About face, computergraphic synthesis and manipulation of facial imagery

Abstract

A technique of pictorially synthesizing facial imagery using optical videodiscs under computer control is described. Search, selection and averaging processes are performed on a catalogue of whole faces and facial features to yield a composite, expressive, recognizable face. An immediate application of this technique is the reconstruction of a particular face from memory for police identification, thus the project is called , IDENTIDISC. Part I-PACEMAKER describes the production and implementation of the IDENTIDISC system to produce composite faces. Part II-EXPRESSIONMAKER describes animation techniques to add expression and motion to composite faces . Expression sequences are manipulated to make 'anyface' make any face. Historical precedents of making facial composites, theories of facial recognition, classification and expression are also discussed. This thesis is accompanied by two copies of PACEMAKER-III, an optical videodisc produced at the Architecture Machine Group in 1982. The disc can be played on an optical videodisc player . The length is approximately 15 , 0000 frames. Frame numbers are indicated in the text by [ ].