3D Avatars finally Land on Microsoft Teams 🎭😎

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Avatars are already present  in our lives, but they hadn’t yet taken over the Teams collaborative application. It’s now done! Already announced in 2021 by the Redmond firm, these 3D virtual characters will appear from May for all Microsoft Teams users. They will also be accompanied by new video filters.

3D avatars in preview : Inbetween playful and friendly 💻🎭

Microsoft has confirmed in a blog post the availability of avatars. After testing them last year, the 3D avatars, created by the Microsoft Mesh branch, are ready to be used by users who use the public beta.

This is good news for those like me who don’t want to systematically activate their camera during each meeting but still want to participate actively while bringing a more playful and friendly touch 😉.

These 3D avatars animate according to your words and intonations, and they also respond with gestures that match the reaction emojis you use in Teams. According to Microsoft, it will be possible to make your avatar react in real time with a single click during a conversation.

They are customizable, with a wide range of morphological, hair, aesthetic and clothing options. Not to mention the environment in which they evolve. It is even possible to give them a mood.

« Avatars for Microsoft Teams offers an alternative to the current binary option of video or no video. Avatars for Teams gives you that much-needed camera break, while still allowing you to collaborate effectively. » explains Avery Salumbides of Microsoft.

How to benefit from it🤔⁉

To test the 3D avatars of Microsoft Teams, the public beta remains the only way to access. It is possible to use this preview version :

• by clicking, directly in Teams, on the menu in the form of three dots at the top, just to the left of your profile picture.
• Then choose « About » where the option to upgrade to the beta version may be offered.
• Then you need to install the Teams Avatars application. It is located in the Applications tab, in the left sidebar.
• Once this is done, open the application. You will then be able to create and customize your 3D avatar to your liking.

How to join a meeting ⁉

Once the Avatars application is installed in Teams, you will be able to join a video conference with your new alter ego. Note that you don’t need to turn on your webcam to enjoy 3D avatars, or even own one. After joining a meeting and before it starts, you will find the Effects and Avatars option under the video preview. Turn off your webcam and select your avatar, or create one.

If you are already in a video conference, you can also switch from the webcam to the avatar.

• To do this, click on the menu in the form of three plus dots,
• Choose Effects and Avatars, then Avatars on the right of your screen. Three 3D avatars are available by default, but it will always be possible to edit them or create one.

New video filters available💻

It’s not always easy to show up live, especially when you’re in a noisy, crowded or otherwise unsuitable environment. Microsoft is responding to these issues with new video filters designed to « provide a more immersive and professional meeting experience, » as stated in a recent article published by the American giant. They can be activated before or during a meeting with one click and will be available to all users, regardless of the version of Teams used.

Microsoft improves the performance of Teams✅

Beyond this announcement about 3D avatars, Microsoft also announced improvements to Teams. « The new Teams is faster, simpler and more flexible than it has ever been, » explained Sumi Sing, an engineer at Microsoft. The application is said to be twice as fast and now uses half as many resources. This is a response to complaints from some users that Teams is slower and uses less energy.

So go ahead😍

Sources : Microsoft, IT Connect