Microsoft reveals plans to introduce Mesh avatars to Microsoft Teams next year

Microsoft has recently revealed its plan to enable Teams users to be able to build their own animated avatars which will enable them to meet with colleagues across 3D virtual environments thanks to a partnership with Mesh. 

Mesh which was announced by Microsoft in March, offers tools that allow 2D and 3D virtual environments to be created to be used for both communicating and collaborating.  

At Microsoft’s recent Ignite event, Microsoft stated that it was going to be integrating the mixed reality platform into Microsoft Teams which has now accumulated over 250 million users across the globe. 

So, for those that don’t know what Mesh for Microsoft Teams is? 

Put in simple terms, the integration described above makes it easier for employees to meet via Teams that takes this application far beyond its video calling capabilities. 

Furthermore, individuals have the capability to build their very own 3D avatars to act as them in a virtual environment and communicate with other avatars. To make this even more realistic, you can get your avatar to mimic user gestures, as well as use animation to move its mouth. 

You will find that these avatars will interact in a host of different “immersive spaces” designed to act as meeting rooms. Better still, by having this in place, your product team could build their own virtual space where they could engage more to come up with better ideas. The good thing at the moment is the fact that you don’t need a VR headset to use this new feature, also Mesh for Teams is able to be accessed on both mobile and desktop devices! 

Microsoft has stated that this new feature will start to roll out to Teams users as a preview early next year with the pricing structure to be confirmed shortly. 

Will this feature take off? 

After Microsoft’s plans were revealed, you get the impression that this isn’t some sort of fantasy but something that will be fundamentally much more useful in practice. Making use of existing technology such as webcams and Teams to build these animated avatars is a good starting point – no matter whether it is on your phone, tablet or desktop. 

Next Steps? 

If you are a business that is interested in taking advantage of the above feature, firstly it would be a good idea to implement Microsoft Teams then make sure you get some suitable Teams training which you can do by giving our team of IT experts a call to discuss how we can help you to set this up. 

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