3D Scanning for Animation

After attending SIGGRAPH this year and talking with Dr. Paul Debevec about the subject I am convinced 3D scanning will progress more and more into the realm of motion-capture where the fields will merge within 5 years. With Image Metrics' release of Emily, a 3D face tracked onto an actor's head, we see the current state of the synergy. So far, the use of 3D scan data in animation has been to capture key poses, this still leaves simulations to drive the actual motion. By capturing the full performance in 3D, the best of both worlds can be had by being able to use the animation uncut and or pulling key poses off choice portions.

Are we there yet? Not exactly. It has been pointed out that Emily was still animated by humans using the scan data to target a face rig. But, it is a good running start for the industry's jump over the valley.

Radiohead & 3D Scanning

Thom York underwent a scanning session to capture his performance of House of Cards. The video was created using two different scanning methods, laser and structured light. It's encouraging to see fine artists using technology instead of abhorring it. In an exciting move, Radiohead released the raw data from the session as a CSV sequence which I was able to process into a polygonal mesh to reveal what Mr. York looked like during the capture session. There is some surface warping due to the deliberate distortion of the process by shooting through a piece of glass or Lucite, but the results were interesting.

• House of Cards music video
• Making of House of Cards