Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/196542
Motion Capture faceware 2D auto-tracking from video ©CounterPunch Studios. With roots that trace back to ImageMetrics, which provided proprietary facial capture and retargeting services, Faceware now offers products for automatic tracking, analysis, and retargeting of the 2D motion onto a 3D rig. "We can take any video and automatically track a performance without any user input, says Peter Busch, vice " president of business development. "That sets us apart. We've taken the data from 12 years of performance capture and built it into a global tracking model that works in any lighting condition. Our technology looks for key features in a face, like the eyes and mouth. Once it recognizes those, it knows where the rest of the face is and tracks the motion. So, what used to take an hour or two now takes two minutes. No one enjoys tracking. The fact that we've automated the process with one button click is massive. " Once tracked and analyzed using Faceware's Analyzer software, the company's Retargeter software moves the facial tracking data created in Analyzer onto a facial rig created in Autodesk's Maya, 3ds Max, MotionBuilder, or Softimage. Animators can then perfect the performance using standard keyframe techniques. Because tracking is quick and easy, the company suggests that studios push the resulting data into retargeting and animation without fiddling with it first. If animators decide the data doesn't fit the digital character well enough – that is, hasn't retargeted sufficiently well – they can quickly try tracking again. "Animators can check a performance on a few poses, hit 'retarget,' and then toggle back and forth to see 12 ■ CGW Se pt em ber / O c t ober 2013 how the retargeting influences the performance, Busch says. " "That gives the animator an intuitive workflow they embrace. " Pricing for Analyzer with auto-tracking starts at $795, with professional versions that include features designed for higher volume starting at $6,995. Retargeter Lite costs $395, and Retargeter Pro carries a $1,995 price tag. In addition, Faceware now offers a head-mounted camera rig and software called Faceware Live for real-time facial motion capture. The rig is a helmet with one camera attached to a "boom" that extends in front of the face. "We built a mount for the GoPro camera, Busch says. "We " have six mounting bars that slide in and out of the helmet, three sizes of helmets in different thicknesses, and two lenses for the cameras. We've had to drop in on motion-capture stages for two or three days, so we created a kit that is completely portable and flexible. An entry-level version of the system designed for " schools and independent production sells for $400. "Our Faceware Live does the work of Analyzer and Retargeter in real time, Busch says. "We have a three-second calibration. " Faceware Live takes in the video, automatically tracks the performances, and tells the user the quality of the extracted motion. We aimed the product at virtual production and rapid prototyping, at previewing the quality of the animation in real time. " Data streamed from the performance into MotionBuilder drives a character rig built from a pre-designed expression set. "What you capture on set with Faceware Live indicates what you'll get in post, Busch says. " To demonstrate a virtual production process, Faceware collaborated with The Third Floor previs studio and KnightVision motion-capture studio, both in Los Angeles, for a demo at the Director's Guild. Directors at the demo could move a virtual