Tafi has teamed up with CGHero to create an exclusive suite of hyper-realistic avatars specifically for use within the open-source O3DE project.
We started Tafi with the dream of making world-class avatar and character systems. Witnessing that dream come true is, well, a dream come true! We have created a powerful tool for developers we call our Astra SDK (software development kit). This means any developer can easily integrate our customizable avatar system into their own product. It’s easy to use and the results are well worth the day or so it takes to implement the package. (Seriously, check out this post to see how fast it took one of our partners to get our SDK up and running!)
If you haven’t heard the news yet, Amazon and others have been cooking up a new game engine project, the Open 3D Engine or O3DE, which is an open-sourced, full-featured, high-fidelity, real-time 3D engine or building games and simulations, with applications across a number of industries. Tafi is just one of many founding members working on the project including a ton of awesome companies like Adobe, Apocalypse Studios, Audiokinetic, Backtrace, io, and others.
AWS (Amazon Workshop) has contributed its Lumberyard AAA gaming engine to the O3DE project under the permissive Apache 2.0 license. This means the existing Lumberyard product will now become the base upon which this growing team of collaborators, us included, can contribute and build this engine into something even more amazing.
Tafi’s Contribution and our Partnership with CGHero
Obviously if there is anything we want to see in an open-source 3D engine, it would be the built-in ability for users to seamlessly take advantage of our character and avatar builder. Good news! That is exactly what we are contributing to the project.
With the help of CGHero, one of the world’s top collaborative marketplaces for CGI content creation, we are thrilled to be introducing the first two of many hyper-realistic 3D models that we will be incorporating directly into O3DE. Designing and creating the perfect, realistic avatar model is a lengthy process. We wanted to give you an inside look at our pilot avatars.
We are thrilled to see the end results as CGHero has met our vision perfectly. The high-fidelity and detail is world-class. Being able to implement avatars of this quality in O3DE is going to help developers create hyper-realistic graphics in their games and other projects.
While this is just a glimpse of what is in the works, there will be many more avatars to come. Ultimately, we want O3DE users to truly enjoy the Tafi avatar experience. That means taking advantage of a character system driven by flexibility, freedom, diversity, and fun!
Currently, our end vision is for O3DE engine users to have access to these avatars and many more, not to mention the ability to leverage Tafi’s amazing character customization system as well. This means every model will be fully customizable with variations possible like hair styles, beads, clothes, and expressions! Wow, it’s gonna be great, huh? We have loved partnering with CGHero and being able to create a diverse cast of unique avatars for the O3DE project.
Why CGHero is the Perfect Fit for Tafi
CGHero was the perfect fit for us and this project because, simply put, they offer it all. With support for over 60 specialized CG related tasks. They have a huge team of “Heroes” or professionally vetted artists from around the world who serve all the 3D and CGI needs of their clients. This means no matter what the requirements of a project, CGHero can pair you with the perfect fit.
Project owners can supervise their Hero themselves, or let CGHero take care of all of that for you. All you really have to do is select the type of project, set your project requirements, and let them get to work. They are easy to work with and provide regular updates and opportunities for feedback, making sure you get exactly what you want.
For Tafi, we needed best-in-class service with the ability to create a diverse range of avatars. Not only that, but we needed them to work flawlessly with our avatar systems, which includes all the highly technical bits of 3D modeling and animation, from concepting, sculpting, texturing, rigging, and facial rigging.
CGHero has risen up to that task with ease. As you can see in the renders above, they are totally rocking it, and we can’t wait to see what they create next.
