Facial Modeler at Weta FX Charlie Kim presented a neat setup that allows one to track facial expressions and animate a digital avatar in real-time with the captured data. Made with Unreal Engine 5, the setup utilizes Epic Games' Live Link Face, the company's app for iOS devices with ARKit capabilities, which enables artists to drive complex facial animations on 3D characters inside Unreal Engine, recording them live on a phone and in the engine. The digital monkey itself was created using Maya, Substance 3D Painter, and XGen. According to Kim, the goal of the project was to explore the capabilities of UE5 and Live Link.
