AIP-453: All ApeCoin holders get 3D avatars: 3D Avatar Generator compatible with ApeChain and Otherside

PROPOSAL NAME:

All ApeCoin holders get 3D avatars: 3D Avatar Generator compatible with ApeChain and Otherside

TEAM DESCRIPTION:

Led by ToxSam, CEO of Polygonal Mind and seasoned character artist and Cynnx, COO of Polygonal Mind. Polygonal Mind is the creative studio behind the development of the official BAYC 3D Avatars among many other creative developments. We run a professional studio of 3D artists and game developers with experience developing in Web3 and metaverse platforms since 2019.

Some of our studio highlights are:

  • Designed, developed and delivered the 10,000 BAYC 3D Avatars to Yuga Labs in 2023.
  • Created the 100Avatars collection (initially off-chain) in 2018, which has some of the most used avatars in VRChat, our avatars are used by more than 50k people everyday in VRChat alone.
  • Created the first 3D Avatars collection minted in Ethereum, CryptoAvatars, created in September 2020.
  • Our own 3D Avatars NFT platform, VIPE, with more than 250k avatars is the largest of its kind and it’s integrated with several virtual worlds like Nifty Island, OnCyber, Hyperfy, Dverso, Pavia, Voidge, Hubzz and others.
  • Only non-Japanese member of the VRM Consortium, under CryptoAvatars SL. The VRM is the file format that standardised 3D avatars across hundreds of applications.
  • We’ve developed virtual world experiences or avatar developments for known brands in both Web3 (Yuga Labs, The SandBox, Decentraland, CyberKongz, Broadside, etc) and Web2 (Forbes, Doritos, Tommy Hilfiger, Mtn Dew, Santander, etc).
  • Delivered over 70,000 avatars to several collections, brands and clients in 2023 alone and over 100,000 at this moment in 2024.

Our contact information:


[Image render approved by Yuga Labs PR team]

PROPOSAL DESCRIPTION:

A 3D Avatar Generator, OtherSide compatible, powered and branded by ApeCoin DAO, supported on ApeChain with tokenized accessories (traits) to combine together and generate a 3D Avatar. The ultimate tool to onboard the whole ApeCoin community into Otherside and enable builders to have characters for their ApeCoin-branded developments (any game funded by the DAO for example).

Over the last 12 months we’ve developed a web-based system technology to mix and match accessories into a character and generate a completely functional and interoperable 3D avatar.

We have the technology working and published for anyone to try here with very light-weight optimized and anime-style models: https://vipe.io/myvipe. It’s a character creator like you would expect in many games, but it’s web-based and generates and exports a fully functional avatar.

Initially we’ll set the whole inventory for free, simply tokengated for ApeCoin holders to use. If the DAO chooses to, we can set up mints of new accessories that fund back to the DAO. In either case, we believe that by owning ApeCoin, people should have an inventory available by default.

Getting immediate access to the avatar unlocks infinite possibilities for holders to create content with them, do VTubing, animations, streaming, video calls and much more.

Since we did the BAYC avatars, the target tech specs for these avatars would be the same, delivered in FBX and VRM and fit for Otherside. Compatibility with OtherSide as of today is mainly based on making these new avatars with the same tech specs as the official BAYC avatars. This means: same file format, similar size, same texture size, same armature, similar bounds, etc. Another good thing is that we’re among the studios getting early access to the OtherSide SDK (ODK) so we’ll be able to test these features too.

If the community strongly recommends it, we can look to increase the scope to have every single piece of the puzzle have an additional low poly version so there’s a second version avatar that is more lightweight and fits lighter-requirements platforms, delivery of those would be in VRM, which is supported in a plethora of apps.

We would set up recurrent releases of traits and also create traits featuring partnerships the DAO makes or other suggestions.

Additionally, over time, we have the ability to support additional IPs if the DAO wants to enable that. Think not only of this collection and style but also other collections wanting to be on ApeChain or have the same technical specs and ability to customize.

The IP created would be for the DAO to hold. We want to be credited as the designers and developers behind it.

BENEFIT TO APECOIN ECOSYSTEM:

These are the following benefits we foresee:

  1. Create a new revenue stream feeding back to the ApeCoin DAO treasury. (If the DAO chooses so, initially the tool will be designed to have everything for free for DAO members).
  2. Enabling ApeCoin community members to customize their virtual personas ready for Otherside and to make content.
  3. Bringing NFT traffic to ApeChain.
  4. Enable more community members to own 3D game-ready avatars.
  5. Enabling future developments to have a vast library of avatars for their game developments.

DEFINITIONS:

  • Avatar: 3D representation of a digital identity, usable in one or several platforms.
  • Avatar Generator: technology to create an avatar from a given combination of parts.
  • Interoperable: characteristic of a product that can work with other products. In the context: 3D avatars that work in several platforms out of the box as opposed to a skin on a game that only works in that game.
  • V-Tubing: entertainment by a V-Tuber, a person that uses a 3D avatar to showcase themselves when creating content.
  • FBX: a proprietary 3D model file format by Autodesk, used by Unreal Engine and Otherside.
  • VRM: an open-source 3D model file format, specific for 3D avatars, supported in plenty of platforms.
  • Low Poly: a polygon mesh in 3D that has a relatively small number of polygons, therefore lighter and optimized for real-time applications.

STEPS TO IMPLEMENT:

There’s three separate segments in the project:

1. 3D Art: Development of the traits to be released. Design of accessories, 3D sculpture, optimization, texturing, rigging and quality assurance.
2. Blockchain dev: Minting campaigns of the traits, development and deployment of smart contracts in ApeChain for users to claim/mint the accessories they want to use in the generator, security and quality assurance.
3. Website dev: Adapting current tech to new ApeCoin UI and fit the avatar generator system to the traits; includes UI/UX Design, Frontend Development, Backend Development, Security, Quality Assurance.

All of them would advance at the same time as they’d be developed by separate teams of our in-house studio.

Month 1: UI/UX of website, 3D development of Base avatar, Web Development
Month 2: UI/UX of website, 3D development of traits, Web Development, Blockchain Dev
Month 3: 3D development of traits, Web Development, Blockchain Dev
Month 4: 3D development of traits, Web Development, Blockchain Dev
Month 5-12: 3D development of traits, maintenance web dev and blockchain dev

The 3D Art segment will be done throughout the year, created content for 12 months.
Blockchain dev and Website dev can be developed within 4 months.

Starting on the first week of August and launching the tool on the first week of December 2024 and having content deployed from December 2024 to December 2025.

Milestones to achieve:

  • UI/UX designed and published.
  • Base avatar designed, developed and published.
  • Traits/Accessories designed, developed and published.
  • Launch of the tool.
  • Publication of guides on how to use the avatars. We could find a place in the tool itself to publish them or facilitate the materials for the DAO to publish. Guides would be in text documents and sometimes as videos.

KPIs:

  • Number of avatars created.
  • Unique wallets that have created an avatar.
  • Content impressions with the avatars being used.

No new hires would need to be done as we have the capacity to develop the whole project with our in-house team, so work can start immediately after approval. We would have 1 blockchain developer, 3 full stack developers, 1 graphic designer and 4 3D artists assigned to the project.

We’d require the APE Foundation to grant us access to a subdomain if the community rather wants APE Foundation to host the project, else we can offer our 3D Avatar Platform as a host for one year.

We’d require the APE Foundation to assist us with defining what style of avatars or what traits / accessories are made so the community can collaborate and be part of the process. (Example: do we want humanoids, robots, apes or something else).

We would consider this proposal fully implemented once the tool is deployed and the content included in it (240 traits are available to users).

REPORTING EXPECTATIONS:

Bi-weekly updates on progress on 3D Art, Blockchain dev and Website dev.
Public Notion page (yet to be developed) visible to anyone with the progress on minor and major milestones.

The reporting would cover the whole year where we would be releasing new accessories every month.

OVERALL COST:

“Total amount requested from the ApeCoin Ecosystem Fund = $370,000.”

TECHNOLOGY: Blockchain Dev ($60k), 3D programming ($60k) and Website Dev cost ($120k) is expected around $240,000.
UI/UX Design: $10,000
ART: Base avatar and 240 3D accessories & traits, to release across a full year, for $120,000.

Numbers include salaries, licenses for tools needed for the team to perform their tasks and costs associated to hardware and servers are spread across the tech team.

Blockchain Dev: $60,000
3D Programming: $60,000
Graphic Design: $10,000
Frontend Development: $40,000
Backend Development: $80,000
3D modelling & texturing (same artists): $90,000
Rigging: $30,000

We would love for the DAO and community to be involved in suggesting and requesting what traits they’d like to see.

1 Like

Hi cynnx, really interesting proposal. Love what you and ToxSam have been building with Vipe. Grifters Squaddies configurator and minting experience was awesome. Since there are people from many PFP communities here, is there a chance to have an option where a DAO member’s 2D PFP art integrates into its avatar? (Maybe not as a frame or TV in the head, but as a texture on the avatar’s clothes?)

3 Likes

Hey there ae! Thank you for asking. Yes, indeed, it’s totally doable to integrate a 2D PFP into the clothes of an avatar, it could be a specific trait or something that happens in all avatars.

1 Like

Hi @cynnx,

The community feedback period for your proposal would be ending in roughly 24 hours.

  • If you’re content with the feedback received, your next steps are to finalize your proposal using the AIP Draft Template.

  • A moderator will reach out to the author to finalize the AIP Draft. Upon receipt of the final Draft, we will review and provide instructions on the next steps.

  • Are you ready to proceed to the next phase or do you wish to extend community discussion for another 7 days?

We look forward to hearing from you.

-@Facilitators

such a lovely proposal, I would like to have one or more for myself. How do I go about it??

Does this mean that the avatar isn’t just a static 3D image, but could be used as a skin on video or in a metaverse, such as Somnium Space? That would be amazing.

1 Like

Hey there! We’re proposing here to create a tool for any ApeCoin DAO member to be able to generate one or more avatars for themselves!

1 Like

Exactly, this is precisely the point. We’re not talking about a 2D image or an image for a 3D object, this is a generator of fully functional 3D avatars to be able to use them in a bunch of different virtual worlds, content generation platforms, video calls, V-tubing, etc! Please feel free to give any input or feedback, I want to make the proposal the best it can be. Thank you!

2 Likes

Hi ApeCoin DAO Community,

@cynnx has requested to extend the community discussion period for this AIP idea. This topic will automatically close a further 7 days from now. We encourage the community to continue to engage in thoughtful discussions through constructive criticism, honest feedback, and helpful suggestions.

Follow this Topic as further updates will be posted here in the comments.

-@Facilitators

1 Like

hi!

dont get me wrong on this one, but seems to me like you want to fund your own 3d collection via apecoin dao.

i dont see any direct benefit to create a brand new 3d avatar collection and sell it to apecoin holders.

from my understaning nobody cares about 3d avatars since there´s no use case for them, we have no estimated time for the otherside to be launched.

and the numbers, omg… a quarter million for a minting site and smart contracts is a total nonsense.

Yoooo I remember you guys!
One of the OGs collectors Jason back in the days introduced me to you guys at Polygonal Minds around Somnium SDK back in 2020. Cant forget how patient and lovely Sam was over calls and helped me navigate through things to create my own VRMs and everything.
iirc these guys also created some game where numerous community members actually had to mine a huge cube in order to get rewards, idk happened so many years ago hahaha

10/10 support this AIP and Polygonal, these guys are a solid proof of sheer will and steady mindset. They know what they want and what they want to build. So good to see you guys here at Apecoin DAO and good fking luck my dudes!

1 Like

Hey there! Precisely yeah!

This would be 3D avatars, VRMs & FBXs to use across tons of apps.

The event with rewards you’re referring to is MegaCube that we did in Decentraland in 2021 and 2022! There’s so many things I couldn’t fit into the text haha.

Appreciate it, just want to offer a tool with good utility!

1 Like

Hi chaps,

I believe you got the proposal the wrong way.

We’re proposing a tool to generate 3D avatars on the web given the user the choices they want for the avatar, so they’re not pre-generated but created in run time.

Both the tool and what gets created with it would be for the ApeCoin DAO, it’s not a new brand we’re creating.

This is a draft where I’m asking for feedback and there’s infinite ways to set up the tool. It can go from a free tool to any ApeCoin holders and that’s it to a revenue stream back to the DAO and anything in between.

Regarding utility, I’m afraid 3D Avatars (actually usable ones, not just a render of a 3D model) have intrinsic utility given that they can be used in tons of applications already. Whenever Otherside is ready, these will be ready too.

Regarding the budget, this technology has only been developed by three organizations in the world, one being us, it’s brand new to do this experience on the web. Also keep in mind we’re getting 3D assets designed and developed by a specialised character art team.

To clarify further, we’re not talking about making a random website to mint a 2D picture (whose only utility is putting it as a profile pic) collection made on Fiverr, that’s incredibly cheap and worthless. This is a site where people can mint 3D wearables to put together into a character that then gets composed and created and it’s good to be used right away. One thing is far from the other.

Fantastic idea, I’ve been thinking about a project like this myself. I think this could have really broad appeal even outside of web3 projects.

I think anything Ape Avatar related would have to be careful not to look or perform better than the actual ape avatars obtained from owning Ape NFTs, or if they do, ensure NFT owners can claim them.

1 Like

Appreciate the input! I believe a nice feature would be to tokengate certain accessories behind owning some collections like BAYC or MAYC. That way they’re connected and have some exclusive items by holding those.

The good thing is that we’re the studio that did the official avatars for BAYC so we can make to the same level if that’s what the community wants. For now, there’s no proposed aesthetic for these avatars from this proposal.

1 Like

Hi @cynnx,

The community feedback period for your proposal would be ending in less than 24 hours.

  • If you’re content with the feedback received, your next steps are to finalize your proposal using the AIP Draft Template.

  • A moderator will reach out to the author to finalize the AIP Draft. Upon receipt of the final Draft, we will review and provide instructions on the next steps.

  • Are you ready to proceed to the next phase or do you wish to extend community discussion for another 7 days?

We look forward to hearing from you.

-@Facilitators

1 Like

3D assets are the best proliferation tool in the digital world especially for things like this. Activating people to use them in cool ways is key.

1 Like

Thank you! This is the main purpose here, we have been in the 3D avatar business for years, now that we have managed to create the technology to make avatar generators in the web, we want for large communities like the ApeCoin DAO to have their own because the more people that own this type of intrinsic-utility asset, the better for the ecosystem of content creation. ApeCoin is the best place where we can offer this since it both has a very big and strong community and one place that will eventually be available where they can be used (Otherside), that complement the already very large ecosystem of applications where these avatars can be used. Thanks again!

Hi there Chris, happy to move to the next step and improve the current proposal text. Thank you!

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