Advanced Facial Blendshape Networks
Maya, ZBrush, Wrap & Photoshop Workflow with Adam Spring
Description
Explore advanced facial blendshape networks with Adam Spring using Maya, ZBrush, Wrap, and Photoshop. The techniques demonstrated showcase the very methods Adam has utilized on numerous feature films and AAA game cinematic projects, including Call of Duty and Love, Death & Robots.
In this 7-hour workshop, artists will examine the extraction of blendshapes from scan data and learn how to organize them into primary and combination shapes. Adam will also demonstrate how to utilize the scan data to generate wrinkle and blood flow maps, which will then be used to construct the dynamic shader within the Maya node editor. He will also provide a brief demonstration of how to capture facial motion capture data on an iPhone using the Unreal Engine LiveLink app.
The main software covered in this workshop is Maya, ZBrush, Wrap, and Photoshop. Adam also uses the free Maya plugin, Simplex, which is helpful for organizing all of the facial blend shapes. With this workshop, Adam provides the raw key frame data in the project files for anyone who doesn’t have access to an iPhone.
The 3D Scan Store FACS set featured in this workshop is not currently available to the public; Adam recommends that artists use their own FACS scans or model from a reference to gain the most experience.
Duration: 6h 46m
Format: HD 1920x1080
Adam Spring
Freelance Character Artist at Blur Studio
Adam Spring is a senior 3D artist specialising in character and facial production for visual effects and animation, with over a decade of industry experience. His expertise lies in building robust, production-ready character pipelines, with a particular focus on high-fidelity facial modelling and FACS-based workflows that support believable, performance-driven animation.
Over the past five years, Adam has contributed to projects for leading studios and game developers including Blur Studio, MPC, Activision, and Ubisoft. His work spans supervising actors during 3D scanning sessions through to processing complex facial scan data into optimised blendshape networks, enabling seamless integration into rigging and animation pipelines. Known for his technical precision and collaborative approach, Adam helps bridge performance capture and digital character creation to deliver expressive, production-quality results.
