A Guide to Mebits: More Than Just 3D Cryptopunk
While perhaps best known for kicking off the PFP NFT craze with the CryptoPunks collection in 2017, Larva Labs hasn’t rested on its heels following that giant “W.” Since then, it has launched Autoglyphs, an on-chain generative NFT art collection, and of course Mibits. A 20,000-piece collection of PFP NFTs hosted on the Ethereum blockchain may very well represent the future of such NFTs.
Launching in May 2021, Meebits can still be seen as the spiritual successor to the iconic CryptoPunks collection. And, if CryptoPunks serve as standard 2D avatars for Web2 social media accounts, Meebits aims for the Web3 equivalent — giving the iconic CryptoPunks a 3D facelift aesthetic.
so what is Mibits?
As Larva Labs’ third major project, Mebits aimed to meaningfully implement what was learned from the previous two projects — namely, the experience of writing the 2D art generator that spawned the initial Cryptopunks collection. Thus, a lot of work has been done to ensure that the 3D algorithm that created each of the 20,000 Meebits is up to scratch. Of course, with so many MiBits included in the initial drop, much of this work was focused on making sure each MiBit not only looked good but was a certifiably unique piece in the collection.
As such, miBit NFTs can be broadly classified into seven types. In ascending order of rarity, these include humans, pigs, elephants, robots, skeletons, spectators, and truly exclusive isolated types, of which only five have been minted — none currently for sale. The average selling price of these rare NFTs is around 700 ETH – north of $900 thousand according to recent valuations.
Sounds cool. But how can I buy Meebits?
Part of the reason MiBits launched the NFT space was in how much Larva Labs encouraged the MiBits community to share and trade with each other. It was important for it to focus on giving its official marketplace a painless user experience.
On Meebits’ official NFT marketplace, users can enjoy a zero-fee system that “allows simple buy, bid and ask transactions,” along with deeper, more complex transactions such as “‘like-tied’ trades involving up to 100 Meebits.” According to the official site. This is thanks to MiBits marketplace running partially off-chain to reduce gas fees and network usage. But that doesn’t mean you do never A fee is payable when using the marketplace. Some examples of this can still be seen; For example, users are asked to cough up the usual Ethereum gas fee when canceling a trade in progress.
This facility is also built into the UI of the Meebits marketplace, which conveys a wealth of information to interested buyers at a glance. With all these conveniences for shoppers browsing MiBits’s own integrated marketplace, it’s hard to imagine looking anywhere else. Of course, the option remains for those browsing through the larger NFT marketplace — Mibits lives there as well. Like other broad collections, Meebits NFTs are widely available on some of the leading NFT marketplaces such as OpenC and Crypto.com’s NFT Marketplace.
A Metaverse-ready collection
For comparison, Mibits can be understood as a full-body 3D update on the iconic cryptopunks style. twist? 3D here means a voxel art style reminiscent of the OG Punks, other Larva Lab characters and its virtual denizens. Minecraft.
All of this is in service of Mibits’ most ambitious goal: to replicate the success, found in traditional social media, in the cryptopunks metaverse. This means ensuring users have access to high-quality 3D avatars usable in virtual reality, augmented reality and everything in between.
To make this goal a reality, Meebits has provided an important tool for users who hope to use their Meebits in 3D space to their full potential: a T-pose OBJ file. No, it doesn’t just let users assert dominance online – it lets users import their precious mibits into most 3D modeling and animation software, so they can shoot away to their heart’s content.
Why Meebits Matter
Despite how Yuga Labs acquired the rights to CryptoPunks And Mibits in March 2022, both of these brands were developed by Larva Labs and we should not forget that. This sentiment is echoed by Sergio Silva, an early day backer and co-founder of MeebitsDAO. “Although Yuga Labs is now ‘owned’ by Mebits, the reality is that they are a Larva Labs creation first and foremost,” he said in an interview with NFT Now. “Judging by the last few years before the market [gave high valuations to] After Larva’s first two collections (Punks and Autoglyphs), I think it might be another year or two before Mibits jumps into the spotlight. Larva Labs was always ahead of the times.”
In fact, Larva Labs’ Mibits NFT collection seems to be designed with the future in mind. For example, the launch of Meebits preceded the launch of Meta’s Horizon Worlds The Metaverse game has been around for several months, in addition to Facebook’s highly-publicized rebrand to Meta that brought the concept of the Metaverse into the mainstream conversation. With the promise of interoperability in Web3, the Metaverse continues to build momentum and attract users, Mibits is uniquely positioned to benefit from the visionary hype. Today, there are several open metaverse experiences across the Web 3, within which a mibit can represent your virtual self.
“I think Mibits is close to being perfect in terms of product,” Silva said. “They are the first fully-rigged 3D characters for use in any metaverse and have their own no-fee marketplace coded at the smart contract level.” Of course, this comes with a catch — “Personally, I think they just need time,” he added. But that extra time Mibits can direct beyond building community infrastructure. With integrated accessibility and preparation for the metaverse, perhaps the best thing to do at this point is to wait and see how Web3 unfolds in the coming months and years.
https://ift.tt/8cpKeTX
Post a Comment
Post a Comment