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Creating custom textures and 3D models for Augmented Faces

To implement Augmented Faces, you need customized textures and models for overlaying on identified face meshes. These assets are created by artists ahead of time in 3D modeling and animation software, and exported as *.fbx files.

To ensure they're compatible with ARCore, *.fbx files should be saved using supported settings. You can then import these files into your project as *.sfb files.

Using the canonical face mesh to create assets

The Sceneform SDK includes a canonical face mesh (located in assets/canonical_face_mesh.fbx), which is provided to help artists create assets that will overlay properly onto faces detected by ARCore. The canonical face mesh file contains the face mesh topology, UV texture coordinates, and rig that defines the supported facial regions provided for creating and attaching assets.

This file contains a reference facemesh that should not be exported as part of the final *.fbx. ARCore will generate and update a separate face mesh at runtime.

FBX asset format and requirements

We recommend and support the following settings for *.fbx files exported from modeling and animation software.

  • File format: FBX 2016/2017 or later

  • Axis conversion: Up axis is Y

  • Scale factor: Centimeters

  • Required geometry settings:

    • Smoothing groups
    • Smooth mesh
    • Referenced asset content

  • Recommended geometry settings:

    • Tangents and binormals
    • Triangulate
    • NURBS

  • Animation: enabled

  • Deformed models settings:

    • Deformed models
    • Skins

Customizing the canonical face mesh

If models and textures are being created using the assets/canonical_face_mesh.fbx included in the SDK, these settings are also required when exporting *.fbx files:

  • Make sure the any custom meshes are skinned to the associated bones or regions.

  • Use the following hierarchy:

    asset
|__root
|   |__NOSE_TIP
|   |__FOREHEAD_RIGHT
|   |__FOREHEAD_LEFT
|__facemesh           <-- for reference
|__                   <-- place additional custom 3D meshes here

  • Do not export the included facemesh model. This mesh is for reference only. ARCore will create a separate face mesh at runtime. Use the UVs in facemesh as a reference when creating custom face mesh textures.

  • Place custom meshes as children of the asset node.

  • Use of namespaces is supported.

  • The asset contains four bones consisting of root and three regions: NOSE_TIP, FOREHEAD_RIGHT, and FOREHEAD_LEFT. Do not change the names of these bones.