Real-Time Motion Capture Firm Faceshift May Have Been Acquired by Apple

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Based on a few whispers and some research, MacRumors believes that Swiss real-time motion capture firm Faceshift may have been acquired by Apple in recent weeks. Faceshift has been working with game and animation studios, as well as smaller companies, on technology to quickly and accurately capture facial expressions using 3D sensors, including releasing Faceshift Studio software with plugins for animation software like Maya and Unity. More recently, the company has been working toward consumer-facing software such as a Skype plugin that would support real-time avatars for video chat.

faceshift_train_capture_animate.jpg

Faceshift was launched in 2011 out of the Computer Graphics and Geometry Laboratory at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne and has shown off some impressive demos of its technology in a number of settings. In mid-2013, the company brought on industry veteran Doug Griffin, formerly of Industrial Light & Magic and Electronic Arts, to head up a San Francisco office.


Faceshift has clearly been acquired by another company in recent weeks, as noted in a Swiss company registry filing from August 19 showing the three original corporate directors having stepped down as of August 14 and being replaced by Baker & McKenzie mergers and acquisitions attorney Martin Frey. Frey does not appear to have any direct links with Apple, but Apple has frequently used Baker & McKenzie's services in a number of countries around the world, including management of some of Apple's Swiss trademarks.


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Article Link: Real-Time Motion Capture Firm Faceshift May Have Been Acquired by Apple
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2015/09/04/faceshift-motion-capture-acquired/
The demo isn't that great. The actors' facial movement and expressions are really deadened in the avatar. Presumable, the video shows the best they've got, so there is a lot of room for improvement.
 
I have been following the development of Star Citizen where they are letting you watch a major game being developed. Seeing how this is used is quite amazing. very cool tech... glad to see new things being worked on.
 
jayducharme said:
This makes the most sense to me. Just look at your iPhone or Mac and it unlocks for you. With a camera embedded in a television, just walk up to it and it automatically loads your shows and preferences.
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So I can unlock your computer with a photo of you?
 
naeS1Sean said:
I don't get it. And thats really not 2 words.
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Two words, two-and-a-half, three, however you look at doesn't matter. I'm giving examples about how Apple has acquired companies in the past and used their technologies to develop their own products in a relatively short time, which is why I had said we could see something come out of this acquisition by 2016 in iOS X.
 
I fondly remember the days of Shake, then Apple acquired it, sold it for a short while, then wished away into the cornfield. I hope we're not witnessing a repeat of that sad tale.
 
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