Copresence Enhances 3D Avatar Creation with Launch of New Hair Strand Model

In General XR News

December 18, 2024 – Copresence, a provider of digital avatar generation software, has recently announced the launch of its new hair strand model for its photorealistic 3D avatar platform. The company’s advanced hair strand technology enables avatars scanned using the Copresence app to feature up to 100,000 individual hair strands, enhancing realism for use in tools such as Blender and Unreal Engine.

With the Copresence app, users create their avatar by scanning themselves using a smartphone to capture every unique detail of their face, including their hair. Based on this scan, a 3D model is then created using the company’s AI. Once created, users can export their avatars in popular formats (such as .blend, .fbx, and .glb) ready for integration on platforms like MetaHuman and Rapport. 

This latest update to the Copresence platform now means that scanned avatars now feature realistic hair strands that integrate seamlessly with default shaders in Blender and Unreal Engine, offering users a streamlined workflow for creating more realistic 3D avatars with fully physics-enabled hair simulations. 

Copresence’s technology offers two different types of avatars—the first being its computer graphics (CG) avatars. These CG avatars are designed for modern real-time 3D tools and workflows, delivered as industry-standard 3D assets, according to the company.

Key features of Copresence’s CG avatars include:

• Fully rigged mesh with a complete set of FACS blendshapes, ready for animation with most face tracking and animation tools;
• Optimized mesh topology for real-time rendering;
• High-resolution 4K skin textures;
• Both mesh-based and the newly announced strand-based hairstyles for compatibility across various renderers.

Available download formats include:

• Blender: Suitable for 3D art applications;
• GLTF: Compatible with most game engines, including Unreal and Unity;
• MetaHuman: Avatars can be imported using Copresence’s MetaHuman Unreal Plugin;
• Rapport: For use cases involving building AI assistants.

Copresence’s technology also allows for its AI avatar offering, which the company states “bridge the uncanny valley with near-perfect photorealism, capturing likeness and expressions.” Each avatar is driven by a unique AI model trained to represent the individual, according to Copresence. These fully 3D AI avatars can be integrated into any 3D environment and rendered in real time using the company’s proprietary technology.

Key features of Copresence’s AI avatars include:

• A complete rig with FACS blendshapes, enabling animation similar to CG avatars;
• Real-time rendering on modern commodity hardware;
• Advanced relighting for seamless integration into diverse 3D environments.

Copresence AI avatars are currently in beta and available to select partners for applications such as VFX or interactive AI assistants. However, the company noted that in the future, it expects these avatars to enable immersive telepresence applications.

The recently announced hair strands update is now available through the Copresence app. For more information on Copresence and its 3D avatar technology, please visit the company’s website.

Image / video credit: Copresence / YouTube