Facial capture company DI4D is bringing the next generation of subtlety and nuance to performance capture with PURE4D 2.0, the latest iteration of the company’s four-dimensional technology. The updated facial capture tech, which will likely begin appearing in games, film, and television in the near future, focuses on effectively portraying the actor’s every emotion on the face of their digital double. Award-winning actor, performance capture artist, and capture directorNeil Newbon, who partnered with DI4D to create a short film using PURE4D 2.0, praised the technology, comparing it to many other types of motion and performance capture hardware and software he has worked with throughout his career.
Speaking to Game Rant, Newbon recounted his 15-year journey through the world of motion capture, beginning with the “blocky,” “cel-shaded” faces of the early days. He discussed the gradual shift from facial marking, as seen inDetroit: Become Human,to the markless face work he did forFinal Fantasy 15: Kingsglaive,and the difference between working with head-mounted cameras (HMCs) and the facial referencing strategies used in the creation ofBaldur’s Gate 3.The actor praised PURE4D 2.0 for its ability to capture nuanced emotion, stating that it will help bring gaming into an era where gameplay and narrative can bear equal weight.
Early Facial Capture Required ‘Big, Theater-Like Acting’
Newbon compared his early capture work onprojects likeGhost Recon: Future Soldierto theater acting, explaining how actors had to make large, dramatic movements and choices for their characters' emotions to be accurately read. Explaining the difference between early capture technology and more modern advancements, the actor said:
Before about 2015, we typically would enter with characters, and we’d have to be a lot bigger with our performance choices, more theater than film. But with the advent of early technology of HMCs, we’re allowed, suddenly, subtlety.
As an example of the growing capability for nuance, Newbon cited the small pained winces he was able to make when providing performance capture forNyx Ulric, the protagonist ofFinal Fantasy 15: Kingsglaive.Nyx grows increasingly wounded and exhausted throughout the film as he battles against enemy after enemy with barely a second in between for rest, and Newbon was able to brilliantly communicate the character’s growing stress and exhaustion via minute facial movements and expression changes. In a second example, he praised the facial work ofBaldur’s Gate 3co-star Devora Wilde, who developed head tosses and neck movements that became an iconic element of her character, ferocious Githyanki warrior Lae’zel.
PURE4D 2.0 Is The Next Step Forward For Subtlety
Newbon praised DI4D’s newest technology for allowing characters' emotions to come through, describing his work with the company showcasing PURE4D 2.0 as “a celebration of acting.” He did admit, though, that the accuracy with which DI4D replicates actors' faces and bodies could be unsettling at times. The actor recreated his shocked reaction at meeting his DI4D-created digital double for the first time: “Wow. Okay. That really, really,reallylooks like me.” The facial accuracy, Newbon said, was particularly striking to see. “The detail of the skin is really like - Wow, my pores were bad that day,” he quipped. “I should have done a face mask!”
Neil Newbon’s digital double - “bad” pores and all - will be introduced to the world later this year inDouble,a short film starring the actor as both himself and his capture-created equivalent. It has currently not been revealed which upcoming games will feature the PURE4D 2.0 technology, but DI4D has previously worked on theCall of Duty: Modern WarfareandF1seriesas well as stand-alone titles likeThe Quarry.Wherever it is used, however, one thing is for certain - the subtle, nuanced emotion Newbon praised will likely be fully on display for players to experience.
