Topic collection / 32 stories
Work through formats, rigs, tracking and capture. Start with the job you need to do, then look at the tool that does it.
A good place to start
The October 2021 stable release expanded face and outfit controls while asking beta creators to convert existing models.
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32 stories
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explainer 2018
Pixiv launched VRoid Hub in 2018 as a place to present, license and call 3D characters into connected services. That made publication settings and usage conditions a distinct creative step after authoring in VRoid Studio or another tool.
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explainer 2015
Adobe acquired Mixamo in 2015 with a plan to make 3D characters and animation easier to use in design work. The current service shows both the appeal and the boundary of that promise: a repeatable humanoid workflow with strict input requirements.
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explainer Reference
Tracking gear is not one ladder from cheap to premium. Map what each sensor observes, where it computes, how it travels and what the avatar can actually use.
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explainer Reference
A black rectangle, vanished model or clipped prop usually belongs to a specific stage: avatar renderer, capture method, transparency setting, crop or scene stack.
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explainer Reference
A migration is not a rename-and-save ritual. Check the destination app first, preserve the old file, then inspect expressions, gaze, spring motion, materials and permission metadata.
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explainer Reference
A runtime export, editable source, tracking configuration and show scene fail in different ways. Preserve them as one labelled release, then prove the restore on a clean path.
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research 2025
German Sign Language users preferred the idea of customization, but an adjustable avatar did not significantly improve comprehension or experience and demanded more effort.
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research 2025
A research avatar can become cartoon, yarn or toy. The harder question is who decides that the result still feels like them.
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platform watch 2025
Sony's 2025 XYN announcement joined higher-density motion capture, automatic interpolation, tagging and timeline editing for 3D creators.
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platform watch 2024
After an October open beta, VRoid Studio 2.0 formally released dress-up and XWear with fitting, export and packaging paths.
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platform watch 2024
NVIDIA's 2024 release packaged speech, language, facial animation and rendering services for companies building interactive digital people.
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explainer 2024
The 2024 Genies Tool Kit combined an avatar framework, persistent traits and automatic rigging for creator-built experiences.
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platform watch 2024
Epic's 2024 UEFN integration let creators import MetaHumans as NPCs and apply captured facial animation to them or to Fortnite characters.
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platform watch 2024
Avatar Auto Setup’s alpha moved rigging, caging, segmentation and skinning closer to the modeler’s first upload.
Read the storyplatform watch 2024
Sony's 2024 update added a direct PC workflow for VRChat, SlimeVR integration and more avatar import options to its six-sensor capture system.
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research 2024
Spoken2Sign turns text into an animated signer. Following the steps reveals what a polished character can show—and what it can hide.
Read the storydispatch 2023
Live2D's September 2023 editor release paired assisted facial setup and MotionSync with changes to the workspace itself.
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platform watch 2023
Warudo’s July 2023 Early Access release combined tracking, scenes, audience interactions and programmable blueprints in one 3D performance tool.
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platform watch 2023
Microsoft’s May 2023 release brought customizable animated stand-ins into eligible Teams meetings.
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dispatch 2022
Adobe's June 2022 mode offered sample puppets and a simpler route from camera or voice to an exported scene.
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dispatch 2021
NVIDIA’s 2021 announcement joined speech, vision, language and animation into interactive avatar demonstrations.
Read the storydispatch 2021
The October 2021 stable release expanded face and outfit controls while asking beta creators to convert existing models.
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dispatch 2021
Epic’s 2021 early-access release offered a browser route to rigged digital humans that could move into Unreal Engine.
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platform watch 2021
The March 2021 Steam release packaged face tracking, prop attachment and model import around Live2D VTuber performance.
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platform watch 2020
Holotech launched Animaze into Steam Early Access in November 2020 as FaceRig’s successor for live avatar video.
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explainer 2018
The VRM 0.x specification defined a glTF-based package for humanoid models, including bones, expressions and usage metadata.
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platform watch 2018
Samsung’s 2018 account connected selfie-based avatar creation, face tracking and exported reaction formats.
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dispatch 2015
Adobe’s 2015 preview connected camera, microphone and layered artwork so a performer could animate an original character.
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platform watch 2014
FaceRig’s August 2014 public beta offered an affordable way to drive an avatar with a webcam and send the result into everyday video channels.
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explainer Reference
Rehearsal reveals what a commission brief cannot: how you actually want to perform.
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explainer Reference
The project's documented Creator-to-Session path gives 2D avatar makers an open specification, with practical import and compatibility limits.
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explainer Reference
A 3D face that loads, a camera that tracks it and an output OBS can capture: three different checks before the show starts.
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