How to get started¶

These instructions explain how to prepare an avatar in Unity, upload it to Tivoli's file hosting service, and use it in-world. This document assumes you already have an avatar model imported into Unity. If you don't know how to import a model into Unity, check Unity's documentation.

Download and install the avatar exporter in Unity¶

1. Download the Tivoli Avatar Exporter .unitypackage from our GitLab.

2. Launch (or install) the current LTS version of Unity and create or open a project with your avatar inside.

3. Import the .unitypackage by drag and dropping into assets or with Assets > Import Package > Custom Package. Once installed, you'll see a menu item called Tivoli Cloud VR on your menu bar.

   

Prepare and configure your avatar¶

1. Make sure the materials' shaders are set to either unlit or standard. The unlit shader is better for flat, cartoon style artwork, and standard for realistic PBR rendering.

   

2. Select the avatar's model in the project panel. In the Inspector window, animation properties will appear. Press the Rig tab, then set Animation Type to Humanoid, and press Configure.

   

3. The Avatar Mapping panel will appear. Click the Pose dropdown and choose Enforce T-Pose. Press Apply and Done.

   

   Warning

   If any of the bone slots in the Avatar Mapping panel are red, you'll need to configure your model by dragging the correct bones to the corresponding slot. See Unity's documentation on this.

4. Select your avatar model in the project panel, then select Tivoli Cloud VR > Export Avatar from the menu bar. Give your avatar project a name in the Export project name and choose a good default scale for your avatar using the Scale slider. This is the size your avatar will appear when you load into a new world.

   

5. Optionally, you can map your avatar's blendshapes to our naming convention. Locate your avatar's .fst file and open it in a text editor. At the bottom of the file, add these lines:

bs = JawOpen = vrc.v_aa = 1
bs = EyeBlink_L = vrc.blink_left = 1
bs = EyeBlink_R = vrc.blink_right = 1

This will map blendshape vrc.v_aa (VRChat) to JawOpen (Tivoli). Change vrc.v_aa to the name of your "open mouth" blendshape. You can find all of our blendshapes at our avatar standards page.

Upload your avatar to Tivoli files and wear it¶

1. Log in to your Tivoli Cloud VR account in your web browser at tivolicloud.com.

2. Click Apps and select My Files.

   

3. Press the Create Folder button, click Upload and drag in the files created by the exporter.

   

4. Right click the avatar.fst file and choose Copy URL to clipboard.

   

5. Launch Tivoli and click the Avatar button on your tablet or toolbar. Press the Update Avatar URL button, paste the URL, and press Update to wear it.