FACES
Definition
American computerised composite and reconstruction software (IQ Biometrix) used to generate two-dimensional faces from cranial and witness data.
- Origin
- IQ Biometrix, United States
- Output
- Two-dimensional composite and reconstruction faces
- Inputs
- Cranial data and witness descriptions
- Use case
- Investigative composite generation
Common questions
How does FACES differ from a 3D facial approximation tool like FaceLab?+
FACES builds a flat, two-dimensional composite image, often assembled from feature libraries and witness input, while systems like FaceLab sculpt a three-dimensional face over an actual skull scan using anatomical tissue-depth data, giving the two tools different roles depending on whether a skull or a witness account is the starting point.
Can FACES output be used the same way as an eyewitness composite sketch?+
Yes, when driven by witness description rather than skeletal remains, FACES functions much like traditional composite sketch software, generating a likeness for public appeal or photo array comparison rather than a scientifically validated identification.
Related terms
- Anatomical Landmarks
- Fixed cranial reference points (about 25 are used) including glabella, nasion, gonion, gnathion, zygion and prosthion that must align with corresponding soft-tissue...
- AnthropoScope
- Computerised three-dimensional skull and facial reconstruction system using laser scans of the skull and soft-tissue prediction from CT databases.
- Glabella
- The midline prominence on the frontal bone between the superciliary arches. Scored 1 (flat, female) to 5 (highly prominent, male). Correlated with...
- Gonion
- The most posterior and inferior point of the mandibular angle, bilaterally. Used in superimposition to assess the width of the jaw angle...
- Manchester Method
- Three-dimensional facial reconstruction technique developed by Richard Neave at the University of Manchester, building clay muscle by muscle on a skull cast...
- Nasion
- The anatomical landmark at the junction of the nasal bones and the frontal bone (the bridge of the nose). One of the...
- Plastic vs Sculptured Reconstruction
- Plastic (two-dimensional) reconstruction draws the face on a photograph or sketch of the skull; sculptured (three-dimensional) reconstruction builds the face physically in...
- Soft-Tissue Thickness
- Distance from a cranial landmark to the overlying skin surface, measured in millimetres; varies with sex, age, BMI and population, and forms...
- Superimposition
- Overlay technique that matches an unidentified skull with an antemortem photograph of a suspected individual to test anatomical consistency.
- Video Superimposition
- The updated superimposition workflow using a motorised skull turntable, a calibrated video camera, and real-time electronic mixing of the skull video image...