[Figure 9-7] Face Room

Create a Random Face
1.       Open the Poser interface with the default figure visible.

2.       Click the Face tab to access the Face Room.

3.       Click the Random Face button to load a random face.

A new interface appears with a unique set of controls, as shown in Figure 9-7.

4.       Click the Pose tab to access the Pose Room again.

5.   Select File, Save As and save the file as Face room.pz3.

Add a Beard
1.       Open the Poser interface with the default figure visible.

2.       Click the Face tab to access the Face Room.

3.       Expand the Facial Color value in the Face Texture Tool palette and increase the Beard value by dragging its dial to the right.

[Figure 9-8] Face with beard

The default face now has a dark beard, as shown in Figure 9-8.

4.       Click the Pose tab to access the Pose Room again.

5.   Select File, Save As and save the file as Bearded face.pz3.

Create A Face From Photos
The Face Room includes the capability to create a custom face from digital photos. The needed photos are a front view and a profile view. You can map these images onto the current head element.

Preparing Face Images for Poser
If you’re capturing your own digital photos for use in the Face Room, there are several guidelines that you can follow to make the process easier. Following these tips will result in a cleaner import:

• Minimize the amount of hair. The 3D model that the facial images are mapped to are bald; hair can be added using props or the Hair Room. If you can, shoot a subject with a bald head or have the subject pull their hair back so the ears and forehead are exposed.

• Avoid smiles. Although a smiling face is a joy, when capturing facial photos, try to have the subject remain expressionless. If the face is in a relaxed state, the match will be better.

• Simplify the background. If you capture the images in front of a plain white background, the facial features will stand out and be easier to align. Avoid shooting your facial images with a complex background. If you can’t control the background, it can be removed using an image-editing package like Photoshop.

• Eliminate shadows. When lighting your subject, make sure the light on the subject’s face is sufficient enough to eliminate all shadows cast on the background.

• Crop images to the same size. The Photo Lineup wizard assumes that the facial snapshots are roughly the same size and that the images are cropped to show the face in good detail. It helps to make the front and side shots the same size.

• Scale and align the features in front and side views. If you’re image editing your images, scale one of the images vertically so that the front and side views are the same height and move one image so the nose and eyes are horizontally aligned.

• Pinch the facial features. If you pull the digital images into an image-editing package, select all the front facial features and scale them down to be tighter. This compensates for the curvature of the head and better aligns the features.

• Use a template. Some figures include a template that unwraps the polygons applied to a figure into a template that you can use to help you identify where the seams of the texture map is located.