# 3D Face Reconstruction for Forensic Recognition -- A Survey

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.11164 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.11164/

## Key facts

- Cited by 4 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 9 of its 84 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 3 Feb 2023.

## Builds on (most cited first, 9 of 9)

- [Accurate 3D Face Reconstruction with Weakly-Supervised Learning: From Single Image to Image Set](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1903.08527/) (2019)
- [3D Morphable Face Models -- Past, Present and Future](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1909.01815/) (2019)
- [Biometrics: Trust, but Verify](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2105.06625/) (2021)
- [Rotate-and-Render: Unsupervised Photorealistic Face Rotation from Single-View Images](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2003.08124/) (2020)
- [Effective Face Frontalization in Unconstrained Images](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1411.7964/) (2014)
- [Towards Interpretable Face Recognition](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1805.00611/) (2018)
- [Disentangling Features in 3D Face Shapes for Joint Face Reconstruction and Recognition](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1803.11366/) (2018)
- [Survey on 3D face reconstruction from uncalibrated images](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2011.05740/) (2020)
- [Face Recognition in Low Quality Images: A Survey](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1805.11519/) (2018)

## Built on by (most cited first, 4 of 4)

- [3D Face Reconstruction: the Road to Forensics](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2309.11357/) (2023)
- [Anatomy Completor: A Multi-class Completion Framework for 3D Anatomy Reconstruction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2309.04956/) (2023)
- [Exploiting Multiple Representations: 3D Face Biometrics Fusion with Application to Surveillance](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.18886/) (2025)
- [Exploring 3D Face Reconstruction and Fusion Methods for Face Verification: A Case-Study in Video Surveillance](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.10481/) (2024)

## Abstract (arXiv)

3D face reconstruction algorithms from images and videos are applied to many fields, from plastic surgery to the entertainment sector, thanks to their advantageous features. However, when looking at forensic applications, 3D face reconstruction must observe strict requirements that still make unclear its possible role in bringing evidence to a lawsuit. Shedding some light on this matter is the goal of the present survey, where we start by clarifying the relation between forensic applications and biometrics. To our knowledge, no previous work adopted this relation to make the point on the state of the art. Therefore, we analyzed the achievements of 3D face reconstruction algorithms from surveillance videos and mugshot images and discussed the current obstacles that separate 3D face reconstruction from an active role in forensic applications.