Hi GameDev folks! 

We're back with another about for Avatar SDK. Today we are releasing the official Avatar SDK Unity plugin!

The Avatar SDK for Unity is a robust plug-n-play toolset which enables developers to integrate realistic AI-powered user-generated avatars into their Unity-based applications. With Avatar SDK Unity plugin you can allow players to create their own avatars in your application or integrate the SDK into your production tools and processes, i.e. 3D character design and animation.

Since the beta release, we’ve added some very exciting features like support of facial blendshapes, detailed facial features (eyes, mouth and teeth) and hair recoloring, reduced the avatar cloud computation time and introduced the new “offline” version of the Unity plugin. See the full list down below. We now offer the plugin in two flavors: “Cloud” and “Offline”. The “Cloud” version requires an external server for avatar generation and the “Offline” version supports local avatar calculations on a client machine.

Key features of the Avatar SDK for Unity (applicable to both cloud and offline versions):

• Automatic generation of a color 3D face model from a single selfie photo in 5-10 seconds (!). Works best with selfies, but can be used with any portrait photo.

• Shape and texture of the head model are unique for each person, synthesized with a deep learning algorithm crafted by computer vision experts

• Head models support runtime blendshape facial animations (45 different expressions)

• Generated 3D heads include eyes, mouth, and teeth

• Algorithms synthesize 3D meshes in mid-poly resolution, ~12k vertices, and ~24k triangles

• Six predefined hairstyles with hair-recoloring feature (many more available on request)

• Avatar generation API can be used in design-time and in run-time, which means you can allow users to create their own avatars in your game

• Cloud version is cross-platform, and offline version currently works on PCs with 64-bit Windows (support for more platforms is coming soon)

• Well-documented samples showcasing the functionality.

A quick demonstration of the how the plugin works:

And here is an example of the facial expressions that you can create with our blendshapes:

Availability

Cloud Unity plugin

To get the Cloud Unity plugin, sign up or sign in with at https://accounts.avatarsdk.com, choose a plan (Free, Indie, Plus, Pro) depending on how many avatars per month you need, then go to the Unity3D plugin tab on the Developer page and click “Download”. Please note, that the cloud version requires a small payment for every generated avatar to keep the servers running. Check the pricing here: https://avatarsdk.com/#pricing.

A few important changes in pricing:

• While we’re still offering a Free plan for our Cloud SDK, from now on all 3D models will be watermarked with an Avatar SDK logo. Our existing users will still be able to generate models without watermarks until the 15th of January 2018. Please make sure to sign up for a non-free plan before this date to continue using Avatar SDK for any purpose other than testing or evaluation.

• In celebration of the Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the upcoming holiday season, we’re offering a 60% discount for our Indie plan! Sign up before December 6, 2017 11:59 PM EST and get a full set of features for just $20/month! If you sign up for this plan now you can stay on it after the offer expires. The discount applies to the monthly payment only, the extra avatars prices are the same.

Offline Unity plugin

Unlike the Cloud version, the Offline plugin is unlimited, so you can generate as many avatars as you need for your project. The Offline plugin is available by request, please contact us at support@itseez3d.com.

As always, if you have any questions or feedback about the Avatar SDK, please feel free to reach out to us!

itSeez3D team