Three Swiss who work for Disney Research in Zurich and their Canadian colleague are to receive a Tech Oscar in Hollywood for technology that can reconstruct the 3D shape of actors’ faces in full motion and at high resolution.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Português
pt
Suíços recebem Oscar Científico por software de reconstrução facial tridimensional
They are being honoured for the conception, design and development of the Medusa Performance Capture System.External link This is a mobile rig of cameras and lights coupled with proprietary software that can reconstruct actors’ faces in full motion, without using traditional motion-capture dots.
It has been used in films such as Avengers: Infinity War, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Thor: Ragnarok, as well as other Star Wars films.
“Medusa captures exceptionally dense animated meshes without markers or make-up, pushing the boundaries of visual fidelity and productivity for character facial performances in motion pictures,” the academy said in a statement in December, when it announced the awards.
Disney Research in ZurichExternal link, opened in 2010, is located close to the federal technology institute ETH Zurich and has strong ties to the institution’s Computer Graphics lab.
More
More
Swiss tech universities boost economy by CHF13 billion, report says
This content was published on
Switzerland’s two federal technology institutes account for 100,000 jobs and CHF13 billion in added value to the economy, a new report calculates.
Grosswon a Tech Oscar in 2013forsoftware that could calculate smoke and explosions in films quickly and recreate them realistically.
‘Extraordinary contributions’
The academy is recognising nine technologies from around the world this year which it calls “extraordinary contributions to the science of filmmaking [which] have elevated our art form to incredible new heights”.
Unlike other Academy Awards to be presented this year, achievements receiving Scientific and Technical Awards need not have been developed and introduced during 2018. But they have to demonstrate a proven record of contributing significant value to the process of making motion pictures.
The main Oscars ceremony will take place on February 24 in Hollywood.
Popular Stories
More
Life & Aging
Zurich: how the world capital of housing shortages is tackling the problem
In Switzerland more people are being referred to electrical therapies or psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. Are there similar approaches where you live?
Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?
Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?
Ex-sect member sentenced in Zurich for sexual abuse
This content was published on
Zurich District Court has sentenced a former member of the globally active sect "Children of God" to a partial prison sentence.
SNB chairman does not rule out slowdown in Swiss growth
This content was published on
Martin Schlegel, chairman of the Swiss National Bank (SNB), does not rule out a weakening of the Swiss economy in light of the tariff dispute.
Swiss NGOs abroad to receive 10% less federal funding
This content was published on
In 2025 and 2026, Swiss NGOs will have 10% less federal funding available for international cooperation than in the previous two-year period.
Swiss parties spent less than CHF1 million on February green vote
This content was published on
Swiss political parties spent CHF 700,000 ($840,000) on campaigns in the run-up to the overwhelmingly defeated vote on February 9, according to the Swiss Federal Audit Office.
This content was published on
Swisswool, the largest Swiss wool processor, is not accepting any wool for the first time this spring. For many sheep farmers, the only option is to get rid of the wool.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Where there’s smoke, there’s an Oscar
This content was published on
Markus Gross, professor of computer graphics at the Federal Institute of technology in Zurich (ETHZ) and director of Disney Research Zurich, tells swissinfo.ch about mixing science, business and art – and why he didn’t patent his award-winning software. On February 9, Gross, his former post-doc student Nils Thürey and two other scientists from Cornell University…
This content was published on
“I was surprised,” Markus Gross, professor of computer graphics at the Federal Institute of technology in Zurich (ETHZ) and director of Disney Research Zurich, admitted (see article). “I knew the technology we developed a few years ago had been picked up by lots of visual effects studios and that it was being used in Hollywood…
This content was published on
The Walt Disney Company, creator of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, will set up its first research laboratory outside the United States at Zurich’s Federal Institute of Technology. The deal represents another coup in the institute’s drive to position itself as a global centre of excellence following the announcement of a $90 million (SFr98 million)…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.