LOS ANGELES — Faceware Technologies (www.facewaretech.com), a provider of markerless 3D facial motion capture solutions, has announced a series of upgrades across its entire product line that improve accessibility and usability of both its software and hardware. Highlights include a free Personal Learning Edition (PLE), new software and hardware rental pricing, localization, new workflow features, and new hardware. The entire product line is on display at this week’s the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco (March 16-18).
Free Personal Learning Edition
More and more individual content creators are adopting Faceware’s technologies to learn or improve their facial mocap and animation skills. The Personal Learning Edition (PLE) was designed with those users in mind. The PLE is a free license of Analyzer 3.0 and Retargeter 5.0 for individual, non-commercial use, including research. The PLE includes all of the functionality of the Studio version of Analyzer 3.0 and Retargeter 5.0 (see below), and will be kept on feature parity with the latest versions of those packages, so individual artists will always have access to the latest facial motion capture functionality from Faceware. For universities and schools, Analyzer 3.0 and Retargeter 5.0 will still be available in-lab and classroom licenses for adoption into relevant curriculums.
Software Rental Licenses
For commercial projects that need to be completed on relatively tight schedules, studios are now able to rent Faceware’s entire realtime and creative suite software lineup in 30-day increments. Rental costs start at $340 per month.
Analyzer 3.0
Analyzer is Faceware’s markerless facial motion tracking software. Based on advanced computer vision technology, it converts any video of an actor’s facial performance into facial motion files for use in Faceware’s companion software, Retargeter. To enhance Analyzer’s usability for artists in different countries, Faceware has localized Analyzer into nine additional languages: Japanese, Chinese (Simplified), Korean, French, German, Spanish (Castilian), Russian, Polish and Arabic. Analyzer will now also support timecode, editing of in/out points of any new video, and the ability to capture live video straight into Analyzer’s workflow using any of Faceware’s hardware systems. All of these new features will be available in both Analyzer 3.0 Studio and Studio Plus versions.
Retargeter 5.0
Faceware’s Retargeter software maps facial motion capture data from Analyzer onto any facial rig through a plug-in for Autodesk Maya, 3DS Max, and MotionBuilder. Like Analyzer, Retargeter 5.0 has been localized into nine additional languages and it supports timecode. Other highlights include an updated shared pose library workflow as well as general speed improvements. All of these new features will be available in both Studio and Studio Plus versions of Retargeter 5.0.
Pro HD Tripod Camera System
The Pro HD Tripod Camera system is the first non-headcam hardware system from Faceware. It allows actors to act freely in front of a prosumer camera on a tripod, and is perfect for any commercial production that is not wanting to use a Headcam. The Pro Tripod Camera system is a turnkey system that includes a HD prosumer camera, lights, tripod, and video converters.
The Pro Tripod Camera System will be available as a standalone product as well as bundled with Faceware’s software via professional, complete facial motion capture systems.
GoPro Desktop System
The GoPro Desktop system is a completely turnkey system from Faceware that includes all hardware necessary for facial motion capture, including lighting and video converters to get video straight into the Faceware Live or Faceware Analyzer software packages. Designed to be used at an artist's desk, this simple, easy-to-use product is a tremendous entry-level system. The GoPro Desktop System will be available as a standalone product as well as bundled with Faceware’s software via indie complete facial motion capture systems.