​​      A model recently got on the ins. The pink mushroom head is paired with a stylish dress, and each photo on the background of the Japanese street has a natural Japanese trend. But when you read the profile carefully, you will be exclaimed. The model named imma is not a real human, but a virtual model.

“Not like CG”, “Looks like 100% like a real person”, “Is it a real person?”. So far in imma’s photo commentary, many people still can’t believe it is just a CG character drawn with digital compositing techniques. In fact, imma’s body and wear are real shots, only the head is made by 3D technology. But how, it is not easy to attract the attention of everyone. As imma’s popularity has gradually increased, the image of the virtual model has once again entered our field of vision.

In Recent Years, Virtual Models Have Been Hot

In 2016, a model named Lil Miquela continually exposed his photos on the ins led to intense discussions among netizens. Of course, the most worthwhile question to ask is: Is this freckle beauty a real person? Because she likes other girls, she likes to take selfies, likes to gather with friends, and even makes video calls with friends through Facetime. But it is undeniable that her hair, skin material, and the sense of disagreement with the background will make people feel that this is just a computer-generated CG character.

However, these problems did not hinder her strong ability to absorb powder. As of now, Miquela’s ins account has more than 1.5 million fans. Every photo has a 50,000 or so likes behind it.

Another popular virtual idol, Shudu, was born in April 2017. Unlike the other two images, the image of Shudu is a black woman. She has a perfect body proportion and facial features, black pearl-like bright shiny skin, dark skin after the application of deep red lipstick, the contrast of the beauty is impressive.

But the most important thing is that the quality of its modeling makes the whole image look too real. Today, the image of Shudu is also heating up, and the ins account has more than 150,000 followers. And the image of Shudu was also acquired by Fenty Beauty last year, and many fashion brands hope to cooperate with this model.

The imma mentioned above was “born” late. In July 2018, imma’s official account released the first CG rendering. But as of now, imma has more than 17,000 fans on the ins. The major Japanese media have also reported on them. The degree of attention is rising steadily.

Through some of the above examples, it is not difficult to find that these virtual models have extremely strong powder absorption capabilities, and some even have virality. So why is such a virtual idol so popular? The author believes that making realistic CG modeling is naturally important, and more importantly, the virtual model has a strong interest, which is enough to produce certain social paradox.

For example, on the question of whether Miquela is a real person, it is known that even users have strict analysis and reasoning to study this problem. This is the same as the current show wearing a hood, the anchor does not show a truth. When people don’t know the truth, people often want to know the truth.

Not only that, but Shudu’s perfect image also attracted the American network red brand. The image that human beings want to create must be beautiful and in line with what they think. The birth of these avatars is what makes many people see the ideal human form in their hearts, which has aroused the resonance between people.

The most important thing about imma’s popularity is its refined, high-quality CG modeling. But it is not difficult to see that the characteristics of the three virtual models are significant and full of social paradox, which has become the most fundamental reason for their popularity.

Advantages and disadvantages of virtual models

So what kind of route will these avatars take after they burst into red? The answer must be commercial.

In 2017, Miquela released her first solo album “Hate Me” and officially started her own music path. At the beginning of 2018, Miquela was printed on the magazine with the LV Logo. Before the start of the Prada 2018 Fall/Winter series in February 2018, Miquela said on her own ins that she would go to watch the show.

Shudu is also seen by many fashion brands. In September 2018, the French luxury brand Balmain released the latest advertisement for its brand. The protagonist of the advertisement is three virtual model characters, including Shudu.

Imma’s developer modelingcafe said that imma will not be used for virtual models, it will only send photos on ins like normal girls. But in the future, modelingcafe will develop products that can be directly used for animation based on this system.

Of course, there are many commercial examples of using virtual models. These examples tell us that more and more brands are starting to use virtual models and even prefer to use virtual models.

So what is the reason for these manufacturers to become more and more devoted to these virtual models? There are four points in the author’s opinion.

The first point is that the body is controllable. For each brand manufacturer, the model used must conform to its own products. Using virtual models, you can perfectly meet the needs of each manufacturer’s body. The second point is to inspire new inspiration. For some fashion designers, the combination of virtual and reality can even provide some new inspiration. The third point is to make it easier to create characters. Fixed use of unified virtual models makes it easier for viewers to remember their image and make it easier to create IP effects. The last point is to reduce the training time of the model and save money and time.

But does this prove that virtual models can completely replace real models? In fact, it may not be.

The current virtual models are more active in the plane. There are still some bottlenecks in technology that I want to show myself in events such as catwalks. In addition, details such as facial expressions need to continue to be considered.

Virtual models are the trend of the future fashion

Intelligentization is bound to be the future trend, and the natural fashion field is no exception. The increasingly mature virtual models have begun to invade the traditional model field. In the future, will virtual models combined with AI replace human beings as the new darling of designers? In my opinion, this is a trend and inevitable. But for the time being, it is still too early.

   Whether a thing is recognized as “beauty” requires the approval of the public. The current virtual model is still in the forefront of the times. To let more people see it and recognize it, virtual models can become true “beauty.” The gap between plane and reality is not completely eliminated in one day and two days. Of course, the things we create must be the good things that we think of in our hearts, so we should only have time problems when we accept them.

 

Source: Sina