Microsoft Teams allows users to transform into 3D avatar

Microsoft Teams to allow users to attend meetings as their avatars in 3D even without their webcams

Microsoft Teams has introduced a new feature that will enable users to transform themselves into a 3D avatar during a meeting, especially if they don't want to show themselves.

The company had been testing the feature over the past year but has now officially released them for users to try.

Product manager, Avery Salumbides, said in a blog post, “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”.

Read: Microsoft Teams will transform you into a 3D avatar during meetings

The avatars will animate themselves based on user's voice, even without the need of a webcam on a PC. The new tool is expected to roll out broadly in May.

Working with Microsoft Mesh Platform, the avatars have been considerably improved in terms of skin tone and hair appearance, with customized additions like adding hearing aids, and bindis. Emoji reactions will also be animated based on user's avatar, even when they raise their hand during a meeting or send a thumbs-up.

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