image metrics emily cg facial animation blows my mind
filed under: digital imaging | technology
August 20th, 2008 post a comment (4) stumble it! digg it! by: technabob
The other day, I showed you guys what I thought was some really impressive computer generated facial animation. Then, the guys over at Image Metrics sent me a video clip of their latest CG creation, Emily, and I was bowled over.
Emily is a truly monumental achievement, recreating every nuance of human facial expression, even though what you’re actually looking at is the face of a digital actor. Created through a partnership with USC’s Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT), the team’s primary objective was to create a completely convincing, animated computer-generated face, and I think they succeeded.
Using ICT’s special scanning system that can capture facial details down to the individual pore, the face of actress Emily O’Brien was transformed into a digital representation of herself, which could then be entirely machine-manipulated. A special spherical lighting rig captured O’Brien in 35 reference facial poses using a pair of high resolution digital cameras. The facial maps were then converted into 3D data using Image Metrics’ proprietary markerless motion capture technology.
Image Metrics then generated a new animation sequence and precisely superimposed it onto the live actress’ head. As you can see from the video below, you’d be really hard-pressed to tell the difference between digital Emily and real-world Emily.
Amazing, no? Be sure to check out some of Image Metrics’ other CGI projects, which include work on Grand Theft Auto IV, Devil May Cry 4, and a most excellent Gnarls Barkley video featuring a anthropomorphic singing heart.
August 20th, 2008 post a comment (4) stumble it! digg it! by: technabob
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4 comments post a comment
1. dave c | August 23rd, 2008 at 9:19 pm
that is classs
2. Frank | September 20th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
I find this really impressive… because I know how difficult this is.
My wife does not. My wife would represent the average computer user, and to that average computer user it does not sound very impressive to make a digital reproduction of a real actress. I mean, in theory that is what a digital video camera does. So to an average user this does not sound any more difficult than some advanced video editing.
So maybe it would be a good idea to wow a bit more silently about this, or you know, detail what you are wowing about a bit more, so you do not sound quite as such a sad geek.
3. elizabeth | September 21st, 2008 at 11:09 am
@frank:
maybe you should tell your “wife” to read the second paragraph since you obviously didn’t bother to explain “how hard it is.”
4. lechatnoir | September 27th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
hum Frank is right, lol! no more then 2 people i know have an idea how difficult it os to mimick life with CGI. even my workmates who are cgi passionates think it is all about tool that you “press play” then you have your 3d character lol!
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image metrics emily cg facial animation blows my mind