Computer-generated digital people seem to be leaving the incredible valley fast. Just take a look at Unreal Engine’s impressive new MetaHuman Creator, which lets you create photorealistic “fake” people in minutes.
Unreal Engine has published the video above, which is the best example we have ever seen for a demonstration of technology that can depict realistic human faces and bodies to the extent that it is very possible to see a future where this technology so real looks like reality. The company calls it MetaHuman Creator, and it’s being released this year.
Below are some examples of ‘people’ created with the software:
For those unfamiliar, Unreal Engine is a real-time platform for creating 3D graphics owned by Epic Games Studios. This is the core of many video games and is regularly updated over time. It was first deployed in 1998 in the first person shooter game, Unreal (hence its name), but has since seen it used. The landscapes that were previously depicted indescribably with clear polygons evolved along with computing power to give us an exceptional almost lifelike graphics.
Although video games are more and more advanced, they contain even the most technically impressive people who are of course computer generated people. While it is possible that the studios make the most human look possible, most players have not yet struggled with games that actually look like movies or reality. Gameplay is often more important than graphics in the long run, but that has not stopped the developers of the Unreal Engine from constantly trying to print the envelope, as graphics demonstrations are usually the best way to see a new video game.
In the published demo, there are a few faces that still give off the incredible valley effect, but a few others that, if not interrupted and thoroughly examined, look extremely real. Compare these images with those made in the Unreal Engine just three years ago:
This is without a doubt a huge leap in progress.
Last year, Unreal showed a demonstration that facilitates the development of the developer’s work in lighting, which, along with ray tracing, creates some amazing and realistic landscapes.
The combination of how fully artificial scenes can look like photographs with lifelike lighting and reflections, gives artists the ability to create truly realistic landscapes.
What does this mean for photography? For now, camera sets are probably safe, but it’s not clear if that will always be the case. Earlier this year, Shutterstock docked 3D rendering agency TurboSquid for $ 75 million and a quick review of the company’s assets shows that many of the objects that can be purchased and implemented in various 3D scenes are shockingly lifelike.
In some cases, entire rooms are made entirely of TurboSquid 3D assets and look completely genuine.
The only thing these rooms are missing are humans, and if Unreal’s technology continues to evolve at the current rate, there’s no reason to believe that we are not just a few short years away from the fact that many completely fictional TurboSquid’s people asset library does not fill. One day, and one day, soon, companies may argue that they no longer need real people for photo shoots. This will undoubtedly be a sincere topic of conversation.
Eventually, many of the companies go along with everything that is cheaper.