Customizable Avatars

[filharvey]

hi all,

I thought I would share with you a small little project that I'm working on. Basically years ago I wrote a small 3d desktop pet, which would play on somebody's dekstop. Well every so often I go back and do some more things with it, getting to work better etc...

Anyway, the latest version is turning into a Fully customizable Avatar IM. The plans are for the Avatar to be your Instant Messenger, and have a load of other features. Allowing you to play animations and interactions while chatting to your friends.

Other things, will be allowing for the avatar to change his / her / its look when the user wants it to.

Well the first part is nearly complete, that is the 3D avatar linking in will all the major IM's around.

The next bit which I'm looking at getting ready, is a simple API, which will allow for developers to use the Avatar inside of their games. Ie, it would be a small library or something for developer to link into, which will allow for the character information to be grabbed from the web, and allow the game to render the Avatar inside it. Think playing a online poker game, with everyone there dressed as they want to, and not a predefined character.

Well, if I expand on this side of things, would you guys possibly be interested, once an API is developed to look at this and maybe use it?

Another feature which I'm trying to get in as well, is a XFire like feature, which will allow for chat between friends in game.

Anyway, would like to hear from anyone who could be interested in something like this.


Thanks

Phil

[Genimo]

Hi Phil,

This is very cool! We are also working on a "pet project" of a 3D desktop puppy :) but ours is just a "stupid" pet to play with. Your's sounds much "smarter" :) And also I really like your idea of an API and game integration, so people can use it as an in game avatar!

I look forward to see what will you can come up with!

Regards,
David

[Davaris]

Interesting. Can I ask what you're writing this in? Is it in software mode? If not what is it, Open GL or domething else? The reason I'm asking is I'm wondering if it will be compatible with other engines.

I would love to get a program that can take a 3D mesh and animation file and play the animation onto a 2D surface that I could use in real time in a 2D game engine. This would speed up the production of my games.

[filharvey]

Interesting. Can I ask what you're writing this in? Is it in software mode? If not what is it, Open GL or domething else? The reason I'm asking is I'm wondering if it will be compatible with other engines.

I would love to get a program that can take a 3D mesh and animation file and play the animation onto a 2D surface that I could use in real time in a 2D game engine. This would speed up the production of my games.


At the moment the main render will be D3D. But for the API, I will be providing a render for both D3D and openGL. Also at the basic level, you will have access to the model / mesh and be able to do what you want with it.

A software render will also be looked at, later, and will be easy to write and provide if that is what is needed.


Phil