The Meta Avatars graphics overhaul is now live in Horizon Worlds, Resident, and Workrooms, and the software development kit (SDK) for third-party apps has been updated as well.
At Meta’s annual gathering in 2020, Mark Zuckerberg unveiled the company’s long-term overhaul with a pre-rendered prototype.
Customers utilizing Meta’s services have the capability to enhance their avatars by accessing the edit feature through the Meta Horizon mobile app or the Horizon OS on a Quest headset. As you log in to Horizon platforms, your newly updated avatar awaits, ready to shine within the virtual confines of Horizon Residence, Horizon Worlds, and Horizon Workrooms.
The latest version of the Meta Avatars SDK, featuring updated avatars, is now available for developers of third-party Unity applications. The main applications currently utilizing Meta Avatars SDK include GOLF+, Eleven Table Tennis, and Dead by Daylight: The Cabin.
By March 30, apps relying on outdated Meta Avatars must migrate to the new SDK model, or face the possibility of those avatars failing to load, replaced instead by a blank gray placeholder.
While the Meta Avatars SDK currently lacks compatibility with popular game engines like Unreal and Godot, it also does not support local development for custom engines, leaving users without an option for integration.
In the coming year, Meta plans to enable users to create a bespoke virtual wardrobe for their avatars through a text-based interface that leverages generative artificial intelligence. Meta claims that in Horizon Worlds and beyond, it will facilitate the creation of “fanciful avatars” – a new genre of non-human personas that users can unlock within specific virtual environments.
