2020 has been the year of the virtual meeting. With many companies switching into a remote-first work policy and events going virtual, people needed a way to spice up their Zoom calls. Cue digital avatars.

Avatars aren’t something new, but they definitely made a mark this year. We had Genies open up their 3D avatars to everyday users and earlier this week, Roblox announced it would buy digital avatar startup Loom.ai.

If you missed the avatar train, here are 5 trending picks from this year:

1. Hyprmeet for Zoom & OBS is an avatar video chat app for Zoom and OBS. It uses facial mocap technology, for users to can create and animate personalized avatars.

2. Spatial allows you to create life-like avatars in VR/AR. Join virtual rooms from the web or in Oculus Quest, HoloLens, and MagicLeap.

3. LoomieLive lets users create their own branded Loomie (3D avatar) for Zoom calls or other videos (these were the humans acquired by Roblox).

4. AI Avatars is currently in beta but claims to be the world's first photorealistic, emotive and intelligent AI Avatar Studio where users can 'seed' their avatar with intelligence and own the underlying asset through NFTs.

5. Chudo Virtual Spaces is a social platform where users can use their avatar to play games, meet friends, study, or party.

Test out your avatar at your virtual holiday party this year. 👀

If you're an aspiring Pixar creator or have visions of bringing your own anime to life, check out Animation Desk for Windows.

Make animations for social media, practice your skills, create storyboards, or simply sketch for fun.