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How do you scan a face for a game character?
Photogrammetry reconstructs a surface from photographs. In a character workflow, the resulting scan or mesh can serve as a likeness reference or input to a character-building tool. Epic’s Blue Dot production case study describes using a scan with Mesh to MetaHuman.
The scan is only one stage. The character still needs suitable topology, materials, a rig, and integration into the game project. The cleanup and optimization work depends on the tool and target; there is no single universal shot list or mesh-cleanup recipe established by the cited Epic material.
What is the difference between face scanning and facial motion capture?
- Face scanning or photogrammetry: captures a person’s shape and appearance as reference geometry or a scan.
- Facial performance capture: records expressions and generates animation data for a digital character.
Epic describes MetaHuman Animator as generating animation from video, audio, and depth data, either in real time or offline. Its available inputs and capture routes are summarized in the MetaHuman Animator overview. A likeness scan and an acting performance may contribute to the same character, but one does not replace the other.
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What does the character workflow look like?
- Capture the likeness. Photograph or scan the subject to create a shape and appearance reference. Keep this separate from recording facial acting.
- Build or fit the character. Use a scan or sculpt as input to the chosen character workflow, then prepare materials, topology, rigging, and game assets for the target project.
- Record performance. Choose among real-time mono-camera or mobile tracking, offline mono video, iPhone TrueDepth depth data, stereo head-mounted capture, or audio-driven animation according to the intended workflow.
- Process and apply the animation. For Epic’s documented mono-video route, import footage through Capture Manager, process it in the MetaHuman Performance Editor, export an animation sequence, and apply it to a MetaHuman in a level sequence. See Epic’s mono-video capture workflow.
- Review the result. Check the face, eyes, mouth, and expressions under the intended camera and lighting, then refine as needed. Epic’s Blue Dot case study describes rapid review and some additional refinement in Unreal Engine; that production example does not mean every solve will need little cleanup.
Which facial capture setup should you choose?
| Capture path | What it provides | Useful when | Tradeoffs and checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mono video or webcam | Real-time tracking or offline animation from recorded footage | You want an accessible setup, quick iteration, or a single-camera workflow | Keep framing stable, capture enough facial detail, and control lighting. Epic documents mono-camera and webcam options. |
| iPhone TrueDepth | Offline video with depth data in a supported capture mode | You want a compact offline facial-capture option | Epic lists iPhone 12 or newer for offline iPhone capture. Check that the specific phone and app support your intended workflow. |
| Stereo head-mounted camera pair | Video and depth data for offline facial animation | Your production setup prioritizes detailed performance capture | Epic says vertically aligned pairs are the only configuration its tools have tested well and recommends at least 60 fps. Stereo hardware varies and may be bespoke; Epic does not prescribe a specific model. |
| Mono-video markerless body/face plugin | A local video-to-animation workflow for face, body, or both | You are testing single-camera markerless capture | In Unreal Engine 5.8, the plugin is experimental rather than production-ready and may change or be removed. Body or combined face-and-body capture is Windows-only. |
Compare setups by intended output, facial detail and depth requirements, live versus offline processing, device compatibility, storage, and likely cleanup. Stereo is not automatically a better choice: footage sharpness and production constraints matter, and higher-resolution capture has storage costs. Device and format details are in Epic’s capture device and system requirements.
What camera and lighting do you need?
For its mono-video workflow, Epic’s capture-data guidance, accessed in 2026, recommends:
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- A stable camera and even, diffused lighting; avoid harsh directional shadows, blur, shake, and anything obscuring the face.
- Framing tight enough to show lip seal and upper eyelids. The face should occupy at least 1/30th of the image width and height; Epic warns that a face below 40×80 pixels is likely to fail detection.
- HD or 4K recording at 60 fps, with H.264 at CRF 18 or better. Epic gives approximately 25 Mbps as its HD bitrate recommendation.
These are recommendations for Epic’s workflow, not guarantees for every scanner, capture application, or game engine. For stereo capture, Epic recommends the highest practical resolution and at least 60 fps; increasing resolution and frame rate also increases storage requirements.
Can you use an iPhone for facial motion capture?
Yes, for the documented offline TrueDepth route: Epic lists iPhone 12 or newer. Its estimated storage use is about 170 MB per minute for the listed default configuration—front-facing camera, 1280×720, 60 fps, medium quality, H.264. That estimate applies to those settings, not every phone, recording mode, or quality level. Confirm support for the exact device and app workflow before capturing.
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What makes a captured character look convincing?
Capture quality sets limits on what the animation solve can reproduce: stable, sharp, evenly lit footage with an unobstructed face gives the system clearer information. The finished impression also depends on the character build and how it is reviewed under its intended camera and lighting.
Eyes deserve particular attention. In Epic’s Blue Dot case study, 3Lateral Art Director Aleksandar Popov said, “One of the most important aspects is obviously eyes,” describing their role in whether the overall impression works. This is a production artist’s perspective from an Epic case study, not a universal technical measurement.
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