First officially released in 2014, MetaHuman is an open-source character generator capable of creating 3D characters of any age, body type, gender, and ethnicity using a simple slider-based control system. Characters can be automatically rigged for animation, with multiple outfit options available, and it supports Rigify, Blender's rigging system.
The software comes with a library of clothing, body parts, and materials, as well as dedicated tools for creating clothing and morph targets. Content created using the software is licensed under CC0, meaning it can be used for commercial purposes, including in closed-source games.
Полноценный релиз MakeHuman 1.2 состоялся в 2020 году, с тех пор работа над автономной версией была фактически прекращена из-за устаревания кодовой базы. Вместо этого разработчики сосредоточились на новом плагине для Blender, MPFB (MakeHuman Plugin For Blender).
Первая версия, выпущенная с MakeHuman 1.2, представляла собой импортер для переноса персонажей, созданных с помощью автономной версии программного обеспечения, в Blender. В отличие от этого, MPFB 2, который имеет отдельную кодовую базу для создания Human и активно поддерживается, сам по себе является генератором персонажей. Он может создавать персонажей так же, как и standalone edition, но может экспортировать их в любой формат, доступный Blender.
This means that instead of being limited to OBJ, FBX, or Collada (DAE) formats, users can also export characters as Alembic, glTF, or USD assets. More detailed information on the differences between MakeHuman, MPFB, and MPFB2 can be found in the online documentation.
Beyond being the first stable release of the character generation plugin, MPFB 2.08 makes the software available as an officially approved extension through the new extensions platform. It includes most of the key features from the standalone version, although “some parts remain unfinished,” and certain tools have undergone limited testing.
MPFB2 is compatible with Blender 4.2 and later. The software is open-source: its source code is licensed under GPLv3, while the bundled assets are available under a CC0 license. More details can be found here.