| customization | Somnium Space | Unity SDK | user generated content | virtual reality |
Users visiting the virtual world of Somnium Space can now potentially do this with custom avatars that look exactly like themselves. Somnium Space has integrated a software development kit allowing anybody to create their own avatars. Players can use these creations freely, or they can sell them on the Ethereum blockchain.
Users will need to download Unity Hub 2019.2.4 and the Avatar SDK made by Somnium Space. The team behind the blockchain-powered virtual world has a whole set of requirements for their Somnium Space custom avatars. Therefore it’s advised to read up before diving into development head first.
The customization options for these user created avatars go deep. Users will be able to add dynamic bones, particles, finger tracking in VR and even lip synchronization for audio. Despite all these options, don’t expect to see Homer Simpson and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to be running around soon in Somnium Space. They will only allow approved avatars into their system.
What is Somnium Space?
Somnium Space is a virtual world in which landowners can build whatever they want to. The program registers landownership on the Ethereum blockchain. In addition all players can visit these creations and interact with each other. The developers have created Somnium Space with VR headsets in mind, even though players can also access to world through their desktop or laptop.
Value of land in Somnium Space has been increasing incredibly over the past months. In March the cheapest parcel sold for 2 ETH, nowadays you need to pay almost double. We can also see this increased demand for virtual land in other virtual worlds and even in blockchain-powered video games. League of Kingdoms, Brave Frontier Heroes and Axie Infinity are just a few of the examples that offer digital land to their players.
Virtual worlds allowing more customization
Players can always customize their characters inside a video game. Sometimes this customization is limited to choosing a gender (Assassin’s Creed). In other games players are allowed to choose gender, race, and all kinds of facial and body features (Mass Effect). Virtual worlds are also moving into that same direction, but add even more player choice to the mix.
As long as avatars follow the rules set by each virtual world, players can create their own avatars. In Somnium Space users need to use Unity, while The Sandbox has VoxEdit for a similar purpose. Decentraland allows quite a comprehensive avatar editor, and users can customize their in-world character by acquiring all kinds of wearables, including shirts and crazy hats. Each of these items is a non-fungible token, giving them a sense of rarity and therefore value.
Robert Hoogendoorn is a gamer and blockchain enthusiast. He got in touch with crypto in 2014, but the fire really lit in 2017. Professionally he’s a content optimization expert and worked for press agencies and video production companies, always with a focus on the video games & tech industry. He’s a content manager and creator at heart, working on Play to Earn and for a variety of third party magazines and websites.
