Relightable Gaussian Codec Avatars

PubDate: Nov 2023

Teams:Meta

Writers: Shunsuke Saito, Gabriel Schwartz, Tomas Simon, Junxuan Li, Giljoo Nam

PDF: Relightable Gaussian Codec Avatars

Abstract

In this work, we present Relightable Gaussian Codec Avatars, a method to build high-fidelity relightable head avatars that can be animated to generate novel expressions.

Our geometry model based on 3D Gaussians can capture 3D-consistent sub-millimeter details such as hair strands and pores on dynamic face sequences. To support diverse materials of human heads such as the eyes, skin, and hair in a unified manner, we present a novel relightable appearance model based on learnable radiance transfer. Together with global illumination-aware spherical harmonics for the diffuse components, we achieve real-time relighting with all-frequency reflections using spherical Gaussians. This appearance model can be efficiently relit in real-time under both point light and continuous illumination. We further improve the fidelity of eye reflections and enable explicit gaze control by introducing relightable explicit eye models.

Our method outperforms existing approaches without compromising real-time performance. We also demonstrate real-time relighting of avatars on a tethered consumer VR headset, showcasing the efficiency and fidelity of our avatars.