Custom Avatars
Custom Avatars

Custom Avatars

Custom Avatars

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If you are new to the Creator Toolkit, make sure to check out following page to get your Unity editor setup!
Getting Started
Getting Started
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This component allows for defining a custom avatar to be used in Spatial. This is to be used in conjunction with the Avatar package type, which you can reference in the package configuration.

How To Use

💡
Before setting your avatar up, it’s important to know what purpose the avatar will be used for. There are certain restrictions on how detailed your avatar can be, which depends on whether it will be used globally across Spatial, or within your own spaces.
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Find examples of custom avatars in the Starter Template
Sample avatar in the sandbox
  1. Import a rigged, humanoid 3D model (preferably .fbx format) into Unity. This model does not need to have animations, but if there are some, you may add them through the Avatar Animation package and component. Ensure that the Animation Type under the Rig tab is set to Humanoid.
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  2. Create a prefab from this model. You can do so easily by right clicking the asset and selecting Create > Prefab Variant.
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  3. Add the Spatial Avatar component to this newly created prefab.
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  4. Create a new Avatar package under Project Configuration and drag the prefab into the Prefab field. You will also need to supply a thumbnail of size 256x256 in an uncompressed format. The background should be transparent.
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  5. To test this package, make sure it is the “active package” inside the project configuration panel and then press the Test Active Package button inside the main toolbar.
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Limitations

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To be able to support multiple platforms, including mobile devices, there are restrictions in place to help ensure performance is stable for everyone.
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These limitations are subject to change at any time.
  • Only Humanoid rigs are supported.
  • Global avatars
    • ℹ️
    Global avatars can be used in any space within Spatial, and represents a more permanant customization of your avatar. Due to this, it has the tightest restrictions to ensure performance and quality meets our standards.
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    At the moment, only the owner of the published package will be able to select this avatar across all spaces. Other users will not be able to select this avatar. In the future, we will allow the publisher to customize who can gain access to their Global avatars.
  • Ecosystem avatars
    • ℹ️
    Ecosystem avatars can only be used in spaces that are within an “ecosystem”, or a collection of spaces that you have created. These avatars are meant to be more temporary override to Global avatars (for example, a video game character that you can select within a space). This avatar will not be persistent and users will be reset back to their default avatar upon leaving the space.
    ⚠️
    Only the owner of the published package will be able to temporarily select this avatar in spaces where they are either the owner, or the host/admin. Other users will only be able to temporarily set this avatar through Visual Scripting.
  • Publishing and detail limitations are shown below. Make sure you understand the difference and use case between a Global and Ecosystem avatar.
    • Global Avatar
    Ecosystem Avatar
    Triangle Count
    22,500
    200,000
    Vertex Count
    50,000
    200,000
    Texture Size Limit
    1024x1024
    4096x4096
    Submesh (Draw Call) Limit
    4
    100
    Physical Dimensions Limit
    2.5m x 2.5m x 2.5m
    25m x 25m x 25m

Building Your Own Original Avatar Model

Check out this great tutorial video for adding a rig/bones to your own 3D avatar model using Blender:

Also check out https://www.mixamo.com/ for automatic character rigging.

Resources: Example Avatar Models

These are great resources for avatar models you can try and use in Spatial!

Note, not all of these models are guaranteed to work - they may need modification/optimization, rigging, or other changes before they can be imported into Spatial.

  • Sketchfab:
  • ActorCore:

Handling Errors When Publishing Your Avatar

The Avatar Has Too Many Vertices or Triangles

Global avatars can have a maximum of 22,500 triangles.

If yours has more than this, we recommend optimizing your file to reduce the number of triangles and vertices. The Decimate Modifier in Blender is a great option:

The Avatar Has Too Many Sub-meshes

Global avatars can have a maximum of 4 sub-meshes.

If you receive the error that your avatar has too many sub-meshes (>4), one approach to solving that problem is combining the material in your model. You can follow this tutorial to reduce the sub-meshes in your model:

The Avatar Must have a Valid Humanoid Rig

In Spatial, your avatar must have 2 arms and 2 legs - a.k.a. “Humanoid”.

If your model already has a Humanoid rig, in Unity click on your avatar in the Project tab, and in the Inspector go to Rig. Under “Animation Type” choose Humanoid, and then Configure.

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If you receive an error when configuring your rig in Unity, or do not have a Humanoid Rig set up for your avatar, follow this tutorial to set it up:

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