Computer facial animation

Computer facial animation is primarily an area of <a href="/facts/Computer_graphics/lapBE8wv">computer graphics</a> that encapsulates methods and techniques for generating and animating images or models of a character face. The character can be a <a href="/facts/Human/rlcTENsr">human</a>, a humanoid, an <a href="/facts/Animal/4b8J33nd">animal</a>, a <a href="/facts/Legendary_creature/qtFEzKCN">legendary creature</a> or character, etc. Due to its subject and output type, it is also related to many other scientific and artistic fields from <a href="/facts/Psychology/duoqW7Sz">psychology</a> to traditional <a href="/facts/Animation/093f9nUg">animation</a>. The importance of <a href="/facts/Face/I1PQ5YLY">human faces</a> in <a href="/facts/Communication/EGEkchsT">verbal and non-verbal communication</a> and advances in <a href="/facts/Graphics_processing_unit/PTK1RQVp">computer graphics hardware</a> and <a href="/facts/Software/RP79lVSW">software</a> have caused considerable scientific, technological, and artistic interests in computer facial animation.
Although development of <a href="/facts/Computer_graphics/lapBE8wv">computer graphics</a> methods for facial animation started in the early-1970s, major achievements in this field are more recent and happened since the late 1980s.
The body of work around computer facial animation can be divided into two main areas: techniques to generate animation data, and methods to apply such data to a character. Techniques such as <a href="/facts/Motion_capture/vy5ab34S">motion capture</a> and <a href="/facts/Keyframing/SeHhpINL">keyframing</a> belong to the first group, while <a href="/facts/Morph_target_animation/98hm4lL2">morph targets animation</a> (more commonly known as blendshape animation) and <a href="/facts/Skeletal_animation/Bab11dVJ">skeletal animation</a> belong to the second. Facial animation has become well-known and popular through animated feature <a href="/facts/Film/wM3b9Kk3">films</a> and <a href="/facts/Computer_games/AEDr23gA">computer games</a> but its applications include many more areas such as <a href="/facts/Communication/EGEkchsT">communication</a>, <a href="/facts/Education/WIwsQKF9">education</a>, scientific <a href="/facts/Simulation/Q4QJV1oI">simulation</a>, and <a href="/facts/Software_agent/aevgKHF0">agent</a>-based systems (for example online customer service representatives). With the recent advancements in computational power in personal and <a href="/facts/Mobile_devices/cNS1Rhvg">mobile devices</a>, facial animation has transitioned from appearing in pre-rendered content to being created at runtime.

Computer facial animation open-in-new

Computer facial animation