Overview

3D Motion Analysis (3DMA) uses two calibrated cameras to track the full body and club throughout the swing in 3D space. Getting the camera setup right is essential — correct positioning, lighting, and camera settings are what enable accurate biomechanical data and viewing experience. 

Requirements

Software

• TPS 10.3
• Download the 3D Motion Analysis package (1.62 GB) from the Video view in Shot Analysis
  • Requires Admin rights in Public Mode

Subscription

• Active software subscription required: TM4, TMiO Home Complete, or TMiO Commercial

Hardware — Minimum Tech Specs

• 16 GB RAM
• 7.5 GB free storage space
• Nvidia GPU with 6 GB of VRAM
  • If the GPU does not meet this requirement, 3DMA will run on the CPU, resulting in slower processing time (~15 sec. per shot) 

Cameras

Two calibrated cameras are required — one Face On and one Down the Line: 

• IDS and iOS cameras are recommended
• USB Swing (Econ) Camera is supported 

All other third party cameras are not supported for 3DMA and cameras cannot yet be calibrated for the TMiO Duo.

Camera Positioning

Camera placement does not affect tracking quality, 3D view and graph view as long as the calibration is successful, but it does affect the viewing experience on the Video view.

Recommended Setup

Use a player in a neutral stance with a long iron when positioning cameras. Both cameras should be placed at elbow height at address. 

• Down the Line (DTL) camera — positioned parallel to the target line, pointing toward the player
• Face On camera — positioned perpendicular to the target line 

💡 The whole body and club must be visible throughout the entire swing sequence. 

What to Avoid

• Camera too high or too low relative to elbow height
• Player partially out of frame at any point during the swing
• Camera angled so that the body is cut off at the top of the backswing or follow-through

Note for left-handed players: The Face On camera needs to be positioned on the opposite side compared to right-handed setup.

Camera Settings

Known issue: FPS can reset to 20 after a restart, TPS crash, or incorrect shutdown. Always verify FPS in camera profiles before starting a session.

Lighting

Good lighting is one of the most important factors for accurate 3DMA. The rule of thumb is simple: if the video looks good to you, clearly distinguishing you from the background, it will work for 3DMA. 

• Aim for evenly distributed light with as few shadows as possible
• Avoid videos that are too bright (overexposed) or too dark (underexposed) 

 💡 IDS cameras support custom profiles for shutter speed, resolution, FPS, and more - use these to optimize for your specific lighting conditions. 

Clothing and Contrast

The AI needs to be able to distinguish the player from the background. Clothing and contrast directly affect this.

• High-contrast clothing against the background improves tracking accuracy (not black clothes on black background or white on white)
• Avoid wearing colors that blend into the background or hitting mat
• Loose or baggy clothing can make it harder for the system to locate joints accurately
• The system is trying to locate the ball in the image, so avoid multiple balls in the view and other white dots on clothes or shoes that can be interpreted by AI as a ball 

Calibration

Cameras must be fixed and calibrated in TPS before 3DMA can run. Camera calibration is required each time a camera is moved.

See TPS | How to Calibrate an External Camera 🎦 on how to calibrate.

Tips for successful calibration:

• Make sure the environment has enough light to provide good contrast between the player and the background.
• If calibration fails repeatedly, check that FPS is not set to 20 (see Camera Settings above).

Troubleshooting

I get a successful calibration message but the 3D skeleton view doesn't appear

Try the following steps:

1. Uncheck and re-check each camera in the top right corner of TPS
2. Exit Shot Analysis and re-enter
3. Check camera profiles and confirm FPS is not set to 20

3DMA isn't working — is something wrong with my cameras?

If the video is clear enough for you to identify each body part, it is good enough for 3DMA to process. Common things to check:

• Ensure the full body is visible throughout the entire swing
• Check that lighting is neither too bright nor too dark
• Verify FPS is set to at least 120 (30 FPS is the minimum supported, but quality will be reduced)

The skeleton appears incorrectly or body parts are misidentified

This is most commonly caused by poor lighting, low contrast between the player and background, or the player moving out of frame. Review the Lighting and Clothing sections above.

Additional Resources

• Biomech learning modules are available on Trackman University

• Camera setup video