Designing realistic 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-enabled app features several options for creating “MetaHuman” characters, including hairstyles and body types. Users start by selecting between predefined faces and then make adjustments. Once done by the user, the creation can be downloaded using Quixel Bridge for use in Unreal Engine. MetaHuman Creator will be free with Unreal Engine, providing this technology to a much larger potential user group.
You can find a trailer of the app in the tweet included below.
Introducing MetaHumans, the new generation of digital humans. # UE4
Ready for animation and mocap, #MetaHumans you will create it yourself, with the new easy MetaHuman Creator.
Get a look at this innovative new tool: https://t.co/oF9yUcNByn
– Unreal Engine (@UnrealEngine) February 10, 2021
Users will be able to animate these MetaHumans using several different tools, including Unreal’s Live Link Face app for iOS. Epic Games is also working to enable support from vendors such as ARKit, Digital Domain and more. Animations created with a MetaHuman can be used for additional projects, which can save developers even more time. An early access version of the program is currently in operation, but no firm release date has been announced as of this writing.
If MetaHuman Creator actually works as advertised, it could be a major advantage for developers and publishers. Video game development has been growing more and more expensive over the years and the new generation of consoles is leading to more expectations from gamers. MetaHuman Creator could save an immeasurable amount of time, allowing developers to shift their focus to other priorities.
However, there are possible disadvantages. In replies to Unreal Engine’s tweet, some noted their concern that some games had human characters that looked exactly the same. This could be boring quickly and lead to less creativity. It remains to be seen whether or not this will end up being the case, but it will be up to individual developers to make sure they create models that really stand out.
What do you think of MetaHuman Creator so far? Do you think this will be a major advantage for developers? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk about all the games!