Abstract
Forensic artists use tissue thicknesses at well known landmarks on the craniofacial skeleton to generate a potential likeness of an individual from a skull. This is a very subjective and time consuming process. We present two prototype software packages: one for simulating the growth of a craniofacial skeleton either forwards or backwards in time, and the other for generating a facial reconstruction over a skeleton. The craniofacial growth model uses three-dimensional data from specific landmarks through time to drive the growth process. Tissue depth markers on the craniofacial model determine the interpolated shape of the facial reconstruction and can be altered to cover the range of potential likenesses. Examples of a facial reconstruction and a grown craniofacial skeleton are shown.
