Overview

Getting Started

Overview

Universal Facial Mocap (UFM) is a free facial motion-capture companion app from PixelConstruct — the performance-capture sibling to the Universal Shader Library. Record from a webcam or import a video, get 52 ARKit blendshapes plus 3-axis head rotation, organise takes into projects, preview them on an animated 3D head, and stream or send takes live into Maya, Houdini, and Blender.

What it does

  • Capture — record live from a webcam, or track existing footage you’ve already shot.
  • Track — face tracking runs locally via MediaPipe, producing the full set of 52 ARKit blendshapes plus head rotation. Everything is processed on your machine.
  • Organise — takes are stored as real files on disk, grouped into projects, and indexed for fast browsing.
  • Preview — play a take back with the source video alongside an animated 3D head, or use the built-in head live while you record.
  • Send to your DCC — stream the performance live, or send a recorded take, straight into Maya, Houdini, or Blender via a local bridge.

How it fits together

StageWhat happens
Record / ImportA webcam take or an imported video becomes a take — per-frame blendshape and head-rotation data plus a reference video.
LibraryTakes live in projects on disk and are indexed for browse and search.
ViewerA take drives the built-in 3D head (or a custom head you load), synced to the source video.
BridgeThe DCC plugin connects to the app and receives a loaded take or a live stream and applies it to your rig.

Works with

UFM connects to the same DCCs USL artists already use:

DCCMinimum version
Maya2022+
Houdini19.0+
Blender3.0+

The app runs on Windows and macOS. More tracking backends (including ARKit/iPhone) are planned alongside the current MediaPipe backend.

Next Steps