New Looks in a New Reality

With the dawn of the metaverse upon us, there are many questions yet unanswered, but perhaps one of the most important ones; what are we going to look like in it? We already know that the metaverse will require avatars to interact with the world, but we have yet to figure out those personalities’ physical attributes. If modern video games are a glimpse into what’s to come, then it is quite exciting, for it would mean that the reign of bipedal apes might be nearing its end.??

Let’s face it, stepping away from reality means that anyone can literally become whatever they may desire. A slice of three-legged toast, a godly figure with diamond eyes, little blue men coated in feathers, among so many more possibilities. They can also choose to look like elves, dwarves, or undead from old-school RPGs. And for the more vanilla individuals out there, they may be interested in keeping their humanity even in the digital realm. This will most likely result in the metaverse being a mix of normal people and crazy-looking ones, a fun concept altogether.?

That said, no matter the physical appearance, all avatars must be built with interoperability in mind, for the metaverse will live and die by its ability to offer all its experiences and open its gates to users from all communities using a single identity; their own. Indeed, a metaverse without interoperability and blockchain is something that is available and largely accessible right now in the form of video games.??

Efforts being made?

There currently are multiple platforms that provide avatar creation services. Of course, we can go at length about 3D character creation software, but those require a technical background as well as powerful computers in order to operate. Software such as Maya, Blender, DAZ 3D, and many others offer the ability to export files according to the user’s need, but mass adoption will come from innovative automated avatar creation platforms. ?

There are multiple platforms that take a photo or offer simple parameter options, and turn the input into a 3D avatar that can be used across social media. This concept isn’t new by any means, but some have managed to take it to a whole new level. Take for instance the platform ReadyPlayerMe, by providing a simple selfie, the user can create a highly customizable avatar. Further, the people behind this project claim that the exported asset can be used across 4250+ apps that support the format they offer, including games. Though impressive, the platform only offers cartoonish avatars. ?

For anyone who wants their avatars to be hyper-realistic, they need to look at Meta’s Pixel Codec Avatar. This new technology can create avatars that replicate real life, and the level of detail is simply impressive. What’s more, this technology exports the avatars fully ready to be injected into Virtual and Augmented Reality as it creates a rendered 3D avatar. It utilizes state-of-the-art modeling technologies to create highly detailed life-like textures, and it automatically applies them onto a 3D skeleton. All of this can be executed in?about 6 hours on average.?

To put this into perspective, let us look at the journey of an artist creating an avatar with similar fidelity. The very first step would be to take over 40 pictures of the desired person and compile them into software such as R3DS which creates a 3D triangulated mesh. Afterward, the artist would have to perform retopology to the 3D figure created for optimization purposes. The following steps come in a series, namely, unwrapping UV, texturing, lighting, and finally rendering. Also, each of these steps requires its own dedicated specialist since the technicalities of each differ greatly. Under the perfect circumstances, the team of specialists would need?up to 10 days, working 7 hours a day, to complete a single character. When we analyze the numbers, the difference in efficiency and cost is emphasized. ?

Further, in the future, this technology will not only allow users to upload exact copies of themselves into the digital world, but they will also be able to scan their belongings and take them along. This will effectively greatly enhance the user experience as they would be able to recreate whatever space they want without any technical background required. ?

Conclusion?

At the end of the day, the metaverse is going to be populated by all sorts of whacky-looking avatars coexisting with regular old humans. That said, the world must feel immersive, and users need to be absorbed into the experience. This is not only accomplished by looks and Virtual Reality but also by the ways these avatars are controlled, for sticking to keyboard and mouse control would be anachronistic in view of the accompanying technologies.