Meta, the company that owns Facebook and makes the Quest VR headset, is working on a new way to create virtual worlds to fill the Metaverse. Currently, Meta's concept of the Metaverse is just getting started and will need plenty of construction done, both in terms of real-world infrastructure and physical devices. Virtual spaces that can make the experience interesting and complete enough to draw in millions of participants will need to be created as well.
Simple three-dimensional models are relatively easy to create with the right equipment and understanding of the tools, but a complete world requires significantly more effort, particularly if it is meant to be used in virtual reality where interaction is possible. Going beyond modeling, textures and lighting must be considered when constructing a scene. Since it begins with a complete void, with no light, objects and sound, nothing can be taken for granted in a computer-generated world.
Meta recently announced work on an AI-enhanced system to help with creating worlds in virtual reality by describing the elements. In a demonstration of the 'Builder Bot' tool, a basic park scene was created by simply saying 'Let's go to a park.' This was switched to a beach scene that had sand, water, and a horizon. Clouds were added with 'let's add some clouds,'' which was refined as altocumulus clouds, a different type than the default that appeared at first. 'Let's add an island over there,' resulted in a small island appearing in the direction the avatar's hand pointed. The results of all of these verbal descriptions appeared within the scene almost immediately. A second person, also appearing in the virtual space as an avatar, began to add more details, with trees, a picnic blanket, and a table with a stereo and drinks on top. Sounds of waves and seagulls were added, along with tropical music to complete the demonstration.
When Will Meta's Builder Bot Arrive?
Meta didn't give any timeline for when its advanced Metaverse constructing Builder Bot will arrive, but it wouldn't be surprising to see early testing begin in the near future. The virtual beach area looks very similar to what can be made in Meta's Horizon Worlds, so it's simply a matter of creating a database of objects, and connecting those 3D models via AI natural language processing to the voice input that is already possible on Quest headsets.
What will be more interesting will be the refinements to this technology and by how much the upcoming Cambria headset can improve the imagery. Horizon Worlds is very cartoonish and not necessarily in a good way. This limitation is completely understandable given that Horizon Worlds is designed to run on older mobile processors. The original Quest headset was released in 2019 and the current version came late in 2020, so Meta is working some magic to provide the quality that is already present. A clearer vision of Meta's plans will come with the launch of the Cambria headset later this year.
Source: Meta/Facebook, Meta/YouTube