Tools to watch in Fall 2024: Metatailor
CG Channel is on holiday this week. While we’re away, check out five tools that caught our eye this year, but that somehow, we never managed to do a story on. Today: a neat way to transfer clothing from one 3D character to another – or even from one application to another.
Metatailor caught a lot of eyes in the CG community when it launched late last year. Hologress’s Unity-based application promises to streamline the process of dressing 3D characters, automatically fitting 3D clothing – both custom garments and stock assets from online libraries – to 3D avatars, exporting the results as game-ready outfits.
Version 2.0, currently in beta, and due for release shortly, promises to refine that toolset further.
What is it?
Billing itself as “3D clothing, made easy”, Metatailor is a Unity-based tool for fitting 3D garments to humanoid avatars, making it possible to convert outfits between characters and host apps.
What kind of artists is it aimed at?
Primarily games artists, but also “virtual fashion creators, and anyone interested in 3D content customization”, including motion graphics, previs, animation and VFX artists.
Why is it notable?
Metatailor generated a lot of attention in the CG community when it launched late last year, with eye-catching demo videos like the one above getting over a million views.
At GDC, it was shown in use on Shrapnel, Neon Machine’s upcoming “AAA extraction shooter”.
What are its selling points?
Metatailor imports “any 3D wearable”, including stock content from online asset stores, and auto-fits it to any bipedal 3D character, intelligently layering and skin-weighting the outfit.
Users can refine the results using the software’s sculpt brushes, attach accessories like weapons, then export to DCC applications or game engines.
The exported asset is game-ready, and should animate realistically in-engine.
What are its key technical features?
Users can import avatars in FBX format, and clothing and props in FBX and OBJ format. It exports in FBX format, with textures in PNG or TGA format.
It should be compatible with most major DCC tools: Hologress’s videos namecheck, Blender, Daz Studio, iClone, Unity and Unreal Engine 5, including MetaHuman characters.
What new features are planned?
Metatailor 2.0, currently in beta, will update the in-app marketplace, with artists able to sell assets through it, and the option to combine clothing into assemblies to ‘kitbash’ outfits.
Other upcoming features include real-time avatar interoperability, a revamped physics system, and a decal painting system. You can see sneak peeks in the livestreams archived on YouTube.
What are its system requirements?
Metatailor is a standalone Windows application.
How much does it cost?
Free accounts get access to the base features, and up to three FBX exports per month.
Pro subscriptions currently cost $35/month or $336/year, add advanced features and custom exports, and support an unlimited number of exports.
Where can I find more information?
You can find video tutorials to get you started on the Metatailor YouTube channel. The developers are also active on the Discord server.
Read more about Metatailor on the product website
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