Face and shape: research map
1,286 accepted papers on Face and shape in 3D vision, from ICML, NeurIPS, ICLR, CVPR and AAAI (2016–2026), grouped into 4 clusters and 17 approaches. The busiest year so far is 2026.
Within 3D vision, its share shrank from 20.4% in 2023–24 to 13.2% in 2025–26 (363 → 366 papers at ICML, NeurIPS, CVPR and AAAI, the venues with data for all four years).
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Approaches and key papers
surface · mesh · implicit · 406 papers
Approaches in this cluster:
- Neural implicit surface reconstruction (131 papers)
Reconstructs surfaces from multi-view images with signed or unsigned distance fields and volume rendering. - Textured mesh generation (111 papers)
Generates textured and PBR 3D meshes with generative models and sparse high-resolution representations. - Learned mesh and geometric representations (73 papers)
Designs neural networks that produce meshes and fields with topology, analytic or vector-field representations. - Implicit neural representation design (52 papers)
Studies architectures, spectral bias and Fourier features for implicit neural representations. - Pixel-aligned implicit human and hand reconstruction (39 papers)
Reconstructs humans and hand-held objects with pixel-aligned implicit functions and explicit contact.
Most cited and most cited since 2024:
- DeepSDF: Learning Continuous Signed Distance Functions for Shape Representation (CVPR 2019 · 3,528 citations)
- Occupancy Networks: Learning 3D Reconstruction in Function Space (CVPR 2019 · 2,830 citations)
- MeshGPT: Generating Triangle Meshes with Decoder-Only Transformers (CVPR 2024 · 113 citations)
- Intraoperative 2D/3D Image Registration via Differentiable X-ray Rendering (CVPR 2024 · 47 citations)
3d shape · shapes · object · 403 papers
Approaches in this cluster:
- Primitive-based shape abstraction (99 papers)
Represents shapes with learned primitives, parts and implicit grids for retrieval and generation. - Single-view 3D reconstruction (96 papers)
Reconstructs 3D shape from one or few images with hierarchical priors and generalization to unseen classes. - Articulated and non-rigid shape learning (75 papers)
Learns deformable and articulated shapes and dense correspondence from casual videos and image collections. - 3D shape generative modeling (74 papers)
Generates 3D shapes with deep generative models, latent grids, primitives and text conditioning. - Optimization-based shape matching (59 papers)
Computes shape correspondence using spectral, combinatorial and registration-based solvers.
Most cited and most cited since 2024:
- Learning a Probabilistic Latent Space of Object Shapes via 3D Generative-Adversarial Modeling (NeurIPS 2016 · 1,544 citations)
- Learning Implicit Fields for Generative Shape Modeling (CVPR 2019 · 1,503 citations)
- Diffusion 3D Features (Diff3F): Decorating Untextured Shapes with Distilled Semantic Features (CVPR 2024 · 29 citations)
- Learning the 3D Fauna of the Web (CVPR 2024 · 23 citations)
avatar · human · body · 280 papers
Approaches in this cluster:
- Gaussian and implicit head avatars (115 papers)
Builds animatable head avatars from video using morphable, Gaussian blendshape or implicit representations. - Full-body avatar reconstruction (78 papers)
Reconstructs digital humans and articulated objects from monocular or single-view inputs with diffusion or disentangled modeling. - Clothed human modeling (60 papers)
Models and reconstructs clothing and clothed bodies using implicit surfaces and template decomposition. - Generative textures for 3D humans (27 papers)
Synthesizes editable textures and disentangled geometry-appearance using adversarial and neural rasterization.
Most cited and most cited since 2024:
- Neural Body: Implicit Neural Representations With Structured Latent Codes for Novel View Synthesis of Dynamic Humans (CVPR 2021 · 633 citations)
- Total Capture: A 3D Deformation Model for Tracking Faces, Hands, and Bodies (CVPR 2018 · 548 citations)
- GaussianAvatars: Photorealistic Head Avatars with Rigged 3D Gaussians (CVPR 2024 · 241 citations)
- GaussianAvatar: Towards Realistic Human Avatar Modeling from a Single Video via Animatable 3D Gaussians (CVPR 2024 · 171 citations)
3d face · face reconstruction · faces · 197 papers
Approaches in this cluster:
- 3D morphable face model regression (80 papers)
Regresses morphable face parameters from images using deep networks, graph convolutions and implicit models. - Face reflectance and relightable rendering (85 papers)
Recovers facial reflectance and lighting with inverse and neural rendering. - Speech-driven 3D facial animation (32 papers)
Synthesizes expressive 3D facial motion from audio using discrete priors and probabilistic generation.
Most cited and most cited since 2024:
- RetinaFace: Single-Shot Multi-Level Face Localisation in the Wild (CVPR 2020 · 1,623 citations)
- Face Alignment Across Large Poses: A 3D Solution (CVPR 2016 · 1,211 citations)
- SyncTalk: The Devil is in the Synchronization for Talking Head Synthesis (CVPR 2024 · 76 citations)
- 3D Facial Expressions through Analysis-by-Neural-Synthesis (CVPR 2024 · 48 citations)
Related topics in 3D vision
- Gaussian splatting (841)
- Human pose estimation (1,051)
- NeRF and radiance fields (456)
- 3D generation (1,606)
- Depth and stereo (1,365)