Epic Games has acquired Meshcapade, a German AI digital human 3D modeling company derived from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems. Epic Games will also open an office in Tübingen, where Meshcapade is located.
Meshcapade is based on the SMPL (Skinned Multi-Person Linear) human model developed by the institute. This technology is based on thousands of 3D scan data for training and integrates research results from computer vision, graphics, and large model fields, and has become the de facto standard for 3D human modeling in scientific research and industry.
With the support of SMPL, users can create smooth and accurate animated cinematic digital characters with just video input, without needing multi-sensor motion capture suits.
Epic Games Chief Technology Officer Kim Libreri stated: “We aim to lower the barrier to creating realistic, expressive digital characters and make them applicable in real-time across a wide range of fields.
“Leveraging the Meshcapade team and their industry-leading technology, we are expanding our portfolio to include powerful, specialized tools for generating digital humans in games, film, and virtual productions.”
