Goodra VRChat avatar creation

(Note: I'm in part writing this to test my blog updating/uploading script. If I thought of this before hand, I would've taken more screenshots along the way.)

I want to make myself better at character modeling -- specifically, the creation of a rig and rigging the model to it. It's something I've done before a number of times, but I still don't feel comfortable doing big avatar projects myself.

So I decided to create a VRChat avatar. A Goodra, from Pokémon, from scratch. It seemed like a fairly easy enough character to make? But I've never made a character model with both moving eyes and proper facial visemes. So, first step was to make the base model, then add visemes and a rig, then once that all worked, texture it. Making the eyelids blink and orienting the eyes for Unity were the hard part (as I wasn't going with a step-by-step tutorial, just dissecting a commissioned model to see how the eye rigging works.)

Early base model

Early base model rigged, but without face details.

Eyes and mouth modelled and rigged

Textured in Substance Painter

Orienting the eyes in Unity was really only a problem because at first I didn't see the little toggle to aim them separately -- after I found that I had to redo the eye geometry and re-export. Surprisingly, it worked really well then.

Imported into Unity, using the Poiyomi 8.0.426 shader. As of this screenshot I've already uploaded it to VRChat.

Final version with rave lighting singing to Scatman

I think it turned out okay! Texture's a bit basic, but... whatever. I've been meaning to make an autumn leaves/grass-type Goodra OC for a while, so my next step will be to alter it into that.