LOS ANGELES — Faceware Technologies (www.facewaretech.com), provider of markerless 3D facial motion capture solutions, announced that it has upgraded and released Version 2.0 of its realtime facial mocap and animation product, Faceware Live. Originally announced at Siggraph 2013, the first version of Faceware Live has been in testing at a handful of studios since last fall.
“For the past 12 months, we’ve been vetting Faceware Live in a handful of studios, collecting feedback that has been invaluable in the evolution of the product,” says Peter Busch, VP of business development at Faceware Technologies. “We’ve rolled much of that feedback into the product, and are now ready to release Faceware Live 2.0 to any studio or content creator in need of real-time facial animation.”
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 can use either an on-board computer video or webcam, the Faceware Pro HD Headcam System, or any other video capture device, to drive the realtime performance. Under the hood is patented computer vision technology, called Live Driver, from the company’s partner Image Metrics, which is capable of realtime facial tracking in nearly any lighting condition with any performer.
Upgrades to Version 2.0 include: Instant calibration, which offers calibration of any new performer and takes only one to three seconds with no need for a lengthy range of motions or a complex character setup process; improved facial tracking captures nearly 180 degrees of motion, allowing the live talent to be freer in their performances; consistent calibration features an entire interface to aid in the consistency in calibration from day-to-day with the same actors by allowing the user to store and recall calibration frames as an overlay to the live feed, as well as the ability to toggle a grid for consistent camera and framing; support for high-frame-rate cameras is for studios looking to achieve ultimate quality and responsiveness; and the ability to stream multiple characters removes any limitation to the amount of characters that Faceware Live can track at once.
Free 30-day trials are available from the Faceware Website.