FaceTracker for Blender

Frequently Asked Questions

• — Why FaceBundle, not FaceTracker?

  FaceBundle = FaceBuilder + FaceTracker. It enables you to generate face mesh on the go using snapshots of video frames and capture facial performance within one interface.

• — Can I buy FaceTracker separately from FaceBundle?

  Yes, you can buy and use FaceTracker separately from FaceBundle for facial motion capture with an existing face mesh. Note that this mesh has to have FaceBuilder topology. So unless you use your own face scans and wraps or you need more FaceTrackers than FaceBuilders in your pipeline, we strongly recommend choosing FaceBundle which will let you create custom face meshes on the go, using snapshots of video frames and image files.

• — I have a FaceBuilder subscription. How can I upgrade to FaceBundle?

  Send your request to team@keentools.io

• — I have an idea or feedback

  If you think you found a bug, please report it here.
  If you want to share feedback, please fill this form, we'd be really happy to know what you think!

• Setup

  Quick tip: If you already have any other KeenTools add-on installed in Blender, just update it. FaceTracker will appear among other add-ons on the sidebar.

• — How to install FaceTracker add-on into Blender 4.2 and higher?

  Please have a look at this video. The installation part is also included in the written guide.
  In short: Download KeenTools Blender Pack, open Blender Preferences > Add-ons, click on the little arrow in the top right corner and select ‘Install from Disk’. Navigate to the downloaded ZIP-file (for Mac users: find zip inside DMG) and install it. Unfold ‘KeenTools extension’, agree to License Agreement, and hit ‘Install Online’.

• — How to remove FaceTracker from Blender 4.2 and higher?

  Open Blender Preferences > Get Extensions. Find KeenTools in ‘Installed’, click on the little arrow in the top right corner and select ‘Uninstall’. Relaunch Blender.

• — How to install FaceTracker add-on into Blender 4.1 and earlier?

  Please have a look at this video.
  Open Blender Preferences > Add-ons, press the “Install…” button and navigate to the downloaded ZIP-file (for Mac users: find zip inside DMG) . Unfold ‘Interface:KeenTools…’, agree to License Agreement and click ‘Install Online’.

• — How to remove FaceTracker from Blender 4.1 and earlier?

  You need to open the add-ons preferences panel, find KeenTools, click the "remove" button and relaunch Blender.

• — Should I unzip the downloaded Blender Pack?

  No. If it unzipped automatically (which some browsers do by default), just delete whatever was unzipped. Use only the .zip file to install the add-on.

• — I downloaded a DMG file. Where’s my ZIP?

  Mac users will download the DMG file. Just mount it and find the needed .zip file inside.

• — How to update FaceTracker?

  If your machine has access to the internet, our add-on will automatically check for new updates from time to time. When there's a new version, you'll be offered to update it.

  If you prefer to update it manually, you will need to reinstall it. Before installing a new Core Library you need to restart Blender. The recommend to do it in the following steps: remove the old add-on, restart Blender, install the newest version of the add-on, and then install the new Core Library.

• — I have installed it but cannot see it anywhere/it doesn't work

  Firstly, it's always good to review the installation instructions in our guides and tutorial videos. Anyway, if you have installed something and it doesn't work, it would be better to remove it first and relaunch Blender. Make sure you're installing the latest versions of the add-on and KeenTools Core Library (You will always get the newest version of Core Library after pressing ‘Install online’).

• — I see no photos or black screen after switching into pin mode

  It looks like your GPU (video adapter) is not fully supported by Blender so it cannot work in 3D mode. You can either address your question to the Blender community or try a machine with a better GPU.

• — The add-on has disappeared after relaunching Blender

  Firstly, try to press the "N" key — you should see a Sidebar appear in the right side of the viewport. If there's no FaceTracker tab on it, open Blender Preferences > Add-ons and search for KeenTools. If KeenTools is nowhere to be found, it means it was deleted — please check that your antivirus software hadn’t removed it. If it had — add the Blender add-ons directory to the white-list and install FaceTracker again.

• — I get error "[Errno 9] Bad file descriptor" when trying to install the add-on

  It looks like the add-on ZIP-file is corrupted, please download it again and check there's no antivirus software that might lock or modify the add-on package.

• — I've installed Blender from a Linux repo, the add-on doesn't work

  Unfortunately, you need to download the official version of Blender from Blender.org website, since custom builds are often relying on unsupported versions of Python.

• — Can I use FaceTracker with Blender 2.79 or older?

  Unfortunately, no. Blender 2.80 or newer is required.

• Tracking

• — Do I need a 3D model to use FaceTracker?

  Yes. The good news is that you can quickly create it with the built-in FaceBuilder (built-in module or dedicated add-on) using snapshots of video frames and/or other image files. Start with pressing the ‘New’ button next to Head input.

• — How accurate should face geometry be?

  The more accurate the model is — the better face track you will get.

• — Can I use 3D heads downloaded from stocks or sculpted manually?

  Technically, yes, if you wrap it with the FaceBuilder topology. See numerous video tutorials on retopology and wrapping.

• — My face model is ideal but I still can’t match it with the face in the video. What’s wrong?

  Most likely, this is because of the wrong focal length value set by the default Blender camera. If you know the FL value of the camera on the set, open the Camera tab (on the FaceTracker panel) and type that value in. If you don’t know it, activate ‘estimate focal length’ right above it. Once you have more than 3 pins on the face mesh, FaceTracker will automatically start to estimate the focal length.

• — Do I need markers to make it work?

  No, you don't need anything like that. But having markers can possibly improve tracking results because they'll work as distinct features that are easy to follow.

• — Can FaceTracker handle occlusions, reflective, transparent or unfixed parts?

  Usually — yes, that's not a problem. But to improve the results, you can use 2D masks to exclude props and other objects getting in the line of sight, or 3D surface masks to exclude hair, glasses, etc by selecting the polygons overlaid by them right on the surface of your face model.

• Licensing

• — Is FaceTracker free or paid?

  FaceTracker is a paid add-on with a 15-day free trial period. Monthly and annual subscription plans for individuals and annual for studios and teams are available through the Buy page.

• — I have an active FaceTracker / FaceBundle subscription for Nuke, do I need to buy another one for Blender?

  No. You can use the same subscription key for Blender.

• — I have a GeoTracker subscription, do I need another one for FaceTracker?

  Yes, these add-ons use different modules of KeenTools Core Library, which rely on separate licenses.

• — Is the KeenTools FaceTracker open source? Where's the repository?

  The add-on is an open source adapter for KeenTools Core Library, its Git repository can be found here.

• General

• — I see an error or experienced an issue which is not described here, what should I do?

  If the error message belongs to FaceTracker, please try following the instructions in the error message, it should help. If it doesn't, try to remove and install the add-on over again (don't forget to relaunch Blender after removing the add-on). If the error belongs to Blender, it's advisable to google for similar errors in. You can also look for answers in the Blender community. If nothing helps, please drop us a message, we'll be happy to help!