Clear Angle Studios, a 3D and 4D capture and processing company, has announced the acquisition of technology from facial imaging and performance capture specialist DI4D. The integration introduces TopoTrack, a service for processing high-fidelity scanned data for VFX vendors.
The acquisition combines two decades of DI4D’s research with Clear Angle Studios’ global infrastructure. Founded in 2003, DI4D developed markerless 4D facial capture, with credits including Blade Runner 2049 and Love, Death & Robots.
The TopoTrack service provides mesh tracking and stabilisation for 3D FACS expression sets and 4D performance sequences, and enables the production of high-resolution animation from HMC footage. The service supports more efficient production pipelines while preserving the detail of an actor’s performance. By integrating DI4D’s technology into TopoTrack, Clear Angle Studios extends its facial capture offering for the VFX industry.
Clear Angle Studios co-founder and director Dominic Ridley said, “For more than 10 years, our two companies have run parallel paths at the cutting edge of the industry. The acquisition of this technology represents a seismic merging of specialties, allowing studios to leverage this new service across our entire global infrastructure. We are now even better positioned to equip vendors with the technologies needed to deliver high-fidelity digital performances that carry the full weight of emotion to the screen.”
DI4D co-founder Dr. Colin Urquhart has joined Clear Angle Studios as a strategic advisor, where he leads product development alongside a specialised team of DI4D engineering and processing experts now integrated into the business.
Urquhart commented, “Clear Angle Studios and DI4D have both demonstrated a long-standing commitment to technical excellence and innovation in 3D and 4D capture. The integration of the DI4D technology has produced significant advantages in the development and delivery of efficient solutions such as TopoTrack. Together we will continue to expand our provision of highly innovative 3D and 4D capture and processing solutions.”
Clear Angle Studios and DI4D have previously collaborated on several projects. At Siggraph 2024, the two companies, together with partner TexturingXYZ, presented a 4D facial performance workflow that produced per-frame map data for the first time.
