Contour is the newest project from Steve Perlman -- an alum from tech companies like Apple, WebTV, and Moxi -- and it aims to not only greatly increase the resolution of facial capture techniques, but to bypass the entire Uncanny Valley thing entirely. What black magic are they employing to accomplish their task? They've dropped the white dots and traded up for some classy phosphorescent powder. The New York Times explains the process:
"The Contour system requires actors to cover their faces and clothes with makeup containing phosphorescent powder that is not visible under normal lighting. In a light-sealed room, the actors face two arrays of inexpensive video cameras that are synchronized to simultaneously record their appearance and shape. Scenes are lit by rapidly flashing fluorescent lights, and the cameras capture light from the glowing powder during intervals of darkness that are too short for humans to perceive."
The Wall Street Journal links to an incredible video demonstration (.rm) of the technology, pictured above. Naturally, there's promise for the film industry, but gaming journalist Dean Takahashi hits the gaming angle in his Mercury News piece, "The problem of animating human faces is getting harder because the latest video game consoles -- the Xbox 360 today and the PlayStation 3 coming this fall -- are being hyped for their ability to render graphics with high-definition details." Reading about Contour, I can't decide what's more impressive: the results or the relatively modest technology used to achieve them? Incredible stuff.
[Via Grand Text Auto]
Read - Camera System Creates Sophisticated 3-D Effects - NYTimes
Read - Digital Replicas May Change Face of Films - WSJ
Read - Q&A With Steve Perlman, founder of Mova - Mercury News
Read - Steve Perlman's Mova: Capturing Faces For Video Games - Mercury News
