5 Questions with FacePro’s Rod Stafford

I had the pleasure of interviewing FacePro’s Rod Stafford and picked his brain with 5 of my favorite questions on 3D animation, mocap and the games industry. Here are his answers.

1) What are you currently working on?

Right now we’re creating facial animation for a military research project – related to Virtual Reality interrogation techniques.  Intense emotional scenarios designed to provoke a “controlled response in the “viewer.” That’s one of the things we really like about being facial animation specialists;  it crosses all genres, and really expands our range. 

2) Favorite aspect of Mixamo?

For me it’s the fact that you can be really loose and creative with it, and take a very impressionistic approach to animation design – knowing that when you’re ready to download, the motion data is going to be dynamically correct and ready to use. This not only allows you to be “fearless” about your choices, but you also have the comfort of knowing that you can go back to that saved motion and make changes – which will also be dynamically correct.

A collaborative video feat. FacePro, Mixamo and Evolver!

3) What is the next technology advancement that will advance the industry?

Probably the advent of more ubiquitous 3D displays at home – not really a tech advancement since they’re already here, but how they will be exploited by the game industry once the installed base is larger. See “Avatar” in 3D, and imagine what today’s game developers will do with that!  Imagine 3D WW2 games where you can stand next to a line of Panzers charging into Poland in 1939, or ride undersea dinosaurs – or get thrown out of a car at 60mph in South Central…  Pretty wild.

4) What is the biggest unmet need in gaming either from development or end user?

Naturally I see this broad question through my own lens; as facial animation specialists we feel that while exotic facial capture technologies have their place, the high cost and relative lack of production flexibility make them an expensive luxury for most developers.  A game engine can only drive so many facial bones at runtime, and we’ve proven that we can create animation which is just as realistic as mocap, for a fraction of the cost.    So we’ve focused FacePro on creating an option for developers – who may not even think about realistic, expressive facial animation as something they can afford to build into their games.  We feel there is a qualitative point where facial mocap and facial animation are essentially equal in game space, so we’re about building quality and value at that point.  

5) What has your biggest piece of learning been?

Even after a 19-year 3D career filled with all manner of burn-out deadlines, sleepless weeks and months of crunch time, freaked out people and infuriating tech hassles, I wake up at 4AM every day wondering what kind of fun things are waiting – and I’m never disappointed.  Didn’t expect that.

About FacePro

FacePro was founded in February 2007 by game industry veteran Rod Stafford to provide high-quality facial animation services to the game industry. The team now consists of animators and technical artists from around the world, with extensive backgrounds in the game industry – as well as Film, Broadcast, and Applications Development expertise.