Augmented Reality Comic Creators adopt iClone Faceware Facial Motion Capture

Cutting-edge media company – Anomaly Productions, adopts Faceware Realtime for iClone Facial Motion Capture system for AR comics, webisodes and general promotional videos for their comic and graphic novel properties.

“The Faceware Realtime for iClone plug-in is simply a MUST for any production house that requires professional facial mocap.” – Brian Haberlin / Anomaly Productions

Anomaly Productions combines stunning artwork and rich stories to build deeply immersive worlds than can be experienced across multiple platforms and in a multitude of ways.

Their work is a multimedia experience for science-fiction, fantasy, and comic book fans alike. Where you can immerse yourself in trailblazing adventures via large, beautifully-illustrated hardcover books or paperback comics, each with their own downloadable AR companion apps complete with cinematic voice acting, sound and a groundbreaking augmented reality experience.

Anomaly are a vanguard media company launched by creators Brian Haberlin, a comic book artist, writer, editor and producer – and Skip Brittenham, a senior partner of Ziffren Brittenham LLP, one of the country’s premier entertainment law firms.

For their recent animation project, Anomaly Productions used a Genesis figure from Daz3d, which they exported as an FBX from Daz and then converted to an iClone iAvatar character via 3DXchange Pipeline by using the iClone Genesis profiles.

Once in iClone they fired up the Faceware Realtime for iClone app and the iClone Facial Mocap Plug-in for Faceware, before doing a quick facial calibration with the system.

The team at Anomaly used a Logitech C922 Pro Stream Webcam for both their image and sound capture. The results were surprisingly professional for a $99 webcam.

When the facial motion capture was done they used the existing iClone tools to add a quick MixMoves idle-motion to the character to make it look more life-like.

At the end, a simple video export was done to After Effects to add filters, VFX and other elements.

Anomaly Productions is no stranger to Reallusion tools as in the past they have used the CrazyTalk facial animation software to reanimate their motion comic cutscenes like the Captain’s Log from their Faster Than Light monthly comic book series.

Now that they have discovered the fast, high-quality output of the iClone Faceware Facial Motion Capture system, the animators at Anomaly are using iClone for their upcoming webisodes and general promotional videos for their comic and graphic novel properties.

According to founder Brian Haberlin — “Using iClone makes the work so MUCH easier to do and quick to turn around, with a small staff of folks.“