GDC: Genemation puts a face to gaming with upgraded tools

Manchester-based technology firm Genemation is set to launch new versions of two of its face synthesis tools at the Game Developers Conference next week, with GenHead 2.0 and GenCrowd 1.0 both to be shown off at the firm's booth.

The company's tools use a patented technology called "computer vision" to create faces and heads for use in games - with GenHead aimed at the creation of 3D animated heads from 2D images, while GenCrowd, as the name suggests, builds synthetic, copyright free, photo-realistic animated faces for crowd scenes.

Both tools offer control over age, gender and ethnicity of the heads created, and GenCrowd even boasts the ability to create recognisable families and offspring - and can build up to a thousand individual heads in an hour.

Genemation is headed by former Psygnosis and Sony Computer Entertainment senior executive John Bickley, and firms wishing to discuss licensing the new tools at GDC next week should contact John on +44 161 275 5139, or at john@genemation.com.