3D scanning and 3D printing used to capture Lady Gaga's face for digital makeup effect.
The 58th Annual Grammy Awards took place this week at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles where Lady Gaga delivered a tech-infused tribute to late music legend, David Bowie with the help of some intelligent stage props from Intel and Belfast 3D printing company, LPE.
The Intel team were given an entire month to test the technology before the performance which incorporated stunning visuals, robotics and interactive content to play homage to the icon.
“Technology certainly matters to me and I think that it has a really profound way that it can affect stage performance and take it to another level,” Gaga commented in a behind the scenes video.
The performance was made possible with Intel’s Curie system, which recognises motion, gestures and location powered by Intel’s most powerful processor. Described as “the piece that stitches together the show,” the technology was made as small as possible and incorporated into a wearable rings worn by the singer during the Bowie medley.
To create the “Curie rings”, Intel enlisted the help of LPE to 3D print the design using stereolithography at its Belfast site, from a design created at XO Studio in London. The parts were produced overnight on a Viper SLA printer in layers of 0.1mm, hand finished in house and delivered in a matter of days.
Intel-powered ring 3D printed by LPE.
Campbell Evans Sales Director at LPE, explained: “Having already worked extensively on previous Lady Gaga costume effects, props for Game of Thrones, X Men and even Mrs Browns Boys Da Movie, we knew what we had to do to offer a high quality, fast service required to meet the tight deadline required for the recent Grammy Awards show.”
One of the other most challenging aspects of the performance was the “animated face” concept, which involved projecting various iconic Bowie looks onto Gaga’s face in real time. This “digital makeup” was made possible with 3D technologies and the team used 3D scanning to capture Gaga’s face in various expressions, which were then 3D printed to test how the different looks would appear during the performance. Intel’s highest performing processors were used throughout development to track her facial movements and displayed through a projector powered by a 6th Generation Intel Core processor-based desktop.
“I like to do things that integrate technology and art with powerful experiences,” Gaga, commented. “I think that this collaboration with Intel has been very different than anything I have done before. They have really given me so much amazing technology to play with.”
The eccentric singer is no stranger to 3D printing having already modelled a 3D printed red carpet look designed by Studio XO and printed using Materialise’s Mammoth stereolithography machines.
