Customizable 3D Character Notes

Purpose

I want to make this as reference for both myself and my friends who make and sell 3D characters. Whenever I make a character there’s always so much I learn from it and would want to do different on the next go. Since there is just so much nowadays I keep learning from my experiences, I want to keep a record and some notes on them.

You Versus the Customer

Something I constantly struggle with is the idea of perceived value versus actual value. The basic idea is that what looks valuable to a customer isn’t always what will actually be valuable to them in the long run.

For example, imagine a customer sees a character with five different outfits. That might make the character seem like a much better value, even if after buying it they end up using the same outfit 95% of the time. The extra outfits increased the character’s perceived value, but the actual value they got from them was much lower.

When I first started, I tried to only make what I knew most people would actually use. But over time I realized that’s not really how people buy things. Adding more options, accessories, and features—even if I know they probably won’t get much practical use—still makes the character more appealing. People usually aren’t thinking about how often they’ll use every feature when they’re deciding to buy something. They just like having the option, and if they don’t end up using it, they don’t really mind because there’s always the possibility that they might want it later.

Customizability Checklist

Base Model

• Keep head mesh separated to make it easier for people to swap heads or bodies
• Don’t overlap uvs so texture edits can be done uniquely on both sides
• Keep clean and mirrored UVs to make texture edits easy
• Make .PSD files so people can edit separate layers easier
• Take into account texture for multiple skin colors/tones

Shapekeys

• Make “clipping” shapes for all body parts AND joints
• Face customization for size, shape and placement of head, eyes, ears, mouth, jaw, etc…
• Face tracking is becoming more popular and is worth adding
• When making faces, keep each part separated, so users can combine them in new ways

Modularity

• Use Modular Avatar or VRCFury to make systems as modular as possible
• Always consider what the process will be like for adding new outfits and other additions and if your current setup will conflict at all