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Mocha Point Tracker
The Mocha Point Tracker is a supervised 2D tracker in SynthEyes that follows the standard Tracker Room workflow, but internally tracks motion across a small planar surface instead of a single pixel feature.
Although it tracks a plane, the Mocha Point Tracker produces a single 2D center point that is used for solving and export. This makes it compatible with existing 3-D solving workflows, while often providing greater stability than a standard point tracker on surfaces that rotate, scale, shear, or lack a clean, isolated feature.
You will find the Mocha Point Tracker in the Tracker control panel’s tracker-type dropdown. It is located in the Trackers Room (not the Planar Room) because it behaves like a regular supervised tracker: it is created, keyed, adjusted, locked, and solved in the same way, with additional planar capabilities under the hood.
When to Use the Mocha Point Tracker. Use the Mocha Point Tracker when a standard supervised point tracker tends to drift, especially on surfaces that:
rotate slightly (signs, screens, cards, walls),
scale due to camera movement (push-ins or pull-backs),
exhibit mild shear or tilt, or
do not contain a single, well-defined feature that can be tracked reliably, or contain motion blur that weakens traditional point tracking.
Tracking motion across a small planar region allows the tracker to account for rotation, scale, and affine changes that traditional point trackers do not model.
Why This Matters. The Mocha Point Tracker allows you to:
feed a more reliable 2D tracker point into the 3-D solve, and
export planar-derived motion for downstream 2D compositing workflows when supported.
This makes it useful both for improving matchmove accuracy and for planar-based 2D workflows such as corner pinning, stabilization, or surface motion transfer.
Planar Patch and Center Point. The Mocha Point Tracker tracks motion across a planar patch defined by four corner points. Despite tracking a plane, the tracker produces a single 2D center point, which is the point used for solving and export. By default, the center point is located at the geometric center of the planar patch and moves rigidly with it. In most cases, the default center position is correct and should not be changed. If the feature you want to solve or export does not lie at the geometric center of the patch, the center point can be repositioned relative to the planar patch.
This allows you to track a surface while reporting motion from a specific location on that surface (for example, a logo detail, corner, or attachment point).
Dragging the tracker moves the planar patch and the center point together
Holding Shift while dragging allows you to reposition the center point relative to the planar patch
The center point is fixed relative to the plane and is not animated
Shift–right-click resets the center point to the patch center
If you feel the need to animate the center point, the surface is likely not sufficiently planar or stable, and a separate tracker may be more appropriate.
Mocha Point Tracker Controls. Most standard supervised tracker controls apply and behave the same way as for other tracker types. The following controls are specific to the Mocha Point Tracker.
Motion Model. The Motion Model defines what kinds of motion the planar patch is allowed to follow. The default and recommended starting point is 2D TRSA (Translation + Rotation + Scale + Skew / Affine). This model handles the widest range of real-world planar motion and should be used in most cases. Available models include:
2D T (Translation)
For patches that slide in X/Y with no visible rotation or scale change.
2D TS (Translation + Scale)
For surfaces that change size but do not rotate significantly.
2D TRS (Translation + Rotation + Scale)
For rotating and scaling surfaces without noticeable shear.
2D TRSA (Translation + Rotation + Scale + Skew / Affine)
Best general-purpose model for slightly tilted, shearing, or non-uniform planar motion.
3D Perspective
For strong perspective change, such as planes rotating significantly in depth or viewed at steep angles.
Pixels % (Patch Usage). Controls how much of the planar patch is used for tracking. By default, Auto is enabled. In this mode, SynthEyes automatically determines an appropriate percentage based on patch size and image content. This is recommended for most shots. When Auto is disabled:
Higher values use more of the patch, which is typically more accurate but slower and more sensitive to occlusion.
Lower values use fewer pixels, which is faster but can be less reliable if too little signal remains.
Auto is recommended in most cases.
Rotation / Scaling (Search Size). Defines the maximum rotation and scale change expected per frame. Increase these values if tracking fails during rapid rotation or zoom. Keep values conservative when possible; excessively large values can reduce stability. The search region can be adjusted per frame to manually guide the tracker when needed. These adjustments are frame-specific and do not persist to other frames.
Reduce Drift. Applies periodic drift compensation to keep the planar patch aligned over time. Increasing this can help when the track slowly walks off the surface, even if individual frames appear reasonable.
Workflow Overview. The Mocha Point Tracker follows the standard supervised tracking workflow:
1. Create the tracker
Go to the Trackers Room and create a tracker using the usual methods. Set the tracker type to Mocha Point Tracker.
2. Define the planar patch
Adjust the four corner points so the patch matches the planar surface to be tracked. Include stable texture and avoid edges that will be occluded or leave frame.
3. Choose a motion model
Leave the model at 2D TRSA unless the shot clearly requires a simpler or more complex model.
4. Track, key, and correct
Track forward or backward as usual. Correct slips manually and continue.
5. Solve as usual
The Mocha Point Tracker contributes a single, more reliable 2D center point to the solve.
6. Export for 2D (optional)
When exporting to formats that support 2D compositing data, the Mocha Point Tracker can include affine corner data where supported, enabling workflows such as corner pinning, stabilization, or planar motion transfer.
Note . When combining two Mocha Point Trackers using Track → Combine Trackers, SynthEyes first converts them to standard point trackers. The resulting tracker keeps the 2D center position, but the original planar patch data is discarded. After combining, the tracker behaves like a regular point tracker and can no longer be adjusted as a Mocha Point Tracker.
©2026 Boris FX, Inc. — UNOFFICIAL — Converted from original PDF.
