With the rise of virtual meetings, many people continue to choose to leave the camera off. And this is the subject of complaints from other people, who say they want to feel the presence of the person beyond the static profile image. To remedy this conflict, Microsoft announced that, in May, it will make available the option to create a 3D animated avatar for Teams.
The 3D avatars are a component of “Mesh,” an initiative that Microsoft announced in late 2021. And not only will characters be made available, but virtual workspaces accessible via VR for watching presentations will also be available.
Among the options for customizing your avatar just like a character from The Sims are skin color, hair types and hairstyles, clothes and facial features.
Microsoft said in late 2021 that early versions of these avatars would only be animated when users are talkingbut eventually the company wants them to be able to mimic users’ real-world facial expressions and movements as captured by their webcams.
Mesh for Teams was initially supposed to launch in 2022, but layoffs and waning interest in the metaverse may have delayed those plans. Additionally, the company’s focus as of late has been on including AI capabilities in all of its products, which may also have been one of the reasons for the delay.