Mocha Pro 2021: Intro to PowerMesh Warp Tracking

New in Mocha Pro 2021! PowerMesh tracking and warping workflow.
The next evolution of Mocha. PowerMesh enables a powerful new sub-planar tracking engine for VFX, roto, and stabilization. Warped surface tracking and roto that sticks.
Track complex organic surfaces through occlusions and blur using Mocha’s intuitive layer-based interface. Simple to use and faster than most optical flow based techniques.
Apply to source files for realistic match moves, convert to AE Nulls to drive motion graphics, render a mesh warped stabilize/reverse stabilize plate for compositing, or export dense tracking data to host applications.
Update Tech Note Dec 9, 2020:
Mocha Pro v2021.01 point release is now available and contains some useful new features and important fixes. Read release notes: borisfx.com/release-notes/moc...
Learn about Mocha Pro 2021: bit.ly/30FLFMZ
Quick links:
0:00 - Intro
0:32 - PowerMesh basics
6:59 - PowerMesh driven rotoscoping
8:39 - PowerMesh driven stabilization

[@giraffeapproved]

This is INSANE. Thank you Borix FX for all the hard work!

[@NachoHoyos]

Congrats to the amazing team!! This update is definitely crazy! Great job everybody! =)

[@erwanmuro887]

This brought tears of joy I swear, thank you Boris FX!

[@BorisFXco]

I'm glad to hear that. PowerMesh is such a great addition.

[@AlexCAnderson]

Been using Mocha AE for a while, and very excited to dive in to Mocha Pro with this amazing feature! Must admit, the audio quality of this tutorial kinda feels all over the place, but I was able to understand well enough.

[@BorisFXco]

Thanks for the feedback. Noted. Enjoy PowerMesh! It's a great new feature and we have some other tutorials on this channel if you need a helping hand along.

[@baban606]

Awesome additions, looking forward to this!

[@akhilshekar8427]

Very useful update. Great job 👏. Very excited 😊❤️.

[@BorisFXco]

Thank you so much 😊

[@beMOTIONdESIGN]

I can't wait to dive in!!

[@johnmiguelsarmiento4264]

Thank you so much for this tutorial! very helpful for my movie project.

[@BorisFXco]

Great to hear! Thanks for using Mocha Pro.

[@IbrahimKhalil-ki3pc]

They ain't playing games with Lockdown plugin 😂😂 Great Job ❤️❤️

[@liteart4304]

Great update!!

[@XSession]

Love you guys....🤩🤗

[@VFXCreator]

Nice job!❤

[@BorisFXco]

Thanks so much! 😄

[@3DGraphicsFun]

quick question if I may (first thanks for years of amazing tutorials) Let say you want to export morph data from Mocha Pro 2021 Stand Alone and bring in to After Effects any version up to 2021. I have tried using the different export settings. One says export warp with corner pins. I have tried them all and in After Effects when I place the exported data on to the to be warped image it does not warp. It moves properly but no warp. I have been trying to find out more export info from Stand Alone 2021. Thank You :)

[@BorisFXco]

If you want to bring PowerMesh data from Standalone in to AE, you have a couple of choices. If you have the Mocha Pro plug-in, it is easy. Just open or Merge the old project into the plugin project. Then you can use the module renderer directly in After Effects. If you don't, then it is a little more fiddly. Basically you render the warp stabilized clip out of Mocha standalone, do your paint/insert work on that clip in AE. Render out again. Then do Mesh Warp > Unwarp back in the Mocha standalone project. Find a full workflow in the documentation : borisfx.com/support/documentation/mocha/8.0.0/#powermesh Search "Unwarp/Rewarp Workflow in the Standalone Application"

[@3DGraphicsFun]

@@BorisFXco Thank You! Great explanation. Much appreciated :)

[@marklowe4052]

Will you also add motion blur support for warped image in next release please?

[@PeterJansen]

This looks super good. Is the alembic export just a camera + mesh with UVs that match a chosen reference frame? An STmap (forward and inverse) export could be quite handy for Nuke users that are familiar with smartvector workflows too. Edit: Never mind, just saw the Alembic video, looks awesome.

[@TransformX]

These tools are getting ridiculously good. I would love Boris Fx test different graphics cards (especially the new 3000 series from Nvidia)

[@BorisFXco]

What would you like us to test with them? Because of the way Mocha is written, those cards should just work.

[@TransformX]

@@BorisFXco Yeah, I know, I'm just curious about how faster these cards are compared to the 2080 Ti for example, or compared to a "low end" AMD or Nvidia card (I have a Radeon Vega 56 and I'm planning to upgrade it soon), what kinds of gain is expected during a complex tracking (4k footages with high percentage for "Pixels Used" for example. Or 60 fps videos. Is Mocha Pro Open CL only or doesn't leverage CUDA cores?). I know that "bigger is better" and will be faster 😁, maybe it could be interesting to see what kind of performance we can get with different setups (it could help people to make a better price/performance choice for choosing their hardware). Maybe the simplest thing would be to mention the specs of the computer used for the demos? Like many others I'm a bit of a "nerd" for the technical stuff ( that's why I can't wait your demo for the python scripting in Mocha). Anyway, I always enjoy Mary's demos.

[@CosmicAnteater]

@@TransformX This is an old ass comment, but I went from a 2080 Super to a 3090 and my god it's so so so much faster when it comes to tracking.

[@MrCruzin93]

What on earth?? Never expected to see a genova witness here 😂

[@TransformX]

@@MrCruzin93 get what get

[@Rambo....]

Amazing!

[@BorisFXco]

Thank you!

[@saemranian]

Just Great and PIONEER

[@shermanwellons]

Anyone find a tutorial out here on how to use the Power Mesh feature in detail. This presentation was not clear enough on the process of integrating this feature in AfterEffects. Been struggling trying to map a graphic on a face using the Power Mesh feature process. Any links or other videos out here would be great. Thanks.

[@BorisFXco]

You might like this new tutorial: kzbin.info/www/bejne/f6CahINqbcp7bdU

[@flipnap2112]

​@Jessica Sinclair from Lihue Kauai Hawaii I don't think her name is Karen. and KZbin has a "play at half speed function so you can easily track the mouse movements. you can even hit your "period" and " comma" key to frame by frame. and you wont pay for an app because of a presentation video mouse cursor?

[@rahuldeshpande3516]

We say 'Applying starch to your mesh' because starch, original is applied to fabric to harden it. The same analogy is being used here - that when you apply 'starch' - by increasing the smoothness, your mesh will be more smootj and will pick up less on the sub planar motion within. Keep it super low (whatever the lowest value is) and it will pick up every tiny bit of motion and it will be terrible. Try different values (and also use Mesh size) and pick a balance that tracks your pattern and its sub planar movement perfectly

[@BorisFXco]

Exactly right

[@elpinko]

Is the entire Mesh Warp feature tied to Mocha Pro? Or does Mocha AE get some parts? Looks awesome btw!

[@BorisFXco]

Mocha AE does not have the PowerMesh features. Those are exclusive to Mocha Pro. You can find out more about the Mocha Pro plugin for AE here : bit.ly/30FLFMZ

[@andres_borghi]

sorry, does the mesh work with after effects 2019? can't seem to make it work

[@BorisFXco]

Can you post this question onto our forums please. forum.borisfx.com

[@adithyasatheesh127]

Is that mary poplin doing the voice over? If it is, then I'll just say that your company is lucky to have her on your team. She's the dan worrall of tracking software videos. Period.

[@BorisFXco]

It is and we agree! Thanks Adithya. We will pass this along to Mary

[@flipnap2112]

all I need to do is render out a power mesh project then use fab filter plugins for the soundtrack..

[@franciscohernandez2335]

Could you do a more detailed tutorial for Nuke. I'm having some issues when importing the Alembic file, something is off, the mesh is jumping.

[@BorisFXco]

Take a look at this one for the Nuke and Alembic workflow : kzbin.info/www/bejne/oqrWdpt7mZmkg7c

[@ahmedgnc4742]

hi, Thnx for video, I have a problem with Powermesh. When I try to place a label on a moving elliptical object, in some seconds the label moves outside the elliptical object. What should I do in Mocha (Powermesh) to prevent outflow. Thanks for your answer.

[@BorisFXco]

You probably want to make your tracking shape a bit smaller as you track. It is a technique shown in Exercise 14 here : borisfx.com/free-training/mocha-essentials/ Hope that helps

[@pathway1]

wait, how and when were the graphics applied to the newspaper at 6:21? and how did you cover up or overlay the Boris FX Logo at 6:55 to also include white space at the bottom of it?

[@BorisFXco]

Here's a more full breakdown of how to use the PowerMesh data in After Effects : kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6GQf3h7pddol7s&feature=emb_imp_woyt I believe that the Boris Logo and white area were composited together just using a Normal blend mode rather than multiply or screen.

[@iberryboi]

Am I able to use the stabilization warp workflow from mocha standalone to AE or do I need the AE plug-in for that?

[@BorisFXco]

With the standalone you can render the warp stabilize pass, then do composite work and then import and render the unearned pass. But the process is easier with the Mocha Pro plugin which also will work in Premiere, Nuke, Fusion and other apps.

[@pahtashow]

I just want to see how quickly and easшly Mocha can Isolate moving person (in jeans, t-shirt, skin) and separate or isolate the background ? PowerMesh is used in my situation ? For example I want to apply a heat vision ofx preset like in Predator film on moving person (and not on background that have same colors like my person). Please suggest a demo video or tutorial video. Thank you. PS Will you have happy new year discounts ?

[@BorisFXco]

That sounds like an interesting effect. If you want to get started with roto and PowerMesh, take a look at this video : kzbin.info/www/bejne/lYXalJWwq5eSlZI It is a different style but the roto fundamentals will help. Remember to track PowerMesh and use Warp Spline to save time creating the masks.

[@flipnap2112]

I would think power mesh, in general, is good for organic movement (t-shirts, skin, flags, etc). sounds like you just want to track the outline of a silhouette. mocha can do this as well as silhouette. there are also other apps that can "magically mask" your subject in a 2d way. but it sounds like you are using the wrong approach for your situation.

[@bradfab_fx]

Hi do i need to download a new full 2021, how do i update to get these features, im currently on 2019 mocha pro

[@BorisFXco]

You can find it all here : bit.ly/30FLFMZ All info about upgrades and subscriptions for you :)

[@IanZainea1990]

Damn, I was really hoping you'd show the mesh tracking on the shot with occlusion at 9:18... Seems to be giving me some difficulty

[@BorisFXco]

Thanks for the comment. Lots of good tips for dealing with occlusions here : kzbin.info/www/bejne/gZqqYaCmYpt-Y6s

[@mj_nooker]

Wow! Coul'd you, please, say: what limitations of trial version? Can't find this info on the download page.

[@BorisFXco]

After the free 14 day trial period is over it switches over to a Learning Edition. You will only be able to export 10 frames of data and all rendering is disabled. Any projects created in this Learning Edition cannot be opened in a licensed version of Mocha Pro. You can always find out the current limitations of trial versions here : support.borisfx.com/hc/en-us/articles/11200442475021-Trial-Licenses

[@mj_nooker]

@@BorisFXcoThank you for the deep explanation! Wish you strong inspiration and wellness!

[@HaydenAckerVideos]

at 6:19 you save and close mocha and then go into AE. How do you already have a frame in AE? how did you get that frame? Also why would you not include that in the tutorial?

[@BorisFXco]

This was a simple Photoshopped frame, brought in to After Effects, just as you would any compositing element. If you would like a deeper look into PowerMesh that is more step by step, please check out the Mocha Essentials course : borisfx.com/free-training/mocha-essentials/ Chapters 13-16 are dedicated to PowerMesh. You might just want to skip to 16, which talks about using PowerMesh data.

[@Lorant1984]

At 0:34 Is that fish on the T-shirt poorly tracked or intentionally swimming?

[@BorisFXco]

It's clearly swimming :)

[@vfx888]

When exporting my Power Mesh to Media Encoder the graphics appear to float over the background (looks fine in the composition screen), however, if I render it in AE directly, it's fine!

[@BorisFXco]

That's a strange one. Could you submit a Support ticket so we can investigate this in more detail : borisfx.com/support/open-a-case/

[@Richard_Bumblebee]

Whenever I get glitches or anything unintentional during an export it's a tell tale sign that I need to clear my cache which fixes everything every time.

[@vfx888]

That didn't work for me, Boba. However, a reboot afterwards did

[@mr.k5550]

is it possible to replace the logo of a shirt when the actor turns around? for me the powermesh just messes up thanks!

[@BorisFXco]

Yes but be prepared to do some manual work. When the shirt turns, take the Smoothness amount up. Maybe even closer to 100. This makes the PowerMesh use the planar data more than the subplanar data. Once the tracking is done, you can use the Mesh tools to add keyframes to the mesh grid, to bring that into the correct place. If the shirt turns and then spins back again, a good technique is to break that up into two different sections. You can do it with one, but often it is faster and easier just to break it up.

[@Chappysnapz]

Has this version of Mocha been brought over to AE yet?

[@BorisFXco]

Mocha Pro is available as a plug-in for Adobe right now. Mocha AE, which comes bundled free with Creative Cloud, does not have PowerMesh included.

[@Chappysnapz]

@@BorisFXco Alright, thanks for letting me know!

[@carsandzombies7606]

Im excited, but I can never get mocha to ACTUALLY track correctly no matter how hard I try. It always comes out jumpy, and if I fix the track on one side of the track, it screws up on the other and vice versa. It can be really frustrating.

[@andrewmumford3049]

You really need to try the new Adjust Track !

[@BorisFXco]

Are you talking about Power Mesh or general problems with the track? If you are tracking objects with lots of reflections or occlusions, remember to add track mattes so these aren't counted in the tracking. We have a ton of training to help people with this. See more here about basic workflow here : kzbin.info/www/bejne/jnSXiqCfmayYn68 Learn about how the planar tracker works here : kzbin.info/www/bejne/qYvYXn6HqaiMaas Or watch a whole Getting Started Series here : borisfx.com/videos/?tags=category:Getting%20Started,product:Mocha&search=

[@RobJorg]

if i become a fan, can i have a Tshirt of Mocha pro ? looking into mocha and after effects to do things that i cant tell yet. change of video's.

[@ww2epic]

mocha pro adobe after effects I didn't succeed in doing a warp mesh, why y, even though I already copied it, into the image I want to paste on my face, but it didn't work

[@BorisFXco]

These problems are usually fixed by precomposing your clip before tracking : borisfx.com/videos/quick-tip-precomp-footage-for-best-mocha-results/ If the tracking data is either frozen or offset in time here's how to fix it. As you've already done the track, just cut the Mocha Pro effect off the original clip, precompose that clip, and then paste the filter onto the precomp. Next go into Mocha Pro, and go to the Dope Sheet. Make sure you are at the first frame and click the Move to Playhead button. This will slide all your tracking into the correct time for After Effects. Save and use the data. Another common problem is that the insert image you want to warp is not the same frame size as the clip you tracked. Again, precomposing comes to the rescue. Precomp your image, setting it to the same size as your original, and apply the Mocha Pro PowerMesh warp. If you're still having problems, please join us on the forums. It's a very welcoming community : forum.borisfx.com/

[@fabiofermi9617]

Ciao, su una ripresa con drone girando intorno a un castello praticamente vorrei cancellare un elemento che si scopre e si ricopre dietro un tetto c'è la possibilità di cancellarlo senza interrompere la ripresa? grazie!

[@BorisFXco]

Yes, this is quite a tough type of movement to remove though. The simplest way to do this if you can, is to track the background and paint a "patch" that covers the area. It's fine if it covers the castle, as long as it matches the movement of the background. Then do another mask shape for the castle with Mocha. Use the castle mask to create a new layer over the top of the patch. Here's a video with a rotating movement. You don't have to use Mega Plates to create your patch if your camera movement isn't the same : borisfx.com/videos/top-3-tips-mocha-pro-mega-plates/

[@fabiofermi9617]

Ciao si già ho provato tutto ok fino a quando sono alle estremità del tetto e soggetto quasi chiusa tutta la toppa mi si crea una sorta di artefatti che non si riesco a definire riproverò e speriamo di farcela Grazie Mille!!!!!!!!!👍👍👍👋👋👋

[@soumyadeepdas8638]

I have a big problem. When I going to stabilize after good tracking and choose mesh warp the track data isolated. I couldn't find any fix. How to do that?

[@BorisFXco]

Sorry to hear you're having issues. I've got a couple of things to try. Firstly, did you precompose the shot before tracking it? borisfx.com/videos/quick-tip-precomp-footage-for-best-mocha-results/ You can shift the track data afterwards if you didn't, so your work isn't for nothing. The other thing, is to check that you PowerMesh layer is the layer selected and saved when you're in the Stabilize module. If you have multiple layers, it's easy to have the wrong one selected in the module. If that's still not working, please contact Support with some more details about your project, and we'll try to help there : support.borisfx.com/hc/en-us/requests/new

[@soumyadeepdas8638]

@@BorisFXco I did all the things preciously like first precompose then track my hand with correct points with mesh. Till all are ok. When I go stabilize and click mesh warp and set to high and apply the corner pin to the whole frame the track detached and wrap discontinuously. Basically I want to track my hand skin with mesh warp and place a object and the video isn't much shaky. So which option I choose in the support forum for this?

[@BorisFXco]

Head to the Mocha Pro forum. I think the problem should be simple to solve though. You might be able to handle this directly in the Mocha Pro Insert module : kzbin.info/www/bejne/n5_SZ5xvaLmgeKc You don't want to be applying corner pin data to anything though. You should be using Mocha Pro Render > Stabilize Warp on the object you're placing on the hand. Remember that both layers should be exactly the same resolution.

[@soumyadeepdas8638]

Ouu it's worked. I just only used render > stabilize warp after mesh tracking and now worked. But why it not worked as in the video after tracking mesh then activate warp stabilize in stabilize section. I do not understand the difference.

[@BorisFXco]

So glad it worked. In the plugin, rendering Stabilize will use the regular planar stabilize data found in the Stabilize module. Rendering Stabilize Warp or Stabilize UnWarp will take a different path and use the mesh warp data from the Stabilize module. You have to choose the right renderer for your task. Does that help?

[@dialecticalmonist3405]

I don't even understand how this is possible. How can you track a 2d image? It is the lighting?

[@BorisFXco]

It's tracking the sub-planar movement within the shape. Basically it's looking at the textures and how they move between frames.

[@dialecticalmonist3405]

@@BorisFXco Wow. Thanks.

[@likapika2006]

I followed all the steps correctly. But my object is not sticking to subject. Can you guys give me a solution please..🙏

[@BorisFXco]

Check if the original tracking is actually as good as it should be. That's the usual problem. Failing that, please post on the forums with some more details and screenshots : forum.borisfx.com

[@likapika2006]

@@BorisFXco thank you. I figured it out. Just needed to precompose everything. Even before tracking. It worked perfectly.

[@michkakamunga8620]

Pliz how to get the mocha ?

[@BorisFXco]

Here you go : bit.ly/30FLFMZ

[@romulocastilho6506]

queria aprender o tracker daquele video do menino pulando na cama elastica

[@BorisFXco]

It's the same idea. Setup your PowerMesh shape on the trampoline. Use a holdout matte to make sure the jumping person doesn't affect the track. Track! This video will help too : kzbin.info/www/bejne/gZqqYaCmYpt-Y6s

[@romulocastilho6506]

@@BorisFXco 😍

[@General_Peacemaker]

нифига не понятно, но очень интересно

[@bradfab_fx]

Also where can i get that stock footages

[@i.h.3907]

The part how it's used to retouch is way too short. 6 minutes about mesh generation and only few seconds about how to apply to a layer. I didn't understand the process, how the retouch layer becomes warped.

[@BorisFXco]

We have some more in depth tutorials about this workflow here : kzbin.info/www/bejne/gZqqYaCmYpt-Y6s kzbin.info/www/bejne/bl6llGdqnM6aoJI And in our free Mocha Essentials course here : borisfx.com/free-training/mocha-essentials/

[@SeanyKrabs]

Nothing happened after pressing render.

[@BorisFXco]

What exactly are you rendering? Most of the rendering for the final effect takes place in the host with the plugin settings. Check out the standard workflow here : borisfx.com/support/documentation/mocha/8.0.0/#_warp_mapping_workflow If this is not working, please post a screenshot of your setup in the forums (forum.borisfx.com/ )

[@SeanyKrabs]

@@BorisFXco basically, I was trying to apply a tattoo to a subject’s back with stretching going on obviously. I first generated a mesh that tracked the back very well. I went to the first frame, turned on the surface plane thing, hit the stretch to frame button, then went to the stabilize tab. After turning on the warp stabilize setting, I saved then went back to AE. I made a precomp of a duplicated layer of the original footage, applied a tattoo png, hid the video in the precomp, then copy and pasted the Mocha Pro effect from my original video layer onto my precomp. After choosing warp stabilize in the module settings (I think is what it was called), I hit render, and it didn’t effect what I was viewing in the timeline at all.

[@SeanyKrabs]

​ @Boris FX Nevermind, I found out how to fix it. I was trying to use it on trimmed footage, so I precomped the footage, then precomped the precomp for the tattoo. Now the ONLY issue I am having with the software is trying to have it track a card from the American Psycho card scene. I'm having an issue like this because the track gets lost, and I can't input keyframes to manually fix it. Can you possibly tell me a way to do it? This is what I am going for, as for reference kzbin.info/www/bejne/g4i6l4dtqcmVbNU

[@BorisFXco]

EDIT : Your reply was held in the moderation queue so I didn't see it before. Leaving this comment for posterity! I have an idea why this is happening. Are you using a trimmed clip in After Effects when doing your tracking? If you are, you need to precompose the main clip *before* you do the Mocha track. That way AE will know where to line your data up when you're at the other end of the workflow and use Stabilize : Warp to apply the warp back to your t-shirt. If it's not that, then this is best solved either through the forums or by contacting Support. I hope the precomp fixes it for you.

[@BorisFXco]

You want to be liberal with your track mattes on the fingers! kzbin.info/www/bejne/oJnaYWuLra6UZ5o

[@joshweiss]

I can't for the life of me get the stablize workflow to work. I can get it to stabilize the footage, by going to Module Render- checking render, setting to stablize: Unwarp. I place text or whatever I want on another layer in the spot where I would want it, over the stablized shirt or hat or whatever. Then, I precomp the text, paste mocha on it from the tracked footage, and change to stablize: warp. It doesn't do anything. It doesn't move, it doesn't bend, nothing. I also shut off mocha on the original to get rid of the stablization. But again, the thing I want tracked and warped in just stays still. What am I missing? This is in After Effects with the mocha pro plugin, obviously updated to 2021.

[@peterlundgren7414]

Second that. The footage in the precomp is all stable but the unwarped footage just floats around. Really can't wrap my head around what I'm missing. Really stunning addition that I see a lot of potential and use cases for. Hoping for a more in depth tutorial for Mocha Pro plugin -> After Effects

[@BorisFXco]

Did you make sure to set a reference frame? Paste on the first frame AE? Check the render button is on? Might be worth checking in with the Mocha forum: forum.borisfx.com/c/mochapro/6

[@essencecartoon]

This is not a good tutorial..

[@BorisFXco]

Sorry you didn't find it useful. What was missing for you? If you're looking for a more in-depth tutorial on PowerMesh, check out the PowerMesh section in the Mocha Essentials training (exercises 13-16) : kzbin.info/www/bejne/eWLNaaCuibmCn5Y

[@essencecartoon]

@@BorisFXco I think the biggest feedback with this tutorial is that there were steps left out and also the tutorial doesn’t explain if you’re using the standalone application versus the plug-in application. So for this to be a very thorough video it would’ve been a good idea to include all the steps and also both options on exporting your data with the mesh if you’re using a standalone version of the application.

[@BorisFXco]

Ah, I see now. I take your points. The PowerMesh section in the Essentials course goes into those points in much more detail.