Face Capture 201
It’s only been over a year since we published Facial Capture 101, and the industry has already changed tremendously. With acquisitions and leaps in technology, let’s delve a little deeper and look at the most important updates in facial capture.
Metahuman Animator
In 2023, Epic Games introduced Metahuman Animator (MHA). A groundbreaking tool supported by the Unreal Engine software, MHA enables users to capture facial motions with an iPhone and transpose those movements onto a Metahuman.
Its accessibility – using a simple iPhone or Head-Mounted Camera (HMC) is all that's needed to record performance data - makes this software even more remarkable. Metahuman Animator has accelerated the pace of facial animation development, setting a new standard for efficiency and realism in digital character creation. Results from the Metahuman Animator showcase a potential to achieve an incredible high-fidelity animation, as proven by the ability to translate an actor’s nuanced facial expressions into extremely accurate metahuman ones.
Front-facing cameras
The increased quality of smartphone front-facing cameras has enhanced the capabilities of facial motion capture technology. Tools including Rokoko Face Capture and Metahuman Animator provide users with a platform to capture facial expressions and translate them into digital characters. This accessibility has empowered creators, allowing them to explore and experiment with facial motion capture without the barriers of complexity or cost.
AI
It’s also crucial to mention how Artificial Intelligence (AI) has played an important role in taking facial motion capture to new heights. For instance, AI-powered software enable users to capture facial expressions with extreme precision. The process of AI technology encompassing a variety of sectors has not only enhanced the accuracy of motion capture but has also expanded the possibilities for creative expression in the development of digital characters.
Acquisitions
A series of strategic acquisitions is one of the most significant indications of facial motion capture's growing importance and its expansion beyond the gaming industry. In 2020, Epic Games made headlines by acquiring Cubic Motion, bringing its computer and animation knowledge to Epic’s already established expertise with digital humans. The combination of Epic and Cubic’s knowledge directly led to the creation of Metahuman Animator.
Similarly, in 2021, Take-Two Interactive Software acquired Dynamixyz, a markerless facial mocap company. This new partnership enabled Take-Two to leverage Dynamixyz’s expertise in facial analysis technology.
These acquisitions demonstrate a consolidation of expertise and technology, emphasizing the broader applications of facial capture beyond the gaming sector into healthcare, retail and the banking industry. The ripple effects of these acquisitions are clear in the cross-industry impact of facial motion capture technology and only time will tell where facial mocap use will lead to.