Digital human avatars and cloud-based technology platform Didimo has launched Popul8, a generative AI tool for game developers and artists.
Popul8 accelerates game production with the ability to instantly create game characters in a fraction of the time of conventional manual methods. The new tool enables the mass population of a variety of NPCs or primary characters. Popul8 is built on Didimo’s avatar creation pipeline, making 3D game character creation quick, while still allowing character artists and game developers full control over design.
“With Popul8, Didimo is improving game development in a way not possible before,” says Sean Cooper who is leading client integration of the new tool at Didimo. “It gives studios a powerful Al tool to accelerate high-quality 3D character creation with unmatched speed and scale.
“By streamlining the character creation process, we’re unlocking the ability for artists to create richer worlds, with character diversity, at a fraction of time and necessary technical resources.”
Giving game developers creative control
Using Popul8, artists can create animatable, diverse 3D characters instantly. Artists can also ingest template characters from a game to direct generation styles in the game’s aesthetics to maintain its uniqueness. From there, artists can fine-tune characters for the game’s look and style choosing from comprehensive character creator options.
CEO and founder Veronica Orvalho says, “From research and development over the past decade, we have been able to harness incredible technology in a way that game developers can easily leverage to remove tedious work and focus on building whole new modes of gameplay.
“And with our continuing focus to make digital spaces available to everyone by allowing more diverse, representative, authentic and personal engagement, this platform is setting the standard for positive uses of Al generation.”
Isa Muhammad is a writer and video game journalist covering many aspects of entertainment media including the film industry. He's steadily writing his way to the sharp end of journalism and enjoys staying informed. If he's not reading, playing video games or catching up on his favourite TV series, then he's probably writing about them.