Visage FACS Analyzer
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AddIn:
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License:
Facial Analysis
Visage Technologies
Local
Triggered
no
XAML FACS Plot
Requires license from Visage Technologies
In this article:
The Visage FACS Analyzer is an advanced facial analysis element that detects and tracks Facial Action Units in real time from a live webcam feed. It enables researchers to study fine-grained facial expressions and emotional states, supporting applications in psychology, neuroscience, affective computing, and human–computer interaction.
The element relies on the Visage Technologies SDK and requires a valid license file for operation.
Key Features
Real-time Action Unit Detection – Identifies and quantifies FACS-based facial movements in live video streams.
Multi-Face Tracking – Supports simultaneous analysis of multiple participants, with customizable face indexing.
Flexible Camera Integration – Compatible with standard webcams and adjustable resolution settings.
Synchronized Recording – Captures video with optional sync files and markers for accurate alignment with experimental events.
Comprehensive Data Logging – Provides newest and historical analyses for export into reports and analysis pipelines.
Research-Ready Integration – Works seamlessly within EventIDE experiment flow, combining facial analysis with stimulus presentation, signal processing, and response collection.
License Requirement – Requires a Visage Technologies license file.
Properties
Name | Description | Property Class | Type | On runtime change |
Visage Settings | ||||
License File | Defines a location of the Visage Technologies license file required for all Visage elements | Design | String | – |
Analysis Rate | Defines a rate of the face analysis by Visage SDK (Hz). Shared across all Visage elements | Design | Double | – |
Max Faces | Defines the maximal number of tracked faces | Design | Int32 | – |
Face Index | Index of the face selected for analysis when multiple persons are present. Zero = auto-select first recognized face | General | Int32 | – |
Camera Settings | ||||
Selected Camera | Defines the camera used for face analysis | Design | String | – |
Frame Size | Resolution of captured video. Higher resolution improves quality but may affect performance | General | clSize | – |
Plotting | ||||
Plot Background | Defines plot background mode | General | Int32 | – |
Face Frames | Toggles outlining of tracked faces if background is set to webcam output | General | Boolean | – |
Rendering Size | Defines rendering resolution for saved images or videos | General | clSize | – |
Font Size | Sets font size for plot labels | General | Double | – |
Plot Theme | Defines visual theme for the plot | General | Int32 | – |
XAML FACS Plot | Returns a live XAML control containing the FACS plot for GUI integration | General | UIElem | – |
Video Recording | ||||
Video Format | Defines compression format for recorded video (may require codecs) | Design | Int32 | – |
Sync File Format | Defines format of sync file paired with recorded video | Design | Int32 | – |
Sync Marker | Custom text marker added to sync file lines; can be updated at runtime | General | String | – |
Results | ||||
Test Analysis Now | Triggers test analysis | Design | Boolean | – |
Newest Analysis | Provides most recent analysis results | General | clActi | – |
All Analyses | Provides full set of recorded analyses | General | clActi | – |
Data Report Label | Custom label appended to data report file names (e.g., stimulus ID) | General | String | – |
Control | ||||
Is Enabled | If false, the element is omitted from runtime execution | Design | Boolean | – |
Title | Title of the element | Design | String | – |
Practical Use
The Visage FACS Analyzer is typically used in research studies to quantify facial expressions and underlying emotional states.
Setup Camera & License – Connect a webcam and assign the Visage Technologies license file.
Face Detection – Configure maximum number of faces and select target face index.
Add XAML FACS Plot widget to the status screen.
Run Experiment – Start the EventIDE experiment; the element captures webcam frames, detects action units, and updates the XAML FACS plot in real time.
Notes
Requires valid Visage Technologies license file for activation. Ensure the Visage license file is valid and properly linked in the experiment via the License File property of the element.
High-resolution camera input improves detection quality but may increase computational load.
FACS detection works best under consistent lighting and frontal face orientation.
Can be combined with other EventIDE elements for multi-modal behavioral research (e.g., EEG, GSR, eye tracking, stimulus-response logging).
Multiple faces can be analyzed simultaneously, but only one can be selected for XAML plot display at a time.