- Roblox introduced two new artificial intelligence (AI) tools to considerably ease the process of creating animated avatars and objects within its metaverse.
- The Avatar Auto Setup and Texture Generator are expected to be game changers in 3D content creation.
Roblox is not resting on its laurels in the metaverse as it continues to build on the expansion of its platform. Recently, the San Mateo, California-based firm unveiled the Avatar Auto Setup and Texture Generator at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. The systems center on providing creators with AI tools that could significantly boost their productivity.
Roblox Avatar Auto Setup
The Avatar Auto Setup allows users to craft animated avatars out of 3D body meshes instantly. The program is still in its alpha stage, but it shows a lot of promise in terms of doing away with the arduous process of setting up fully functioning 3D animated models.
Roblox Texture Generator
The Avatar Auto Texture Generator utilizes generative AI for the modification of 3D objects. It is capable of processing text-based prompts anchored on natural language for forging models similar to how OpenAI’s products like ChatGPT and Sora work. All it needs are descriptive inputs from the user to create them. The platform is presently in its public beta release.
Official Statement of Roblox
Nick Tornow, Vice President of Creator Engineering at Roblox, said the tool aims to empower both indie and professional game studios to “quickly create rich, compelling content on the Roblox platform” from a simple idea to something that the community can enjoy within a shared reality or the metaverse.
“With these tools, creators can focus on creative ideation and less on implementation, enhancing their experiences to grow engagement—and ultimately, their businesses,” stated Tornow.
Meanwhile, Guy de Beer, Chief Operating Officer at Roblox studio Toya Play, highlighted how gen AI is now streamlining content creation in ways never witnessed before. He said the biggest opportunity for its application lies in the company’s art workflows. With a company that’s required to produce “dozens of customer characters each month,” the Avatar Auto Setup is expected to increase the work rate of its team “dramatically.”
“AI changes the creation economy, providing boundless opportunities for creators to bring their creative visions to life,” de Beer added.
Both the Avatar Auto Setup and Texture Generator are now available on the Roblox Studio.
Metaverse Growth
The new projects offer a glimpse into the numerous potentials unlocked by the merger between AI and the metaverse, which have been competing against each other in the past year. It also marks the capability and willingness of Roblox to embrace innovation to keep up with the highly competitive landscape of the digital era.
Despite the metaverse’s setbacks in the past year as it was eclipsed by the great strides made by AI, Statista estimates its resurgence this year with a potential rise of its market cap to $74.4 billion. Furthermore, its compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2024 to 2030 is projected to grow by 37.73% to around $507.8 billion at the end of the decade.