | 144 |
| Categories | 6 (locomotion, sports, dance, daily activities, interactions, test) |
| Capture system | 12-camera Vicon optical marker system |
| Formats | BVH, AMC/ASF, C3D |
| License | Free for all uses (no restrictions) |
| Origin | Carnegie Mellon University Graphics Lab |
What is CMU MoCap?
The CMU Motion Capture Database is one of the most cited datasets in both computer graphics and robotics. Created by Carnegie Mellon University's Graphics Lab, it contains 2,605 motion sequences from 144 subjects performing a wide range of activities: walking, running, jumping, sports, dance, pantomime, human interactions, and various daily activities.
The data was captured using a 12-camera Vicon optical marker tracking system and is available in multiple standard formats (BVH, AMC/ASF, C3D). It is the single largest contributor to the AMASS unified motion archive and, by extension, the foundation for the HumanML3D text-to-motion dataset.
Its completely unrestricted license (free for all uses, including commercial) makes it one of the safest motion datasets to build products on.