Face-driven avatar and video capture for realistic facial animation
Faceware Technologies is a specialist facial motion-capture and AI-driven avatar company that converts real facial performances into production-ready facial animation for VFX, games, and virtual humans. It suits animation studios, game developers, and XR teams who need frame-accurate facial retargeting from video, with pricing ranging from free evaluation tools to paid licenses and enterprise contracts, making it accessible for studios but less friendly to single freelancers on tight budgets.
Faceware Technologies provides facial motion-capture and AI-based avatar animation tools that convert video of actors into high-fidelity facial animation. The core capability is markerless facial performance capture and automated retargeting to 3D character rigs, distinguishing Faceware in the AI Avatars & Video category through its studio-grade accuracy and pipeline integrations. It serves game developers, VFX houses, virtual production teams, and XR creators needing reliable facial tracking at scale. Pricing is tiered: evaluation/free tools exist, standard licenses and Studio/Enterprise contracts unlock higher-volume rendering and support, so cost varies by use.
Faceware Technologies is a company focused on facial motion-capture and automated facial animation tools for film, games, and virtual humans. Founded as a specialist in markerless face tracking, the company positions itself as a production-proven solution delivering frame-accurate facial performance data from standard video. Its core value proposition is reducing the manual animation burden by turning real actor footage into facial animation compatible with common 3D packages and game engines, enabling studios to capture nuanced performances without markers or expensive on-set rigs.
Faceware’s product suite combines video-based capture, deep-learning driven tracking, and retargeting tools. Faceware Analyzer converts 2D video into per-frame facial tracking data (rig markers, blendshape weights), while Faceware Retargeter maps that data onto target rigs with smoothing and refinement controls. The company also offers the Faceware Live toolset for real-time facial streaming into Unreal Engine and Unity, plus plugins for Maya, MotionBuilder, and custom pipeline SDKs for automated batch retargeting. Their tracking claims include sub-frame accuracy for blendshape extraction, multi-actor processing workflows, and support for high-frame-rate footage up to typical production capture resolutions.
Pricing is sold as seat licenses and enterprise agreements rather than flat monthly consumer tiers. Faceware provides free trial or evaluation versions (limited-time/feature-restricted) so studios can validate results. Publicly listed commercial licensing historically ranges from individual seat licenses for Analyzer/Retargeter to more expensive Studio/Enterprise bundles with Live and source SDKs; specific costs are provided via sales quotes and depend on seat count, runtime deployment, and support. Enterprise customers obtain custom SLAs, priority support, and licensing for server-side or cloud rendering. Faceware’s model is more studio-oriented and often requires contacting sales for an exact quote rather than a transparent, low-cost monthly plan.
Typical users include game studios retargeting actor performances to in-game characters and VFX supervisors producing film-quality facial animation. For example, a Lead Animator uses Faceware to convert daily actor footage into blendshape animation for a game cinematic, reducing manual cleanup by measurable hours per shot. A Virtual Production Technical Director uses Faceware Live to stream an actor’s expressions into a real-time virtual camera in Unreal Engine for on-set visualization. Compared to competitor solutions like Dynamixyz or Apple's ARKit-based pipelining, Faceware emphasizes production pipelines, cross-DCC plugins, and enterprise licensing tailored to studio workflows.
Three capabilities that set Faceware Technologies apart from its nearest competitors.
Current tiers and what you get at each price point. Verified against the vendor's pricing page.
| Plan | Price | What you get | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Evaluation / Trial | Free | Time-limited or feature-limited access to Analyzer/Retargeter | Studios testing accuracy before purchasing |
| Single-Seat License | Custom (quote-based) | One licensed seat, standard support, per-seat retargeting | Independent studios needing a single production seat |
| Studio Bundle | Custom (quote-based) | Multiple seats, Live streaming, DCC plugins, priority support | Mid-size studios with real-time and offline needs |
| Enterprise | Custom (quote-based) | Enterprise licensing, SDKs, SLAs, cloud/server deployment | Large studios and facilities requiring volume licensing |
Choose Faceware Technologies over Dynamixyz if you need studio-grade DCC plugins, server-side SDKs, and Unreal/Unity Live streaming for production pipelines.