Designing lifelike humans in a video game can be a time-consuming process for video game developers, but the new MetaHuman Creator for Unreal Engine could make it a much simpler process. According to Epic Games, the cloud-streamed app features a number of different options for crafting “MetaHuman” characters, including hairstyles and body types. Users start by selecting from preset faces and then make adjustments. Once the user is done, the creation can be downloaded through Quixel Bridge for use in Unreal Engine. MetaHuman Creator will be free with Unreal Engine, providing this technology to a much greater pool of potential users.
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A trailer for the app can be found in the Tweet embedded below.
Introducing MetaHumans—the next-generation of digital humans. #UE4
Animation and mocap-ready, #MetaHumans will be created by you, using the new easy-to-use MetaHuman Creator.
Get a sneak peak at this groundbreaking new tool:https://t.co/oF9yUcNByn
— Unreal Engine (@UnrealEngine) February 10, 2021
Users will be able to animate these MetaHumans using a variety of different tools, including Unreal’s Live Link Face iOS App. Epic Games is also working to allow support from vendors like ARKit, Digital Domain, and more. Animations created using one MetaHuman can then be used for additional projects, potentially saving developers even more time. An Early Access version of the program is currently in the works, but a firm release date has not been announced as of this writing.
If MetaHuman Creator truly works as advertised, it could be a major benefit to developers and publishers. Video game development has grown increasingly costly over the years, and the new console generation is leading to greater expectations from players. MetaHuman Creator could save an immeasurable amount of time, allowing developers to shift their focus to other priorities.
There are potential downsides, however. In the replies to Unreal Engine’s Tweet, some noted their concern that it could lead to some games having human characters that looked exactly the same. That could quickly become boring, and lead to less creativity. It remains to be seen whether or not that will end up being the case, but it will be up to the individual developers to make sure they create models that truly stand out.
What do you think of MetaHuman Creator thus far? Do you think this will be a major benefit to developers? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!
