Meta's Codec 2.0 avatar and avatar software development kit (SDK) generate photo realistic avatars for users. As long as the content turnover decreases in the next few years, people can use them for daily communication. Or Microsoft, Meta's big technology teammate, has also established a huge cross compatible partnership with the former's Quest product portfolio and the latter's Office 365 solution. After acquiring Activision Blizzard with US $67 billion, Microsoft has begun to compete for the Metauniverse. This major acquisition will help build a future meta universe infrastructure based on serious gaming technology. Other players in the immersive market, such as Pico Interactive with ByteDance, will also launch new avatar development products.
What is an avatar?
From the etymology, the word avatar comes from Sanskrit, meaning "falling", which means that God falls to the earth and becomes a form.
In the computer field, avatars became popular in the 1980s as the screen representatives of Internet users and game players. The mission of Ultima IV: avatar it, a 1985 game, clearly shows that it is necessary to represent users in a real way on the screen.
Developers believe that users should accurately depict themselves in the first person on the screen. This will allow deeper immersion in the characters as they interact with them in the story. This principle also applies to social media, because virtual characters can be visual representations of users in virtual and games. The actions and decisions of avatars are the same as those of their operators. This method first appeared in Neil Stephenson's 1992 science fiction "Avalanche", which first demonstrated the concept of the universe.
Thirty years later, technology companies such as Meta Platforms or Microsoft are trying to realize the vision of a rich meta universe with lifelike avatars. Although avatars are not always real, they are virtual representations of users. They can be of any shape or form, usually with moving limbs and facial expressions. The avatar may look similar or different from the user's real appearance. VR applications may have their own avatar versions according to different use cases.
In addition to simple avatars, Meta Platforms' meta universe will soon introduce customized surreal avatars, which are very similar to facial and body features. They will allow customization of wearable devices, such as clothes, hair, and possibly irreplaceable tokens related to the blockchain.
Type of avatar
Software systems can create avatars to create 3D or 2D virtual environments. Real time three-dimensional avatar (RT3D), which uses sensors to simulate real motion, has become the standard of virtual reality solutions in the past few years. There are two types of avatars:
1. Virtual characters - These characters have upper bodies and arms, and do not require complex leg movements or mobility in real life. They also have a facial tracking function that allows collaboration and emotional communication. These are common on Meta's Horizon Worlds, Microsoft's AltspaceVR, Spatial and other platforms.
2. Full body avatar - Virtual reality hardware uses sensors to replicate and reproduce the movement of the whole body. This provides greater mobility for users to interact with digital assets in the virtual space. This is a complex XR studio used to create movies,
ending
Metauniverse, to a large extent, relies on avatars to reflect users' behavior and psychology in virtual space. They can also achieve the necessary interoperability between many functions of the meta universe. Estonia's Ready Player Me has always been a leader in this technology with its interoperable and highly customized avatar. Microsoft team users can now create personalized avatars for participants using Microsoft Grid technology. In essence, a virtual character is equivalent to a "passport" that people can use to represent their identity. They will soon be connected to blockchain technology to save and create digital wallets and travel around.
