Custom VRChat Avatars: Complete Guide to 3D VTuber Models

Everything you need to know about commissioning a custom 3D VTuber model for VRChat and beyond. Covers VRM format, ARKit blend shapes, dynamic physics, Quest compatibility, and multi-platform export.

Why Custom VRChat Avatars Matter

In VRChat, your avatar is your identity. It is how other players see you, interact with you, and remember you. While free and pre-made avatars are readily available, a custom avatar designed specifically for you stands out in a crowd and gives you a unique presence in the virtual world. Beyond VRChat, a professionally made 3D VTuber model can be used across multiple platforms and applications.

This guide covers everything you need to know about commissioning a custom 3D VTuber model: performance optimization, blend shapes, physics, outfit toggles, Quest compatibility, and multi-platform export. AnimArts offers 3D model commissions starting at $900, and we have produced models for VRChat, VSeeFace, Warudo, and standalone applications.

VRChat Performance Ranks

VRChat assigns a performance rank to every avatar based on its resource consumption. Understanding these ranks is crucial because they determine whether other players can see your avatar or if it gets replaced with a fallback robot.

The Ranking System

Performance ranks from best to worst are: Excellent, Good, Medium, Poor, and Very Poor. Each rank has specific limits on polygon count, material count, mesh count, dynamic bone components (now PhysBones), and particle systems. Most public worlds and social spaces have settings that hide avatars ranked Poor or below.

Recommended Targets

For the best experience, aim for at least a Medium rank (ideally Good). This means keeping your polygon count under 32,000 (Good) or 70,000 (Medium), limiting materials to 4 (Good) or 8 (Medium), and keeping PhysBone chains reasonable. Our models at AnimArts are typically optimized to reach Good rank on PC.

52 ARKit Blend Shapes

For VTubers who use their 3D model outside of VRChat -- in applications like VSeeFace, Warudo, or iFacialMocap -- the 52 ARKit-compatible blend shapes are the gold standard for facial tracking. These blend shapes map directly to the data produced by Apple's ARKit face tracking system (iPhone TrueDepth camera).

What They Cover

The 52 blend shapes cover:

• Eyes: Blink left/right, squint left/right, wide left/right, look up/down/in/out for each eye.
• Eyebrows: Inner up, outer up, down for each side.
• Mouth: Open, smile left/right, frown left/right, pucker, funnel, stretch, press, close, dimple, and more.
• Jaw: Open, forward, left, right.
• Cheeks: Puff, squint.
• Nose: Sneer left, sneer right.
• Tongue: Out.

Having all 52 blend shapes sculpted and properly weighted ensures maximum compatibility with face tracking software and allows for highly expressive performances.

PhysBones Physics System

VRChat replaced the older Dynamic Bones system with its built-in PhysBones system. PhysBones provides secondary motion simulation for hair, clothing, tails, ears, and any other part of the avatar that should react to movement.

Key PhysBones Features

• Gravity, stiffness, and damping: Control how the element moves and settles, similar to Live2D physics concepts.
• Collision: PhysBone colliders prevent parts from clipping through the body. Properly configured colliders keep hair out of the face and clothes from phasing through legs.
• Grabbing and posing: Other players can grab PhysBone-enabled parts in VRChat (if allowed), creating fun interactive possibilities like pulling a character's tail or poking their ears.
• Performance limits: PhysBone component counts affect the avatar's performance rank. Keep the number of chains and transforms reasonable -- typically under 32 PhysBone components for Good rank.

Toggleable Outfits via Unity Animator

One of the most popular features for custom VRChat avatars is outfit toggling -- the ability to switch between different clothing sets, accessories, or styles using the in-game gesture menu or expressions menu.

How It Works

Outfit toggling is implemented through Unity's Animator system and VRChat's Expression Parameters. Each outfit variant is a separate mesh (or set of meshes) that is enabled or disabled by an animator state controlled by a boolean parameter. The parameter is mapped to the VRChat Expressions Menu, which appears as a radial dial the user controls in-game.

Common Toggle Examples

• Swap between casual and formal outfits.
• Toggle glasses, hats, or headphones on and off.
• Switch between different hairstyles.
• Toggle accessories like wings, tails, or weapon props.
• Change eye color or skin texture variants.

Each toggle adds slightly to the avatar's memory usage and download size, so balance the number of options against performance impact.

Quest Compatibility

VRChat runs on both PC and Meta Quest (standalone VR headsets). Quest has significantly stricter performance requirements than PC, which means a PC avatar often cannot be used on Quest without a separate, optimized version.

Quest Limits

• Polygon count: Maximum 10,000 triangles for Medium rank.
• Materials: Maximum 2 material slots for Medium rank.
• Texture size: Keep textures at 1024x1024 or smaller.
• Shaders: Only VRChat's standard mobile shaders are allowed. Custom shaders do not work on Quest.
• PhysBones: Supported but should be kept to a minimum (6 or fewer chains for Medium rank).

Dual-Platform Strategy

The best approach is to create two versions of your avatar: a full-detail PC version and a simplified Quest version. Both are uploaded under the same avatar ID so VRChat automatically selects the correct version based on the viewer's platform. AnimArts includes Quest-compatible versions as an option in our 3D model packages.

Multi-Platform Export Formats

A custom 3D model is not limited to VRChat. With proper export, your model can be used across many platforms:

• VRM: An open standard for 3D avatars widely supported by VSeeFace, Warudo, and other VTubing applications. VRM files include the mesh, textures, blend shapes, bone structure, and metadata in a single portable file.
• FBX: The standard interchange format for 3D assets. Used for import into Unity, Unreal Engine, Blender, and most 3D software.
• Unity package: The complete Unity project with animator controllers, expression parameters, PhysBone setup, and all assets ready to upload to VRChat.
• Blender file: The original Blender project file with full edit access for future modifications, retexturing, or adding new outfits.

AnimArts delivers all applicable formats with every 3D model commission so you are not locked into a single platform.

Pricing and What to Expect

Custom 3D VTuber model commissions at AnimArts start at $900 for a standard model. This includes full 3D modeling, texturing, 52 ARKit blend shapes, PhysBone physics, basic outfit toggle, and export in VRM and FBX formats. Premium options add Quest-compatible versions, multiple outfit toggles, complex physics setups, and full Unity project delivery.

Visit our 3D model pricing page for detailed package breakdowns. To understand how 3D models compare to Live2D, read our 2D vs 3D comparison guide. For game developers interested in integrating Live2D or 3D models into their projects, check our game integration guide. Explore our full services catalog, view our portfolio, or contact us to start your commission.