[Industry news] Clear Angle Studios acquires the technology and IP of performance capture specialist DI4D

This is a press release posted in addition to our usual editorial content.

Clear Angle Studios, the market-leading 3D and 4D capture and processing company for the film and TV industries, has today announced its acquisition of the tech stack and IP from facial imaging and performance capture specialist DI4D. Founded in 2003, DI4D has powered the nuanced facial performances behind recent AAA video games including Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Alan Wake II and F1 25: Braking Point, with pioneering technology that faithfully translates the subtlety and emotional depth of an actor’s live performance onto an in-game digital double.

The acquisition integrates DI4D’s processing technology and IP into Clear Angle Studios’ existing global ecosystem of advanced capture and processing technologies. Founded in 2013, the company serves the global games industry with key hubs including London, Los Angeles, Vancouver, and Europe as well as portable scanning systems for on-set flexibility.

Dominic Ridley, Co-Founder and Director of Clear Angle Studios, commented: “For more than ten years, our two companies have run parallel paths at the cutting edge of the industry. 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.”

Games studios will now be able to take advantage of Clear Angle Studios’ and DI4D’s combined scanning and processing experience. Notably, DI4D’s proprietary technology has been integrated into TopoTrack, a newly launched service from Clear Angle Studios that provides advanced processing of scanned data for facial rig creation, and enables the production of high-resolution animation from head-mounted camera footage. The efficiencies offered by TopoTrack provide games studios with a more advanced starting point for their character creation and animation pipelines, allowing artists to focus more immediately on the creative demands of the project.

DI4D Co-Founder Dr. Colin Urquhart has joined Clear Angle Studios as a strategic advisor. Urquhart will help guide future product development, with an enhanced focus on R&D and a continued commitment to advancing performance capture technology. In addition, several of DI4D’s experienced engineering and processing specialists have also joined Clear Angle Studios.

Dr. Colin Urquhart, Strategic Advisor to Clear Angle Studios and previously Co-Founder of DI4D, commented:
“Clear Angle Studios and DI4D have both demonstrated a long-standing commitment to technical excellence and innovation in 3D and 4D capture. 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.”

To date, Clear Angle Studios has provided high-end scanning services to hundreds of productions, including F1 Manager, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, Star Citizen and Squadron 42, and 8 out of the 10 films longlisted for BAFTA’s 2026 Special VFX category*.

* Clear Angle Studios contributed scanning services to the following productions in BAFTA’s 2026 Special VFX category:

• F1
• How to Train Your Dragon
• Jurassic World Rebirth
• The Lost Bus
• Mickey 17
• Superman
• Tron: Ares
• Wicked: For Good