Microsoft may include 3D emojis in Windows 11

Microsoft is said to be working on "real 3D emojis" for Windows, which could be released with Windows 11. Last year, Microsoft touted 3D emojis, but only released 2D versions with Windows 11. According to a LinkedIn post by Microsoft's senior designer Nando Costa, the company is still working on making Windows 11's emojis look 3D.

Costa mentioned this new feature in a blog post regarding Microsoft's efforts to make the emojis 3D during a hackathon in 2020. "We're working on it," he replied in response to a remark from a Twitter user who desired 3D emojis in Windows 11.

The designer has not stated when 3D emojis would be available in Windows 11, but his post does state that Microsoft is working on it.

Microsoft promised 3D emojis with Windows 11 and showed off some beautiful examples, but instead chose to release the new programme with 2D designs without explaining why. According to The Verge, this is likely due to the fact that flatter 2D designs "work better across multiple applications" and "there could be some technical limitations in Windows that Microsoft needs to work through before 3D emoji are a reality."

In the new 3D emojis, Microsoft has decided to "represent human traits" such as wrinkles and hair styles, according to Costa's blog. "One of our most cherished qualities in the smileys set is the notion of an Imperfect Circle. To embrace a more human quality in our smileys set, we chose a wobbly shape to their silhouette, hinting at the imperfections in all of us, which added a personality character to the designs and yet kept them closely aligned with the aesthetic we extended to the rest of the system," Costa wrote.

He also explained how the team is working to make these emojis appear in programmes like Microsoft Teams, as well as how some of the custom designs were influenced by "the new reality of the hybrid workplace." Microsoft created the 3D emoji with Adobe Illustrator, Figma, FontLab, and Maxon's Cinema 4D, according to Costa's blog.