PINEWOOD STUDIOS, LONDON – – Clear Angle Studios, a leading provider of 3D and 4D capture and processing technologies for the film and television industries, today announced the acquisition of the technology stack and intellectual property from DI4D, a specialist in facial imaging and performance capture. The move consolidates expertise at the forefront of digital human creation, promising more realistic and emotionally resonant digital performances in games, and film.
Founded in 2003, DI4D’s technology has been instrumental in capturing nuanced facial performances for several high-profile AAA video games, including Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Alan Wake II, and F1 25: Braking Point. Their systems excel at translating the subtleties of an actor’s performance – the micro-expressions and emotional depth – onto a digital double with high fidelity.
The acquisition integrates DI4D’s processing technology and IP into Clear Angle Studios’ existing global infrastructure. Clear Angle Studios, established in 2013, operates hubs in London, Los Angeles, Vancouver, and across Europe, and also offers portable scanning systems for on-set flexibility. This expanded capability allows for a more streamlined workflow, from initial capture to final processing.
“For more than ten years, our two companies have run parallel paths at the cutting edge of the industry,” said Dominic Ridley, Co-Founder and Director of Clear Angle Studios. “This acquisition represents a convergence of that experience, as we ensure leading film and game studios are equipped with the capture and processing technologies needed to deliver high-fidelity digital performances that carry the full weight of emotion to the screen.”
A key outcome of the acquisition is the launch of TopoTrack, a new service from Clear Angle Studios. TopoTrack leverages DI4D’s proprietary technology to provide advanced processing of scanned facial data, streamlining the creation of facial rigs and enabling high-resolution animation directly from head-mounted camera footage. This offers game studios a more efficient starting point for character creation and animation, allowing artists to focus on the creative aspects of their projects earlier in the pipeline.
The integration isn’t just about technology. it’s about expertise. DI4D Co-Founder Dr. Colin Urquhart has joined Clear Angle Studios as a strategic advisor, guiding future product development with a continued emphasis on research and development. Several experienced engineers and processing specialists from DI4D have also transitioned to Clear Angle Studios, ensuring continuity and deepening the company’s technical bench.
“Clear Angle Studios and DI4D have both demonstrated a long-standing commitment to technical excellence and innovation in 3D and 4D capture,” commented Dr. Colin Urquhart, Strategic Advisor to Clear Angle Studios. “The integration of the DI4D technology has produced significant advantages in the development and delivery of efficient solutions such as TopoTrack. Together we will continue to expand our provision of highly innovative 3D and 4D capture and processing solutions.”
Clear Angle Studios has already established a strong track record, providing scanning services for numerous high-profile productions. Their work can be seen in games like F1 Manager, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, and Star Citizen, as well as Squadron 42. Notably, the company contributed scanning services to eight out of the ten films longlisted for BAFTA’s 2026 Special VFX category, including F1, How to Train Your Dragon, Jurassic World Rebirth, The Lost Bus, Mickey 17, Superman, Tron: Ares, and Wicked: For Good.
The demand for photorealistic digital humans is steadily increasing, driven by advancements in game engines, virtual production techniques, and the metaverse. Traditional methods of creating digital doubles often require extensive manual work and can struggle to capture the subtle nuances of human performance. Technologies like those offered by Clear Angle Studios and previously DI4D address this challenge by providing tools for capturing and replicating those details with greater accuracy and efficiency.
The 4D capture process, which records scans in motion, is particularly significant. This allows for a dynamic replication of an actor’s performance, capturing not just the shape of the face but also how skin stretches, contracts, and reacts to different expressions. This level of detail is crucial for creating truly believable digital characters.
The acquisition of DI4D by Clear Angle Studios represents a strategic move to capitalize on this growing demand. By combining their respective strengths, the companies are positioning themselves as a key player in the evolving landscape of digital human creation, offering a comprehensive suite of tools and services to the entertainment industry.
About Clear Angle Studios
Founded in 2013, Clear Angle Studios is a global market-leader in high-end 3D & 4D capture and processing. The company serves film productions worldwide, offering services including photometric head scanning, facial capture, full body photogrammetry, radiance fields, prop scanning, LiDAR, and aerial environment scanning and processing. They operate with a team of over 100 professionals across six global hubs.
About DI4D
DI4D specializes in performance-driven facial animation services for video games and blockbuster movies. With over 20 years of experience, the company has developed proprietary technologies, including the DI4D PRO system, DI4D HMC, and the PURE4D machine learning pipeline, to achieve a high level of fidelity in digital doubles. DI4D has contributed to projects such as Blade Runner 2049, Haunted Mansion, and the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare trilogy, as well as the F1 series of racing games.
