Unreal’s Metahuman Animator: developing avatar realism.

Epic Games has debuted its new Metahuman Animator technology, which enables users to create their own avatars from scratch. Epic had explained that the animator is a tool that anyone will be able to conveniently use regardless of how much animation experience they have.

This technology could prove a step up from existing avatar creation platforms such as Ready Player Me, which go for a more animated style rather than a realistic one. Metahuman Animator allows animators to reproduce facial performances as high-fidelity animation for Metahuman characters, setting the tool apart from avatar creators that exist today.

How will this tool benefit consumers upon its release?

• Digital Twins: Due to the tool’s capability to generate facial rigs from just three frames of footage, accurate digital twins can be created for use in gaming and other virtual world in mere minutes.

• Accurate try-ons: The development of this technology could also allow for an increase in the accuracy and realism of virtual try-on experiences with regards to sizing suggestions and added realism to clothing items in AR.

• Security: The Metahuman framework could enable developers to utilize facial rigging in order to increase privacy in the virtual world by way of implementing facial recognition systems to add an extra layer of security for users.

Although no launch date has been confirmed for the Animator tool, Epic expects it to be released in the next couple of months. Until the official launch of the tool, it remains to be seen just how effective the Metahuman animator is with regards to bettering user experiences and security in the Metaverse.

What do you think of this announcement?