Reallusion and Faceware launch Faceware Realtime, giving independent creators and studios of all levels using iClone, access to real time facial motion capture tools.

Recent developments in motion capture place new tools in the hands of creators, and following the recent trend with IClone 7, Reallusion entered a partnership with Faceware which enables the software to achieve real-time facial motion capture and recording. This will empower indies and studios of all levels, giving them access to facial motion capture tools that are fast, accurate and marker less–all from a PC webcam.

Faceware Realtime for iClone is a professional quality real-time facial tracking software designed to give iClone users a simple, cost-effective, and powerful tool for animating character’s faces. Use a capable webcam to live mocap or a pre-recorded image sequence to drive natural human facial expressions and head movement. To fully utilize Faceware’s 42 facial tracking Face ID, iClone 7 now has 60 Facial Morphs.

“Faces are one of the hardest parts of the human body to animate, but with iClone 7 and Faceware Realtime for iClone, the process is now drastically easier for iClone users and those just getting started in the profession,” said Peter Busch, vice president of business development at Faceware Technologies. “The package is packed with powerful, yet intuitive, features that will enable animators at every level to produce some really great facial animation. We can’t wait to see what iClone users create!”

The process is fast and simple, starting with calibration, a one click operation. Calibrating the technology to your face is an important part of how Realtime for iClone works. Calibration establishes a baseline by ‘teaching’ the technology what your face looks like in a neutral pose. Unlike other tracking software, calibration in Realtime for iClone is fast and simple, allowing you to train the technology in a single button press and adjust on-the-fly for optimal results.

A PC cam, a GoPro or ProHD cameras can be used to live capture facial animation, with Reallusion recommending models as the Logitech Brio Ultra HD, 60 fps or Logitech HD Pro C920, 30 fps. Synchronous audio recording during facial capture is an option, and the system has many other features for users with different needs.

Jeff Jasper, a VFX pro, says that “The Faceware Realtime iClone 7 system is a huge win for me as a Faceware user. It is by far the best integration of Faceware I have seen in any package. Combined with the new face keying, you have a powerful combination to deliver truly professional results. The fact that Reallusion has pulled all this off in a single release is truly amazing and I am super excited for the future of iClone.”

If you want to find out more about the system, try out the 30-day free trial demo of Faceware Realtime for iClone, available at Reallusion. In addition to iClone 7 and Realtime for iClone, you will also need the Facial Mocap plugin for iClone 7, developed by Reallusion. With these you’ll be creating realtime facial animation in record time. The iClone Faceware Facial Mocap Plug-in Suite for Windows, which works with iClone 7.02 above includes iClone Facial Mocap Plug-in for Faceware ($599) and Faceware Realtime for iClone ($599), a total price of $1,198.00, now available for $999.00.