NCJ Number
219963
Editor(s)
Thorsten M. Buzug,
Karl-Michael Sigl,
Jens Bongartz,
Klaus Prufer
Date Published
2007
Length
677 pages
Annotation
This book presents recent developments in the field of facial soft-tissue reconstruction on a skeletonized skull of an unknown individual as presented and discussed at the Second International Conference on Reconstruction of Soft Facial Parts.
Abstract
The conference focused on new face-reconstruction procedures in all forensic, anthropologic, and medical applications. The book features progress in computer-aided methods in the reconstruction of the soft tissues of the human face. The main goal of computer-based craniofacial reconstructions is to simplify and quicken the process of creating an accurate reproduction of a subject's facial appearance. Based on the findings of traditional facial reconstruction, increasingly complex software programs are being designed and applied. In combination with state-of-the-art medical imaging and laser scanning technology, detailed 3D-images can be created with different facial expressions. Even with the use of modern imaging and computer tools, however, the general workflow has not changed. It is still a four-step regimen. The first step is computed tomography or laser scanning of the skull in order to determine skull measurements. The second step is the selection of a soft-tissue template or a landmark set from a database or the selection of appropriate landmarks. In the third step, a computer performs elastic warping of the soft-tissue template from a database onto the skull or uses the landmarks as the basis for a surface spline reconstruction. Usually, subsequent interactive corrections of individual parts of the face are necessary. The fourth step consists of texture mapping, which includes the application of patterns, shading, and colors to surfaces. Although computers are able to perform this task, there is room for artistic design by medicolegal experts and anthropologists, with decisionmaking supported by the computer. Wrong decisions can be easily corrected. References, numerous illustrations, and case studies