Microsoft Teams Add 3D Avatars

There is great news for Microsoft Team Users because very soon they will be able to create their very own animated avatars to meet their team members in a virtual 3D environment. This will be possible due to the integration of Microsoft’s mixed-reality platform called Mesh.

The Mesh platform was unveiled by Microsoft at the start of 2021 and it provides tools for developing 2D and 3D virtual environments for communication and collaboration. The company has created a dedicated Mesh collaboration app for Microsoft HoloLens users. The integration of Mesh features including avatars is also available to users of AltspaceVR (Microsoft’s Social VR software).

In its recently concluded Ignite event, Microsoft laid out plans to integrate their mixed reality platform with Microsoft Teams which currently has about 250 million users worldwide.

As Mesh has been integrated with the Teams suite, users have access to interesting ways to interact with their colleagues by creating their very own Microsoft animated avatars and they can also interact with the avatars made by the other team members.

These avatars appear lifelike, can replicate the user’s gestures and the mouths of the 3D avatars will also move when the user speaks during the call. According to Microsoft, the avatars will interact in prebuilt immersive spaces that can resemble meeting rooms. Microsoft Teams users can use such spaces to brainstorm ideas on a virtual whiteboard or display prototypes. The best part is that there is no need for a VR headset and Mesh will also be accessible from laptops and smartphones.

Even though the pricing of the Mesh feature has not been released yet, it is set to be released by the second quarter of 2022 for Microsoft Teams users.

According to Microsoft, Mesh for Teams is their take on the metaverse. Nowadays, tech companies are increasingly using the term metaverse to describe virtual environments created by them. Facebook’s answer to Microsoft metaverse is their new project called Horizon Workrooms which is somewhat similar to Microsoft Mesh.

The main goal of introducing Mesh is to make meetings more engaging and it gives users an alternative way to attend meetings without turning on their cameras. As per Microsoft, 3D virtual environments and avatars will also help reduce fatigue that people experience while sitting in front of a camera for extended periods of time. The company also added that virtual environments that are built on the ‘Together Mode’ feature help to create a 2D space that could be used as a conference room.

Vice President of Microsoft Corporate Division Mr Frank Shaw has said that Microsoft Metaverse is like a new-age digital world that is connected to the physical world including things, people, and places and can be used as a bridge to both virtual and physical worlds. He further said that as companies embrace digital transformation, the Microsoft Metaverse will help people to be present in meetings through fun avatars and share digital spaces.

With the Mesh, Microsoft envisioned a future where people will be able to attend meetings in a digital space without the need of being physically present and as per Mr. Shaw, this is the next breakthrough in the category of computing.

Industry insiders have predicted that these new platforms can be revolutionary as moving from 2D to 3D virtual environments/ mixed reality environments is significant and also reflects a larger trend. Access to faster internet speeds will also enable people to be more visual and will also empower gaming environments and will help teams collaborate more effectively.

Before parting, there is a need to address the privacy concerns that come up with every new advancement in technology. Developers that are at the forefront of using and rolling out technologies for the benefit of Microsoft Teams users have to ensure that there are no security threats and privacy of users is protected.