Skip to main content

Getting Started

How is your face moving like that?​

If you do want to use face tracking in VR, you do need a compatible headset! For my setup, I use the Quest Pro. (Thankfully, I made a guide here!)

Blendshapes, OSC, What's going on?!​

This may all be overwhelming for a first-timer, and that's completely okay! I was in the same boat when I first got my headset, and I had slammed my head onto my desk trying to understand it all. Here's a rundown of some common terms you may run into, whether they're here or elsewhere:

  • FT
    • This just stands for Face Tracking. It's a useful abbreviation!
  • OSC
    • This stands for Open Sound Control. It's a protocol originally intended to allow communication between audio devices and controllers for musical performances, but has capabilities far beyond that! (s. VRChat Docs)
    • In short, this is the "messenger" between external programs and VRChat.
  • Parameters
    • These are the true/false statements, sliders, and specifically defined data for your avatar! This can drive animations, blendshapes, and toggles!
  • Blendshapes/Shape Keys
    • These are sliders that move specific polygons on your avatar (0-100). (eg. a "Jaw Open" blendshape would move the polygons to open your jaw)

Getting Started​

For anything with Face Tracking (FT), you need some prerequisite add-ons to make everything work as smoothly as possible. This can include (but not limited to):

  • Face Tracking Templates
    • These are used in Unity, and are responsible for controlling blendshapes on your avatars. They come with the proper parameters for receiving OSC input, and preset animations to drive all the shapes on your model!
  • Parameter Mergers
    • This most notably refers to VRCFury, a popular tool used to non-destructively automate and simplify the process of building avatars.

What you'll need​

  • The latest version of Unity Editor (as of writing this, it is 2022.3.6f1 and the VCC will help with installation.)
  • VRChat Creator Companion (VCC)
  • My patcher. (Full list of currently supported avatars here.)
  • A premade avatar base. (If you are using my patcher, use one of the premade supported avatars in the above list!)