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Using the Meta Spark Studio Face Reference Assets
The Face Reference Assets are a collection of textures and 3D objects. Use them when you're creating face effects in Meta Spark Studio.
Download the Face Reference Assets directly using this link, or click the pink button labeled Face Reference Assets on the right-hand side of this page. The downloaded folder contains all of the assets mentioned in this article:
- faceMesh.fbx, faceMesh.dae and faceMesh.obj
- headOccluder.fbx, headOccluder.dae and headOccluder.obj
- faceMesh.png and faceMeshTrackers.png
- FaceMeshMask.png
- faceFeminine.jpg and faceMasculine.jpg
What's included in the Face Reference Assets
When you open the downloaded files on your computer you'll see two folders: Mesh and Textures. The Mesh folder contains 3D meshes and head occluders in different file formats. The Texture folder contains 2D texture files.
Mesh
You'll need to open these objects in 3D software or in Meta Spark Studio directly to view them.
This folder contains 2 types of 3D objects in different file formats:
- faceMesh.fbx, faceMesh.dae and faceMesh.obj — the face mesh used in our facial tracking. Use it as a scale reference when creating objects and textures.
- headOccluder.fbx, headOccluder.dae and headOccluder.obj — use this object to occlude the volume of the head.
Textures
This folder contains 3 types of 2D textures in JPG and PNG format:
- faceMesh.png and faceMeshTrackers.png — these textures show the topology and points on the face tracked by Meta Spark Studio. Use them for debugging effects.
- FaceMeshMask.png — use this texture to blend the edges of a material with the face.
- faceFeminine.jpg and faceMasculine.jpg — these are textures illustrated to look like real faces. Use them as templates when creating custom textures for face effects, to give you an idea of the position of the features of the person using your effect.
faceMesh.fbx, faceMesh.dae and faceMesh.obj
This is the face mesh Meta Spark Studio uses to to define someone's face, and track it:
Use this mesh to help you create assets in external software. We recommend using FaceMesh.fbx for maximum compatibility.
As a scale reference
Use the face mesh as a scale reference, for example when you're creating objects like glasses or hats that you'll track to the face.
Using this mesh as a reference will mean objects are the right size when you import them into Meta Spark Studio.
Create facial distortion blendshapes
Use 3D software to move the points in this object, to distort the shape of the mesh. You can then import it into Meta Spark Studio, and use it as a blendshape to change the shape of someone's face when they're using the effect.
Create custom mask and makeup effects
Use the mesh as a base when you're making textures in external software. For example, as a starting point for making masks, make up effects or maps to use with the physically-based shader.
Learn how to use a face mesh in a simple face tracking effect.
headOccluder.fbx, headOccluder.dae and headOccluder.obj
Combine this object with an occluder material to occlude the volume of the head. The mesh won't completely match the user's head, but it can give you a good idea.
This is useful when you're creating effects with items like crowns or hats - because it will hide parts of the item that would be covered by the head in real life.
The face portion is flat. This means it won't interfere with the face mesh you'll add to the scene, which will reflect the face and movement of the user.
faceMesh.png and faceMeshTrackers.png
These textures represent the UV layout and topology of the face mesh used in Meta Spark Studio. faceMeshTrackers.png features red dots, highlighting the points on the face that are tracked by our system.
Creating textures using these grids as a reference will help you understand where parts of the texture will be positioned in the effect.
Keep in mind these textures omit the points that represent the edge of the face mesh at the side of the face.
FaceMeshMask.png
This texture can be used to fade the edges of a material applied to someone's face. This is useful when you want to blend a material or texture with the face.
In the image below, we've used FaceMeshMask in the effect on the right:
To add this texture to your project:
- Create a material for a face mesh in your scene.
- Select the material in the Assets panel.
- In the Inspector panel, check the box next to Alpha.
- Import this texture from your computer, using the drop down next to Texture.
faceFeminine.jpg and faceMasculine.jpg
Use these textures as templates when creating your own textures for face effects. Import them into the software you use to create textures, and create your texture on a new layer.
They'll help you see facial features in more detail — like the start and end of the eyebrows or the volume of the lips. These textures are grey in tone.
