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j u ly • a u g u s t • s e p t e m b e r 2 0 2 2 c g w 4 3 button and see the shaman come to life using the several preset animations the application offers. Refining the picture with MetaHuman Creator Next, in a collaborative session with archaeologists, forensics, and a MetaHuman character artist, the team could narrow down the appearance of the shaman's facial hair and skin properties inside MetaHuman Creator. Analysis of available DNA suggested that he would have had 'intermediary-dark' skin, dark hair, and brown eyes. "We can estimate the color of the skin, the hair, and eyes with more than 90 percent accuracy," says Stefanović. Wrinkles and gray hairs were added based on his estimated age; teeth were adjusted based on the skull; the style of his hair and beard were based on plausible tools, such as shells, available in the period of 8,000 BC. With the shaman's digital appearance complete, Nilsson could then apply the same styling to the physical model to complete the traditional 3D reconstruction. "All that back and forth in MetaHuman Creator was really brilliant because normally I would do this work myself by hand, and that is very expensive and takes a lot of time," says Nilsson. "But to be able to do this digitally is really a game-changer." Real-time interaction with history The team brought the digital model into Unreal Engine, where they created a virtual environment with realistic lighting. The shaman could then be animated by hand using the MetaHuman facial rig or with the free Live Link Face app, which uses an iPhone or iPad to capture facial animation and stream it onto a character in Unreal Engine in real-time. The virtual and physical models were developed in tandem and unveiled at the Dubai Expo 2020 by the national platform Serbia Creates, which supported the project's realization. At the showcase, visitors were able to capture their own expressions via an iPhone and see them mirrored by the digital shaman on screen in real-time animation. "When nobody's interacting with him, we let him yawn and stretch his face by borrowing some of the animation from his fellow MetaHumans," says Adam Kovač, Solutions Specialist at 3Lateral. "It was pure joy to see him smile." Stefanović agrees. "Never before have we had the opportunity to see what ancient people look like when they are showing their emotions," she says. The interactive setup is now exhibited at the National Museum of Serbia in Belgrade, alongside the institution's collection of Lepenski Vir artifacts. While the MetaHuman framework has received considerable interest within the gaming and film industries, the Lepenski Vir sha- man offers a glimpse of how the technology can support innovative projects in more traditional fields like archaeology and forensics. The team hopes that the groundbreaking reconstruction will fuel the imagination of other pioneers to experiment in different spaces. "We see teams exploring uses with medicine, automotive, and even psychology research," says Kovač. "So, it's really up to the users where this goes next." ¢ July•August•September 2022: COMPUTER GRAPHICS WORLD (USPS 665-250) (ISSN- 0271-4159) is published bi-monthly with special additional issues in January and July re- sulting in 8 issues per year by COP Communications, Inc. Corporate offices: 620 West Elk Avenue, Glendale, CA 91204, Tel: 818-291-1100; FAX: 818-291-1190; Web Address: info@ copprints.com. Periodicals Postage Paid at Glendale, CA, 91205 & additional mailing offic- es. COMPUTER GRAPHICS WORLD is distributed worldwide. Annual subscription prices are $72, USA; $98, Canada & Mexico; $150 International airfreight. To order subscriptions, call 847-559-7310. © 2022 CGW by COP Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. 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OF SALES 818. 291.1153 | mkohn@copcomm.com LISA NEELY, MARKETING & ADVERTISING SALES EXEC. 818.660.5828 | lneely@copcomm.com WILLIAM R. RITTWAGE, PRESIDENT/CEO 818. 291.1111 | brittwage@copcomm.com next issue: OCTOBER • NOVEMBER • DECEMBER 2022 THESE ARE SOME OF THE EXCITING TOPICS THAT WILL BE COVERED IN THE NEXT ISSUE OF COMPUTER GRAPHICS WORLD: ¢ Holiday blockbuster "lms ¢ Cutting-edge game design work–ows ¢ Gateway to the Metaverse ¢ VR/AR/XR spotlight ¢ Ground-breaking hardware & storage technology ¢ VFX and animation showcase ¢ And much more.