How we created a personalized user experience on a huge 3D screen in real-time
The following case demonstrates how artificial intelligence can transform creative workflow into a truly immersive user experience.
Read the full article on BMW website
15K+ visitors tried the Mega Me experience since the launch (as of May'23)
People always want to be the better versions of themselves in the digital world, whether it’s in gaming with similar characters or visualizing themselves as the heroes of their own stories with fully immersive experiences. In a few years, Reface grew from a viral face-swap app to an advanced company in generative AI, and we always meet new challenges for complex AI tasks.
The Challenge: Real-Time, High-Resolution AI Face-Swapping
- BMW had an ambitious goal: to present a new vehicle model through a memorable and futuristic experience. Creative agency Elastique. approached us with the idea of creating a never-before-seen scale of face-swapping in real-time, with a naked-eye 3D solution.
- As part of the Mega Me immersive campaign, we worked with a 42 square meter 3D LED screen. Using Elastique.'s story and animations as a basis, we developed a high-resolution face-swap that placed visitors right in the middle of a spatial illusion, providing them with an emotional and digital experience.
- Instead of watching a boring and impersonal ad, visitors could see themselves behind the steering wheel.
The Process: Developing a Custom Tech Solution
- We’ve improved our technology to make it work on a large scale and developed an upscaler of the face swap that results in even higher video quality suitable for a 42-square-meter screen.
- We simultaneously process 5 video pieces (a total of 42 seconds) and replace the default face with the user's one. After turning faces into an anonymized vector with the help of various layers, our tech converges the user's face with the default one into all video scenes in a photorealistic look, allowing them to immerse themselves in the story.
- Then, with the help of a complex real-time media system developed by Elastique., we combine those 5 face-swapped video pieces with the rest of the video and create an illusion that feels impressively realistic.
Results: Real-Time Swap + Giant 3D Screen
- Since January 5, 2023, all visitors at BMW Welt can take a selfie at a photo stand and instantly become a huge Mega Me on the first personalized, naked-eye 3D billboard.
- With Reface’s AI technology, the resulting video is integrated into a visual story on a giant LED screen with astonishingly high resolution.
- Mega Me is an ongoing media installation available to all visitors at the BMW Welt facility in Munich until the end of September.
A few years ago, it seemed crazy to imagine that anyone could get a personalized and immersive experience starring in commercials of their fave brands or turning into action characters anywhere, and the face swap trend was just starting. Today, the immersive technology market is valued at over $30B, which includes immersive ads and AI-backed creative campaigns, and we are proud to be a part of it.
Personalization in marketing puts the person and their interests at the center of the customer experience to deliver the brand’s message in the best possible way.
As a technological visionary, Reface strives to empower everyone to create amazing content with the help of AI.