LOS ANGELES — Faceware Technologies, a provider of markerless 3D facial motion capture solutions, has released Version 2.5 of its realtime facial mocap and animation product, Faceware Live. The latest upgrades are the result of advancements in the consumer-grade facial tracking technology developed by Faceware’s parent company, Image Metrics. Faceware Live produces facial animation in realtime by automatically tracking a performer’s face and instantly applying that performance to a facial model. Faceware Live requires just a single camera for tracking purposes. That camera can be an onboard computer video or Webcam, the Faceware GoPro or Pro HD Headcam Systems, or any other video capture device.
“With technology advancements in CG, VR/AR/MR, interactive marketing, and graphics processing, we’re seeing a growing number of inquiries for live CG performances and the ability to ‘drive’ digital characters in real time,” says Peter Busch, vice president of business development at Faceware Technologies. “To deliver on that, the market needs face tracking technology that is completely stable and tracks facial movements across a range of different conditions. With Live 2.5, we’re taking another important step toward making that future a reality. The quality of realtime, markerless tracking we can do now is absolutely mind-blowing.”
Upgrades to version 2.5 (http://support.facewaretech.com/live) include advancements to face tracking technology, a new animation tuning workflow, command line calibration, and animation preview characters. Nearly 20 other improvements have also been included in this upgrade.
Faceware Live 2.5 is available free-of-charge to current Live customers.