Epic Games Acquires Maker Cubic Motion Facial Animation Technology
Epic Games acquired Cubic Motion , a provider of performance-focused automated facial animation technology for video games, movies, broadcasts, and immersive experiences such as virtual reality.
Cubic Motion helped Epic create graphically realistic virtual characters that look and act like real people. Part of the cubic movement was capturing facial animation and the movement of human facial expressions, which is one of the most difficult for artists. Epic, which has made money from the success of Fortnite and Unreal Engine, does not disclose the purchase price.
Last year, Epic Games also acquired 3Lateral, another digital human company. Epic and 3Lateral have worked on previous groundbreaking Unreal Engine collaborations, including the animated short film The Boy and His Snake; real-time filming and filming of Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice; and photorealistic demonstrations in real time Siren and Digital Andy Serkis. Cubic Motion also worked on these projects.
Cubic Motion CEO Gareth Edwards said in a statement that the company looks forward to the next chapter on creating digital people with Epic as the goal is to push the boundaries of digital human technology, bringing even more realism and immersion to all types of visual entertainment. . ,
“Digital people are not only the next frontier of content creation, but also the hardest part of CG. With Cubic Motion bringing its computer vision and animation technology and expertise to our digital endeavors, Epic, along with our team at 3Lateral, are one step closer to democratizing these experiences for creators around the world,” said Tim Sweeney, founder and CEO of Epic Games.