Microsoft Teams adds 3D avatars for people who want to turn off their webcams

There are many reasons to turn off your camera during a Zoom or Teams meeting—maybe you’re cleaning your office and don’t want to look like you’re not paying attention, or your child is climbing all over you, or you just haven’t showered yet and don’t want to show co-workers how disheveled you are.

For people who want to share the difference between showing up on camera and turning it off, Microsoft will be adding 3D animated avatars to Microsoft Teams in May, according to the Microsoft product roadmap. 3D avatars are a component of “Mesh,”an initiative that Microsoft announced back in late 2021, when the “Metaverse”hype was at its peak. As originally envisioned, Mesh will include not only 3D Teams avatars, but also virtual workspaces accessible via VR so that people working remotely can experience the joy of sitting in a meeting room while someone hums in front of a PowerPoint presentation.

The roadmap update doesn’t include the full list of features, but previous Mesh announcements for teams have shown avatars with customizable body types, skin tones, hair color and hairstyles, clothing, and facial features. Microsoft said in late 2021 that initial versions of these avatars would only animate when users speak, but ultimately the company wants them to be able to mimic real-life facial expressions and user movements captured by their webcams.

Mesh for Teams was originally supposed to roll out in 2022, but layoffs at Microsoft, a general cooling of interest in everything related to Metaverse, and the gradual return of employees to the offices could all interfere with these plans. Microsoft is also at the forefront of a company-wide effort to incorporate AI features into all of its products, which could knock Mesh down a spot or two on its priority list.