Spare Memory Foam Inserts, v2 — FaceCam iPhone HMC
If your production uses any iPhone HMC other than our FaceCam for facial motion capture, your actors are stuck sharing foam that’s been pressed against every previous performer’s face and hair that has used it before them, rarely, if ever, cleaned, in practice*, no replacements available. That’s a hygiene problem. Also stuck with a poor ‘one-size fits all approach’. Say goodbye to fit, comfort, and stability.
The problem it solves
Every facial mocap actor deserves to wear a helmet that is fitted with fresh foam padding. Amazingly, all of the other iPhone helmets on the market completely overlook this simple, practical and basic hygeine requirement. Would you want to wear a hat that everyone else has been wearing while performing and working up a sweat? Would you want to sleep on a pillow that has a pillowcase that has been shared by countless others, yet has never been washed or cleaned?
FaceCam’s memory foam is easy to hand wash and it dries overnight. Having spare foam on hand lets everyone that uses the same helmet on the same day have fresh foam touching their face and hair.
Different performers require different helmet fits for comfort and stability—some need thinner foam, some thicker, and some a mix of both. That’s why we provide two different thicknesses of foam, unlike any of our competitors. What’s more is that our thick and thin foam pieces can be mixed or matched to provide the perfect blend of comfort and fit for different head sizes and shapes. Hair short, or long or thick? No problem. Use thicker foam where needed and thinner foam where you don’t.
What goes wrong without it
Performing while wearing a mocap helmet that others have been sweating into is unhygienic. Sharing a helmet with unwashed foam is unpleasant—and performers notice. It doesn’t encourage the best performance.
Proper helmet fit, stable and comfortable, is essential for getting the best motion capture performances. Without stability, facial motion capture is like a blurred photograph or improperly focused video: merely an approximation of what actually occurred. If a helmet’s foam or padding is limited to a single thickness of unwashed / unwashable foam, the time you, your performer, and your mocap editor spend will be wasted
Poor data is unusable data.
When you actually need it (and when you don’t)
Any time your helmet will be shared, you should have spare foam available. That’s the hygienic way to do it and you can also achieve superior fit for the greatest stability. Having plenty of spare foam on hand is essential for multi-person captures.
Educational institutions certainly benefit from having extra spare foam sets on hand, since their helmet(s) will often be shared by muliple people on the same day.
If you are the only person who will be using your helmet, spare foam isn’t essential. Our FaceCam ships with 5 sets each of thin and thick foam so you can choose the best balance between fit and comfort.
If you have enough spare foam on hand you’ll be covered if someone forgets to hand wash the foam the night before.
Though FaceCam’s foam has outstanding longevity, it will eventually need to be replaced, especially if used day in and day out for multiple performances.
Why this matters in practice
• Consistent fit = consistent capture
• Clean foam = better performer comfort → better takes
The result? You capture all the creativity and richness of expression your performers provide.
A pack of Spare Memory Foam Inserts sells for $120 (USD). It ships free when ordered with our FaceCam.
Our FaceCam ships with two sets of foam: 5 pieces each of thin (6mm) and thick (12 mm). If you order a pack of Spare Foam with your helmet, you’ll receive 10 pieces of thick and 10 pieces of thin foam. Two actors can each use a full fresh set in the same session
*Although one of the other iPhone mocap helmets has machine-washable foam padding, in practice, this process is rarely done between performers. Need fresh foam for a second or third actor on the same day? Nope. They don’t sell spares.
