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Custom avatar faces

by Dallas 7. November 2012 09:50

Describes a few software components we currently have working and showcases a couple new scenes:

 

- Goes through Head Customization options.

- Some simple scripts.

- Upper Class Theatre.

- Train Station.

 

Throughout the video he will be highlighting some neat features.

 

 

Leave any comments, feedback and questions. We will try and answer them in our next vlog.

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Demonstrations

Some early screens and plans for Avatars

by James 8. November 2011 09:37

Note from Brian:  I have reviewed this post and before you read it, I want to clarify some things; namely: this post contains materials that are being worked on or planned to be worked on.  Although we do intend to release these features at some point, many of the features will NOT be released with the launch of the new system, and in fact, some features discussed in this post many not be released until the new system has gone through several major updates over the course of months or even years.  We may even choose not to complete or release some of these features at all if we find that it will impact our plans to create and enforce protections of intellectual property rights of designers.

With that disclaimer, here are some of the cool features that the art team has in store!!!

Hey folks!

 So I've been working hard testing out all of the features that we'd like to have in the new closet and Avatar Customization system. And there's a LOT of very cool things that we've been working on.

 Before I go into what's coming, let me assure everyone that we're planning on transferring over ALL of your old outfits, clothing, etc, as part of a big "legacy" system, where everything from the previous client version will be available to you. However it would be silly of us not to take advantage of the superior capabilities of the new engine by re-doing the whole clothing system, and doing it RIGHT this time. We're going to take everything that we've learned through the years of building our current system, and implement it correctly from the start, along with a host of new features. So while we're keep the old system as a legacy to our new users, we hope that people will begin to migrate over to the newer, much more robust system.

 So, here are a few screenshots of some Avatars using a few of the new features that are being developed and tested:

 

You'll notice a resemblance to the "New Style" Avatars in the current client, which were used as a testing bed for a lot of what we want to include in the new system. A couple of the features that we have planned, and that can be seen being tested above are:


1. Customization of Body-shape and Facial Features

It's standard in character editors for games these days to have a large number of sliders to adjust each and every part of your character, to give it the look that you chose. We're going to be including a set of sliders to modify the body and face of your Avatar. For the body the sliders will include the avatar's weight, musculature, hip side, waist size, chest size, and more. For the face the goal is to be able to replicate ANY face using just a set of sliders. You'll be able to change the shape and size of the nose, eyes, mouth, cheeks, brow, jaw, chin and more.

 

2. Age, Musculature and More

Since our new platform contains the ability to use Normal Maps (a technique used by 3D artists to give the illusion of depth to flat surfaces in games) we'll be able to add a set of customization sliders for things such as age, muscle definition, dimples, scars, and more. By moving a slider, these normal maps will be "ramped up", allowing your Avatar to have more defined wrinkles and muscles. This way you'll be able to customize an avatar of any age and appearance.

 

3. Better Transparency in Hair and Clothing

There are many techniques widely being used in 3D engines these days that were not possible to implement in the older ones. Our new system supports MUCH greater sorting of alphas and transparencies in meshes. This means that the amount and quality of hair-styles that are possible will greatly increase.

 

4. Dynamic Clothing and Hair

The new engine allows for dynamic movement of clothing and hair. This means that as you run and move, your clothing and hair will be able to move realistically along with your avatar, bouncing and flowing. This is, however, a processing intensive feature, and so will be able to be turned on and off for those running on a variety of machines.

 

5. Customization of Clothing Colours and Textures

When the new clothing system launches, it will launch with a closet of clothing designed to take full advantage of the closet's possible features. Users will be able to select a "base mesh" for their clothing (e.g. a jacket, or a shirt, or coat, or a pair of pants), and customize the textures, colours, and designs on that piece of clothing. Want a red shirt with a blue polkadot pattern? No problem. Want to change the stripes on a shirt to a darker shade of green? Not a problem either. Have a specific design that you want emblazoned on the front of a T-Shirt? Just upload it and place it on the avatar, all in the client. The goal is to allow everyone, even those without any artistic experience, a full suite of customization tools.

 

6. Advanced tools and options for those with 3D and 2D experience

Perhaps the most exciting new feature is the planned ability for ANYONE with suitable 3D modeling experience to upload their own clothing meshes for use and sale. While the default closet will launch with a wide range of basic clothing to be customized, the most stylish and fashionable outfits will undoubtedly come from our skilled user base. While the ability to upload a custom texture onto an existing clothing mesh will of course still exist, users will now be able to upload and entire mesh itself for personal use and distribution. This won't be something that just anybody can do, but we will be providing a set of tools and scripts for use in 3D modeling programs to streamline the process of getting your custom mesh integrated with our avatar system.

 

7. Custom Animations

As well as uploading custom meshes for clothing and accessories, we will also be opening up the ability to upload your own custom animations. Don't like the style in which your character is walking? Upload a new walk cycle to override your default. Users with animation experience will be able to animate our avatars and upload their animations for use and sale in whatever way they can dream.

 

So hopefully you can all be as excited as I am to see all these new features. The goal is to allow complete user customizability, so that a user can have his or her avatar look any way that they want it to be. We want to include as much as possible for a basic user to customize his avatar using our closet, but then to allow more artistic and entrepreneuring users to custom design their avatar any way they can imagine. If you want to add giant wings, tails, elaborate gowns, extra limbs, anything can be done.

 

-James3D 

 

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