Epic Games, creator of the video game ‘Fornite’, has previewed its browser-based software tool that allows developers to create ‘digital people’.
Powered by the company’s Unreal Engine, the MetaHuman Creator offers dozens of hairstyles, ear types, lip curtains and more, allowing users to mix and match to create 3D characters that move and speak as if they were human – all of which can be completed in less than an hour.
The system works by extracting the look and movement of the human from a huge library of variants, which are used as a starting point for developers who can then mix and match the given presets.
Epic says that “if you’re happy with your human,” you can download the digital creation to use in movies, video games, and a variety of apps.
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Epic Games, creator of the video game ‘Fornite’, has previewed its browser-based software tool called MetaHuman that allows developers to create ‘digital people’
Creating digital people isn’t a breakthrough as there are a number of applications that can handle this task, but Epic says MetaHuman allows users to design 3D characters in less than an hour – others can take weeks to months.
Along with its advanced speed, MetaHuman can be opened in a browser, so you don’t have to download any other application to your computer.
“It works by drawing from an ever-expanding library of variants of human appearance and movement, and allows you to create compelling new characters through intuitive workflows that allow you to create and edit the result you want,” said Epic Games on its website.
“As you make adjustments, MetaHuman Creator mixes the actual samples in the library in a plausible, data-constrained way.”
It offers dozens of hairstyles, ear types, lip colors and more, allowing users to mix and match to create 3D characters that move and speak as if they were human – all of which can be completed in less than an hour
The system allows users to choose from a library of presets, including 30 hairstyles and 18 different body types. Epic says that ‘if you are happy with your human’ you can download the digital creation to use in movies, video games and a variety of apps
Creating digital people isn’t a breakthrough as there are a number of applications that can handle this task, but Epic says MetaHuman allows users to design 3D characters in less than an hour – others can take weeks to months.
‘You can choose a starting point by selecting a number of preset faces to contribute to your person from the diverse range in the database.’
The system allows users to choose from a library of presets, including 30 hairstyles and 18 different body types.
Characters can boast of a long beard or bob haircut, as well as go completely bald.
There is also a range of skin tones and other features to choose from.
MetaHuman also enables motion capture and animation techniques that provide the digital creations with lifelike movements and scenes with human interactions that can be used in video games, movies and other applications.
And the digital people can also be manipulated in real time within the browser tool, Epic says.
Characters can boast of a long beard or bob haircut, as well as go completely bald. There is also a range of skin tones and other features to choose from
MetaHuman also enables motion capture and animation techniques that provide the digital creations with lifelike movements and scenes with human interactions that can be used in video games, movies and other applications
Vladimir Mastilovic, VP, Digital Humans Technology at Epic Games, said: “Until now, one of the toughest tasks in creating 3D content has been constructing truly compelling digital people. Even the most experienced performers require a lot of time, effort and equipment just for one character. ‘
“After decades of research and development, and thanks to the fact that we have included companies like 3Lateral, Cubic Motion and Quixel in the Epic family, that barrier is being removed by Unreal Engine and we are excited to introduce MetaHuman Creator.”
Epic also notes that “MetaHuman Creator will be available in the coming months as part of an Early Access program.”