USC Institute for Creative Technologies Helped Create 3D Portraits of President Obama Now on Display at the Smithsonian
White House Releases New Behind-the-Scenes Video Detailing Process Used to Scan a Sitting President for the First Time
To view the newly released White House video, visit https://youtu.be/4GiLAOtjHNo
Contact: Orli Belman at (310) 301-5006 or belman@ict.usc.edu; Tanya Abrams at (213) 740-6973 or tanyaabr@usc.edu
The Smithsonian has put on view the first-ever 3D Presidential portraits created using technology from the University of Southern California Institute for Creative Technologies.
A newly released White House video explains the process.
The University of Southern California Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT) was part of a Smithsonian-led team that created 3D portraits of President Obama. A modified Light Stage X, a high-speed system with eight cameras and 50 LED lights that capture detailed shape and reflectance properties of a face in seconds, recorded the President’s facial features in high resolution. The Light Stage data was processed by the ICT Graphics Lab team, and subsequently combined with additional data capture by the Smithsonian team to create a life-sized bust and life mask of the president.
The portraits, part of the collection of the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, will be on view in the Commons gallery of the Smithsonian Castle starting today through Dec. 31. They were previously displayed at the White House Maker Faire on June 18.
For more information on the project, visit the ICT Graphic’s Lab page at http://gl.ict.usc.edu/Research/PresidentialPortrait/
About the USC Institute for Creative Technologies
At the University of Southern California Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT), leaders in artificial intelligence, graphics, virtual reality and narrative advance low-cost immersive techniques and technologies to solve problems facing service members, students and society. Established in 1999, ICT is a DoD-sponsored University Affiliated Research Center working in collaboration with the U.S. Army Research Laboratory. ICT brings film and game industry artists together with computer and social scientists to study and develop immersive media for military training, health therapies, education and more.
Work depicted here was sponsored by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) under contract number W911NF-14-D-0005. Statements and opinions expressed and content included do not necessarily reflect the position or the policy of the Government, and no official endorsement should be inferred.