3D Studio Max Face Replacement Tutorial Series

3D Digital Face Replacement & Camera Tracking: Grafting a Human's Face onto a Lizard or Another Creature.

Part 1 - Introduction
Part 2 - Tracking the Camera Motion
Part 3 - Tracking the Head Motion & Camera Solving
Part 4 - Importing the Tracking Data into 3ds Max
Part 5 - Attaching a Model to the Tracking Data
Part 6 - Making the Material for the Head (1)
Part 7 - Making the Material for the Head (2)
Part 8 - Making the Material for the Head (3)
Part 9 - Compositing in After Effects
Part 10 - Liquify in After Effects

Download movie here

Part 1 - Introduction

In early 2008 I was asked to produce some visual effects for a music video for an artist called "Example", and the video for his song "Me and Mandy". The effect involved grafting a human's face (which moved and spoke) onto that of an Iguana. There were three shots and each varied with camera motion and the motion of the lizard's head. In this visual effects video tutorial I will run you through how to successfully track a camera shot in PFTrack, one which includes both camera motion and also object motion. Following on from this I show you how to export the tracking data in order to use it in 3ds Max, before going on to attaching a model to the data, setting up the textures and materials in post, before finalising by briefly touching on some possible compositing methods for a shot of this type.

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Video Tutorial

Click on the image below to download the first movie in this ten part 3D Digital Face Replacement Tutorial Series -
Running Time: 1.31 mins

Size 12.5mb

Part 2 - Tracking the Camera Motion

This tutorial introduces how to successfully track our piece of footage in order to get the camera movement data, using the software program PFTrack. Due to having two groups of motion that we need to track (one being the camera, the second being the lizard's head), we need to track each part separately, and for that reason we will go about it by using a mask to block the movement of the lizard's head.

Click on the image below to download the second movie in this ten part 3D Digital Face Replacement Tutorial Series
Running Time: 6.41 mins

Size 65.5mb

Part 3 - Tracking the Head Motion & Camera Solving

This tutorial goes on to cover camera tracking the motion of the lizard's head, separate to the background (which was tracked to get the camera information for 3ds Max). I then go on to showing how to solve the motion, ready to be exported as data to your 3D program.

Video Tutorial

Click on the image below to download the third movie in this ten part 3D Digital Face Replacement Tutorial Series
Running Time: 8.09 mins

Size 54.9mb

Part 4 - Importing the Tracking Data into 3ds Max

This tutorial shows how to take your tracked data from PFTrack and export it for use in the scene in 3ds Max, before going on to setting up your viewport background with the original background plate you tracked from, for easy reference whilst you work.

Video Tutorial

Click on the image below to download the forth movie in this ten part 3D Digital Face Replacement Tutorial Series
Running Time: 5.49 mins

Size 32.7mb

Part 5 -Attaching a Model to the Tracking Data

This tutorial shows how to set up your model for face replacement and attach it to your tracking data, ready to apply the material of the human's head to it.

Video Tutorial

Click on the image below to download the fifth movie in this ten part 3D Digital Face Replacement Tutorial Series
Running Time: 7.06 mins

Size 44.8mb

Part 6 - Making the Material for the Head (1)

How to set up the head material using another live plate, this time of the human's face which we are going to be using to replace the face of the lizard.

Video Tutorial

Click on the image below to download the sixth movie in this ten part 3D Digital Face Replacement Tutorial Series
Running Time: 6.57 mins

Size 32.9mb

Part 7 - Making the Material for the Head (2)

Developing the head material further we start to merge the material into the background plate by using a gradient ramp.

Video Tutorial

Click on the image below to download the seventh movie in this ten part 3D Digital Face Replacement Tutorial Series
Running Time: 8.24 mins

Size 46.0mb

Part 8 - Making the Material for the Head (3)

Finalising the head material we use noise to fade the face material into the background plate (the lizard). This helps to achieve a transition which mimics that of the scales.

Video Tutorial

Click on the image below to download the eighth movie in this ten part 3D Digital Face Replacement Tutorial Series
Running Time: 10.37 mins

Size 69.6mb

Part 9 - Compositing in After Effects

In this tutorial I will run through some compositing aspects in After Effects for the tracked and rendered shot which we have just produced.

Video Tutorial

Click on the image below to download the ninth movie in this ten part 3D Digital Face Replacement Tutorial Series
Running Time: 3.26mins

Size 28.3mb

Part 10 - Liquify in After Effects

Wrapping up the face replacement video tutorial, I touch on some final effects to help you merge the overlaid rendered image into the background plate, using the liquify effect in After Effects.

Video Tutorial

Click on the image below to download the tenth movie in this ten part 3D Digital Face Replacement Tutorial Series
Running Time: 4.20mins

Size 32.1mb

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