FaceWare MoCap Visits Escape Studios

Jess Hiles tests out theFaceware Mark IV helmet system

Last week we had the pleasure of a studio visit from motion capture experts Faceware.  Faceware are specialists in Facial Motion Capture technology, widely used in Games, Films, TV, Commercials, and live performances. Their clients include Rockstar, EA Games, Kojima, Disney, and DreamWorks. 

Faceware provided us with an overview of the Facial MoCap workflow and their latest tech, including the cutting-edge Mark IV helmet system.

Motion Capture at Escape Studios

Jess Hiles and Head of Animation Paul Harrison

Escape Studios' Tutors Clem Gharini and Steve Lall have long been experimenting with Motion Capture for student film projects, using body performance capture with the X-Sens Awinta Suit.  

During the production of our recent graduation film End of the Line, the team required the capture of facial performances - something we have not tested on production before.


Faceware Trial
We initially tested out various free or cheap options which weren't giving us great results.  Steve Lall decided to take out a trial version of Faceware, which he first came across at the Mocap Summit industry event.  

Jess Hiles with Mk IV Headgear

Steve explained: "It was the first time I had seen marker-less facial capture and I was curious to try it out.  End of the Line seemed like a great opportunity to learn more about the process.  I absolutely loved using Faceware's software, Analyzer and Retargeter.  I found it easy to learn, the results were impressive, and so far this has been the best way for getting facial mocap data into Autodesk Maya.  Maya is what our animation students are most used to so that was really important to us."

Motion Capture in Industry

Motion Capture plays a big part in the entertainment industry, and it was great for us to see and play with these high-end tools up close. 

Steve explained: "Motion Capture helps us to bridge live-action performance with 3D art and film-making.  I'm excited to see what we can create by learning and experimenting with different Mocap techniques, and hope to see more of it in future projects at Escape Studios."

Thanks to Faceware

End of the Line team photo

A big thank you to our Faceware friends Sahra Al and Nick Jovic for their visit and their demo.  Also, a special thanks to our rising star Jess Hiles for helping us out.

End of the Line
You can watch End of Line, our recent student film directed by Eren Arnold:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNrcVXJDopE

Faceware
For more info on Faceware check out their website:

https://facewaretech.com/

Motion Capture Resources at Escape Studios

MoCap at Escape Studios

To see more about motion capture at Escape Studios, follow the links below:

• Motion Capture at Escape Studios with Clement Gharini
• Motion Capture Tutorials at Vimeo
• Simone Costa MoCap Animator at ILM
• Amedeo Beretta MoCap Webinar
• MoCap Comes to Escape Studios
• MoCap Retargeting with Amedeo Beretta
• MoCap Cleanup with Steve Lall
• Award winning "Alma" - the First MoCap Short Made at Escape Studios

The Escape Studios Animation Blog offers a personal view on the art of animation and visual effects. To apply for our BA/MArt in 3D Animation, follow this link.  To apply for our storyboarding evening class, visit this page here.  For the next 12 week animation course, click here. And to apply for the next evening class in Producing Animation, see this page.