The green screens and silly-looking motion-capture suits filmmakers often rely on may be replaced by something much more versatile, and, frankly, mesmerizing.
A team of digital designers, CGI experts, and makeup artists have combined real-time face tracking with projection mapping to create Omote.
The work of Japanese technical director Nobumichi Asai, Omote produces "living makeup"—a breathing, moving human being's face can be transformed into anything you'd like, from a futuristic robot to a woman out on the town.
Inspired by the Japanese Noh masks worn by theatrical actors, Asai wanted to create his own version with with a twist.
So, he laser-scanned his model's face and created a 3D mesh, which, according to CNET, formed the basis for the projection map. Then, placing motion-tracking dots onto the model's face, Asai was able to project animations—some concrete images, some fanciful illustrations.
The effect: digital makeup that moves with the person, never fading or losing its structure.
Of course, as you can tell in the video demonstration below, the technology is not yet perfect; there are moments you can see the camera and projector shaking on the model's face. But it's not hard to imagine the future possibilities.
There is no word from Asai about what he hopes to turn this project into; his theater background could be a good indication of where Omote will pop up next. But as PCMag sister site Geek.com pointed out, the technology is not intended for general use, but rather as a demo product.
Asai has used project mapping in the past to transmit images onto buildings, cars,stagesand more.