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Bruce Lee
2025
At Digito, we’re constantly exploring what’s possible at the cutting edge of real-time technology and digital humans. For our latest internal demo, we set ourselves a bold challenge: create a lifelike digital replica of Bruce Lee — not just as a statue or static model, but as a fully expressive, animated character running in Unreal Engine 5.6.
This project wasn’t about selling a product or working with a client. It was about showing what our team is capable of when creativity meets the latest tools. And it’s one of the most exciting digital human pieces we’ve built to date.
We started with the most essential aspect: likeness. Bruce Lee’s face is instantly recognizable, and our goal was to honor that legacy with fidelity and respect.
Using ZBrush, we sculpted both head and body from scratch, referencing countless images from different eras of his career. We studied his bone structure, facial asymmetries, muscle tone, and signature expressions to make sure the sculpt felt alive — not stylized, not generic — but him.
Once the sculpt was locked, we brought the mesh into MetaHuman Creator and pushed its capabilities further by injecting our custom facial structure. Unreal Engine 5.6’s latest updates made this much smoother, allowing us to fine-tune blendshapes and expression sets directly within the MetaHuman framework.
The results? A version of Bruce Lee that doesn’t just look right — it moves right. Facial gestures, eye movement, blinking patterns — all were carefully adjusted for performance authenticity.
To capture Bruce’s emotional range and intense screen presence, we exported the MetaHuman rig into Maya. There, we fine-tuned facial expressions manually — not only matching realism, but sculpting signature smirks, scowls, and focused looks that fans instantly recognize.
This was key for bringing the demo character to life. Subtle movements in the eyes, brows, and lips make all the difference when crafting a believable digital performance.
For the final touch, we wanted Bruce Lee to speak. Using video-based facial capture, we lip-synced dialogue and emotional nuance in real-time. This is where Unreal Engine 5.6’s new features really shined.
The system allowed us to quickly plug in audio/video input and see the character animate with expression and timing, all live in-engine. Combined with high-quality lighting, cinematic camera setups, and shader tweaks — the result is a Bruce Lee who doesn’t just exist in 3D space… he performs.
This project is an internal Digito demo. It’s not for commercial release, and not tied to any brand, estate, or promotion. Our goal was purely artistic and technical: to test the limits of today’s tools and push ourselves to deliver something that feels unforgettable.
This Bruce Lee digital human demo represents what’s possible today with the right team, the right tech, and a deep respect for character and craft. At Digito, we’re passionate about digital humans — and we’re always looking to explore what’s next.
Want to collaborate on your own virtual human or avatar project? Let’s talk.
