---
title: "The Digital Emily Project: Photoreal Facial Modeling and Animation"
authors: ["Oleg Alexander", "Mike Rogers", "William Lambeth", "Matt Chiang", "Paul Debevec"]
year: 2009
venue: "SIGGRAPH Courses"
arxiv: null
doi: "10.1145/1667239.1667251"
source: "https://doi.org/10.1145/1667239.1667251"
topics: [translucent-materials]
seed_rank: 1310
seed_batch: "sss-translucent-2026-08-25"
reviewed: "2026-08-25"
pool: "graphics"
relevance_score: 8
lineage: translucent-materials
cites:
  - title: "Acquiring the reflectance field of a human face"
    url: "https://doi.org/10.1145/344779.344855"
    year: 2000
    arxiv: null
    doi: "10.1145/344779.344855"
  - title: "Rapid Acquisition of Specular and Diffuse Normal Maps from Polarized Spherical Gradient Illumination"
    url: "https://doi.org/10.2312/EGWR/EGSR07/183-194"
    year: 2007
    arxiv: null
    doi: "10.2312/EGWR/EGSR07/183-194"
  - title: "Practical modeling and acquisition of layered facial reflectance"
    url: "https://doi.org/10.1145/1457515.1409092"
    year: 2008
    arxiv: null
    doi: "10.1145/1457515.1409092"
see:
  - "1279-acquiring-the-reflectance-field-of-a-human-face"
  - "1315-rapid-acquisition-of-specular-and-diffuse-normal-maps-from-polarized"
  - "1250-practical-modeling-and-acquisition-of-layered-facial-reflectance"
---

# The Digital Emily Project: Photoreal Facial Modeling and Animation

## One-sentence takeaway

ICT Digital Emily: production photoreal face built on layered facial reflectance capture.

## Problem

Predecessor chain Ghosh 2008; Ma 2007; Debevec. This paper's job: ICT Digital Emily: production photoreal face built on layered facial reflectance capture.

## Design

ICT Digital Emily: production photoreal face built on layered facial reflectance capture. Lineage: Ghosh 2008; Ma 2007; Debevec.

## Evidence

SIGGRAPH Courses 2009. DOI `10.1145/1667239.1667251`. ICT Digital Emily: production photoreal face built on layered facial reflectance capture.

## Limitations

Talk or course notes, not a full TOG derivation. Use the PDF/DOI in Links; do not invent a journal version.

## Implications for Broadside

Anoptic has a forward+ mesh renderer and is betting on FMM+RC 3D GI. Skin is the first character-appearance hole: translucent dermis, not another BRDF lobe. Do not claim Anoptic already has SSS.

## Bottom line

Mint this 2009 SIGGRAPH Courses paper. ICT Digital Emily: production photoreal face built on layered facial reflectance capture.

## Links

- DOI: [10.1145/1667239.1667251](https://doi.org/10.1145/1667239.1667251)