Main Page → Motive Documentation → Installation and Activation

Page Scope

This page explains Motive installation and activation process using software license information provided with your purchase.

Tutorial Video

Motive installation and activation

Installation

Host PC Requirements

Required PC specifications may vary depending on the size of the camera system. Generally, you will be required to use the recommended specs with a system with more than 24 cameras.

Recommended	Minimum
OS: Windows 7, 8, 10 (64-bit) Direct X9 CPU: i7 or better with a core speed of at least 3.0 GHz. RAM: 16GB of memory GPU: GTX 1050 or better with the latest graphics driver	OS: Windows 7, 8, 10 (64-bit) Direct X9 CPU: 3.0 GHz i5 processor RAM: 4GB of memory

Download

Motive download link.

To install Motive, you must first download the Motive installer from our website. Follow the Downloads link under the Support page (http://optitrack.com/downloads/), and you will be able to find the newest version of Motive or the previous releases if needed. Both Motive: Body and Motive: Tracker shares same software installer.

Installation Steps

Note: If any of the required version of redistributables (.NET framework, Direct X, VC runtime) are missing from the machine, the installer will ask to install them along with Motive. Make sure to install these packages as well.

1. Run the Installer

When the download is complete, run the installer to initiate the installation process.

2. Install the USB Driver

If you are installing Motive for the first time, it will prompt you to install the OptiTrack USB Driver (e.g. OptiTrack_USB_Driver_x64). Install this driver. This driver is required for all OptiTrack USB devices including the security key. After the driver has been installed, continue onto installing the Motive.

3. Install Motive

Follow the installation prompts and install Motive in your desired file directory. We recommend installing the software in the default directory, C:\Program File\OptiTrack\Motive.

Installing Motive

4. OptiTrack Peripheral Module

At the Custom Setup section of the installation process, you will be asked to choose whether to install the Peripheral Devices along with Motive. If you plan to use force plates (AMTI and Bertec) or NI-DAQ devices along with motion capture systems, make sure the Peripheral Device is installed. If you are not going to be using these devices, you may skip to the next step.

Peripheral Module

The Peripheral Devices, also called OptiTrack Peripheral Module, consists of the necessary plugins for integrating force plates (AMTI and Bertec) and NI-DAQ devices. If you decided to install the Peripheral Device, you will be prompted to install OptiTrack Peripherals Module along with NI-DAQmx driver at the end of Motive installation. Press Yes to install the plugins and the NI-DAQmx driver. This may take a few minutes to install.

Peripheral module installation

NI-DAQmx driver installation

5. Finish Installation

This will install Motive. If you want to use additional plugins, visit the downloads page

Host PC Setup

Firewall / Anti-Virus

Make sure all anti-virus software on the Host PC is allowing Motive.

For Ethernet cameras, make sure the windows' firewall is configured to allow the camera network to be recognized. Disabling them entirely is another option.

High-Performance

Windows power saving mode limits CPU usage. In order to best utilize Motive, set this mode to the High Performance mode and remove the limitations. You can configure the High Performance Mode from Control Panel → Hardware and Sound → Power Options as shown in the image below.

Notification to enable the high performance mode.
Enabling the high performance mode.

License Activation

Once you have installed Motive, next step is to activate the software using the provided license information and a USB Hardware Key.

License Types

There are three different types of Motive licenses: Motive: Body, Motive: Tracker, and Motive: Edit. Depending on the type of license you are activating with, different tracking features will be available within Motive. Motive: Body is a comprehensive license that provides all of the tracking features; including both rigid body tracking and skeleton tracking. Motive: Tracker is capable of tracking rigid bodies. Motive: Edit only features post-capture editing tools for processing captured tracking data.

For more information on different types of Motive licenses, check the software comparison table on our website.

Important Update on License Types:

With the introduction of the new skeleton solver in Motive 3.0, there have been changes to the license types. Starting from Motive versions 3.0 and above, the standard Motive: Body and Motive: Edit licenses will support up to 3 skeletons along with any number of rigid bodies, and a new type of licenses, Motive: Body-Unlimited and Motive: Edit-Unlimited, has been added for tracking any number of both skeletons and rigid bodies.

License	Motive: Edit	Motive: Edit - Unlimited	Motive: Tracker	Motive: Body	Motive: Body - Unlimited
Live Rigid Bodies	0	0	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Edit Rigid Bodies	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Live RB Skeletons	0	0	0	Unlimited	Unlimited
Live Skeletons	0	0	0	Up to 3	Unlimited
Edit Skeletons	Up to 3	Unlimited	0	Up to 3	Unlimited

Activation Steps

Motive splash screen: License activation.

Step 1. Launch Motive

First, launch Motive.

Step 2. Activate

The Motive splash screen will pop up and it will indicate that the license is not found. Click and open the license tool and fill out the following fields using provided license information. You will need the License Serial Number and License Hash from your order invoice and the Hardware Key Serial Number indicated on the USB hardware key. Once you have entered all the information, click Activate. If you have already activated the license before on another machine, make sure the same name is entered when activating.

Step 3. License File

If Motive is activated properly, license files will be placed in the license folder. This folder can be accessed from the splash screen or by navigating to Start Menu → All Programs → OptiTrack → Motive → OptiTrack License Folder.

License Folder: C:\ProgramData\OptiTrack\License

Step 4. Security Key

Insert the corresponding Security Key that was used to activate the license. The matching security key will always have to be connected to the computer in order to use Motive.

Step 5. Re-launch

Press Retry or re-launch Motive. Now the Motive license has been activated and you will be able to use Motive.

Step 6. Camera Registration

In order for the cameras to initialize in Motive, the security key must register with the connected cameras. This happens only on the first time when Motive detects one or more new cameras in the setup. This process requires the host PC to be connected to the Internet connection and may take a few minutes. Internet connection would not be required once the cameras have been registered.

Online Activation Tool

The Motive License can also be activated from online using the Online License Activation tool. When you use the online License Activation Tool, you will receive the license file via email. In this case, you will have to place the file in the license folder. Once the license file is placed, insert the corresponding USB Hardware Key to use Motive.

License Duration and Maintenance

License Duration

The software license will be valid up to 1-year from the initial activation date, and you will be able to run any version of Motive that was released before the expiration date. When the license expires, you will no longer have access to the newer versions, but you can still use the older versions of Motive that were released up to the expiration date.

When your license expires, you can purchase License Maintenances, which will extend the license’s valid duration at a lower cost.

Activating Maintenance License

Activating maintenance license will place additional license DAT file onto the license folder. When the maintenance license is purchased, activate the maintenance license using the provided license information. This will place another license file alongside your original license. Both the original and maintenance license(s) files must be placed in the license folder for the software to be activated properly. If you are using a new computer, use the original license information to activate. This will populate all of the maintenance licenses in addition to the original license.

Notes on Maintenance License Activation

Please note that licenses can be extended only up to 2 years into the future. In other words, the target license must be expiring within one year from the current date in order to activate another maintenance license.

Check License Status

Check My License Tool

To check the status of your license, use Check My License tool on our website to monitor the license status. You will need a License Hash Code and a corresponding Device Serial Number (e.g. Hardware Key) to check the license status.

About Motive

You can also check the status of the activated license from the About Motive pop-up. This can be accessed in the splash screen when it fails to detect a valid license, or it can be accessed from the Help → About Motive menu in Motive.

License Data:

In this panel, you can also export license data into a TXT file by clicking on the License Data.... If you are having any issues with activating Motive, please export and attach the following file in the email.

About Motive window listing all of the detected licenses.
When no licenses are detected.

Using Activated Software on a Different Computer

OptiTrack software can be used on a new computer by reactivating the license, using the same license information. When reactivating, make sure to enter the same name information as before. After the license has been reactivated, the corresponding USB Hardware Key needs to be inserted into the PC in order to verify and run the software.

Another method of using the license is by copying the license file from the old computer to the new computer. The license file can be found in the OptiTrack License folder which can be accessed through Start Menu -> All programs -> OptiTrack -> Motive -> OptiTrack License Folder.

Installation and Activation

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