Digital Domain and TOPPAN Holdings Launch Collaboration on Virtual Human Solutions
03.04.25Utilizing biometric data from real-world people to create high-quality virtual humans that can be provided for diverse services
Hong Kong, March 4, 2025 – Digital Domain Content (Hong Kong) Limited (“Digital Domain”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Digital Domain Holdings Limited (stock code: 547), and TOPPAN Holdings Inc. (“TOPPAN Holdings”, TYO: 7911) have jointly announced the launch of a comprehensive collaboration this month. This follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to work together in the field of virtual humans, utilizing high-resolution data gathered from biometric scanning of real individuals.
The collaboration aims to create innovative solutions by integrating virtual humans developed from this high-precision biometric data into Digital Domain’s Momentum Cloud™.1 The biometric data is captured on a Light Stage2 at TOPPAN Holdings’ VIRTUAL HUMAN LAB™.3
Alleviating Labor Shortages and Accelerating Virtual Human Applications Development
Industries worldwide are facing labor shortages. According to a report by the McKinsey Global Institute, labor markets in advanced economies are among the tightest in two decades. Aging workforces have made this challenge a long-term trend, pushing companies and economies to explore new ways to expand labor capacity and boost productivity. Among the promising solutions is the development of AI technologies.
Technologies and applications related to virtual humans are evolving rapidly due to advancements in three-dimensional computer graphics and artificial intelligence. Virtual human technologies unrestricted by time or location, can flexibly meet the needs of global markets and are expected to be utilized in a range of fields, from entertainment to hospitality, retail, education, and healthcare, to enhance service experiences through creating innovative applications. Photorealistic virtual humans featured in corporate advertising and video content have garnered growing attention in recent years, and they are now being deployed for functions such as reception desks and facility guidance.
TOPPAN Holdings has been producing high-quality virtual humans based on biometric data captured on its Light Stage since 2020. The virtual humans created function as user interfaces for various services. Digital Domain, with over 30 years of experience in visual effects, AI virtual humans, and visualization, continues to develop cloud-based virtual human solutions through advanced production and cloud technologies.
By combining TOPPAN Holdings’ Light Stage scanning technologies and Digital Domain’s virtual human technologies, the collaboration aims to offer high-quality virtual human solutions to meet market demand and help alleviate labor shortages.
Mr. Hiroshi Asada, head of TOPPAN Holdings’ Business Innovation Center, stated, “TOPPAN has been promoting business development in the frontier field of virtual humans by using a Light Stage, a piece of cutting-edge human scanning technology. Digital Domain has a long track record of experience in the film industry for light stage production and also has a market-ready solution for the industry called Momentum Cloud™, so we expect significant synergy from this collaboration. We look forward to accelerating the market development of virtual humans and creating various use cases for each industry.”
Creating an Efficient Production Flow to Meet Market Demands
TOPPAN Holdings will conduct face scanning on a Light Stage, evaluate quality, develop business models for customized virtual humans, and provide original virtual human characters, while Digital Domain will import the high-resolution data obtained from the Light Stage into its Momentum Cloud™ platform to create and operate photorealistic virtual humans.
The collaboration will establish a high-quality, efficient production flow for virtual humans based on establishing production methods by utilizing AI and high-resolution data from face scanning on the Light Stage, enabling photorealistic virtual humans created from real-world people to be operated on Momentum Cloud™. This will reduce the lead time and cost for producing virtual humans, enabling a prompt and efficient response to requests for original character production.
Mr. William Wong, CEO of Digital Domain, stated, “Digital Domain is dedicated to developing AI-driven virtual human technologies, implementing applications, and creating sustainable business models for the future. As the significance of virtual humans increases across various industries, the pace of application development will also quicken. The virtual human solutions created in collaboration with TOPPAN Holdings will utilize both companies’ technological strengths to enhance virtual humans’ quality, performance, and effectiveness. These solutions will effectively meet market demands and create diverse application scenarios, opening up new opportunities for innovative business models.”
The collaboration aims to establish a production flow for virtual humans, which will help expand TOPPAN Holdings’ lineup of original virtual character offerings. This initiative will also provide solutions for casting these virtual humans for various services in the global market, utilizing Digital Domain's Momentum Cloud™. By advancing pilot testing and business development that leverage the strengths of both companies, Digital Domain and TOPPAN Holdings aspire to create a virtual human solution business by the end of fiscal 2025.
1 Momentum Cloud™ is a server-based software platform for controlling virtual humans that can be used in the B2B2C space.
2 A Light Stage is a piece of equipment for high-precision face scanning developed by the University of Southern California.
3 The VIRTUAL HUMAN LAB™ was opened in December 2020 as a facility for advancing research and application development related to the use of face scanning and various other human biometric data.