Auto-setup model requirements

Avatar Setup's auto-setup feature is an automatic process to convert 3D models into avatar characters, accessories, or layered clothing. Auto-setup analyzes your model, checks for components, and converts it to the correct avatar item object for publishing on the Marketplace or for use in experiences.

To prevent errors and achieve the best auto-setup results, make sure your asset is a supported input and the base mesh follow the appropriate auto-setup requirements for the intended asset type.

Supported asset types

Auto-setup supports the conversion of following asset types from a base Model:

Body

At this time, every auto-setup submission must include a base body. If converting accessories or clothing, you must bundle them with a base body for fitting.

Auto-setup detects the following partial avatar body inputs:

Reference Image	Auto-setup support
	A single or multiple mesh body with no rigging. The most common input is a single mesh object that doesn't include rigging data or other components. The input body must meet auto-setup's model requirements. In this case, auto-setup creates the rest of the avatar components automatically.
	A single or multiple mesh body with only body rigging. If the provided meshes include a compatible R15 body rig, auto-setup uses the provided rig, and creates the facial rig and all other components. The input body rig must follow Roblox's rigging configuration, otherwise auto-setup creates a brand new rig for you.
	A single or multiple mesh with only facial rigging. At this time, auto-setup does not support cases where only a facial rig is present with the input model. If you intend to use your own custom facial rigging, you must also include an R15 rig and set the FaceRootJoint (and all child bones) as a child of the R15 head joint. For more information, see optional rig requirements.
	A single mesh body with both body and facial rigging. If the body rig, facial rig, and appropriate FACS data is included, auto-setup preserves that data and only generates the missing Roblox-specific components. Bodies comprised of multiple meshes are not supported for this input. For more information, see optional rig requirements.

Mesh requirements

To achieve the best results when converting a model to a Roblox-ready avatar character, it's important to configure your base model so the tool can properly generate avatar components with.

Note that Roblox is actively adding improvements to this tool and these requirements may lift in the future.

The full requirements for the input body model are as follows:

1. Single or multiple mesh — In most cases, auto-setup accepts bodies comprising of 1 or more meshes. If your body includes multiple meshes, the tool automatically recombines all selected meshes as a single mesh, then decimates the combined parts to the appropriate R15 structure.

2. 5 distinct head components — Whether you are using a single or multi-mesh character model, the following head components are required:

   1. 2 eyes — Heads must include 2 connected eyebags containing half-sphere eyes that do not share any vertices with the head component.
   2. 3 mouthparts — Heads must include a connected mouthbag that houses the upper teeth, lower teeth, and tongue.

      1. Each of these mouthparts must be singly connected and not share any vertices with each other or with the head mesh.

   

   

3. Head geometry must not share vertices — Eyeballs, teeth, and tongue must be part of the model without sharing vertices with the body mesh.

   

   

4. Within triangle budget — The total body mesh resolution must be within 10,742 triangles. Use the following guidance to ensure each part doesn't exceed expected polycounts:

   Body part grouping	Maximum triangles	Maximum quads
   Head	4000	2000
   Arms	1248 per arm	624 per arm
   Legs	1248 per leg	624 per arm
   Torso	1750	875
   Total:	10,742	5495

   1. The setup tool segments and adds caps to the character limbs which may add to your total polycount. If your character model is close to the polycount limit, the additional geometry may cause validation failures.

5. Humanoid shape — The body must follow a general humanoid shape, with two arms, two legs, a torso, and a head.

6. A-pose or T-Pose — The body should form an upright A-pose or T-Pose.

   1. Bodies with I-pose may yield lower quality results.
   2. Ensure that no limbs obscure or overlap each other from the front view.

7. Negative Z Axis — The body front should face the negative Z axis.

8. Symmetrical — Asymmetrical bodies may work on a case-to-case basis. Position the center of the body with the Y-axis to improve the accuracy of the result.

   1. If your asymmetrical model experiences setup issues, try using a more symmetrical version.

9. Watertight — Ensure the model is watertight in all regions with the exception of the eyes and mouth. Watertight means that there are no holes in the mesh and no back faces are exposed.

10. No accessories — Do not include accessories, including face accessories, like hair, eyebrows, beards, and eyelashes.

11. Distinct neck area — Keep the neck distinct and not merged with the shoulders or upper torso.

12. Includes texture — Models should include one or more texture maps. If the input body includes multiple textures, the tool bakes the textures to a single map. This applies to PBR textures where the four textures are baked — one for each albedo, normal, metalness and roughness.

13. Follows Marketplace and Community Policy — The model must conform to Roblox's Marketplace Policy and Community Standards.

Rig requirements (Optional)

You can use your own custom body and face rig for your character model input instead of allowing auto-setup to generate a new one.

To ensure that auto-setup uses your own custom body rig:

• Ensure that your bones (Blender) or joints (Maya) meet Roblox's avatar rigging requirements.

  • Double-check naming conventions and hierarchy.
• Body rigs should not include additional bones beyond the standard 15, and facial rigs (no bone limit) should be correctly parented to a RootFaceJoint.

To ensure that auto-setup uses your own custom face rig and FACs data:

• A supported R15 body rig is required when submitting custom facial rigs and facial animation data.

  • Review supported body inputs to ensure you are submitting a supported body input and facial rig combination.

• Facial rig must include a RootFaceJoint bone (usually mapped as DynamicHead) whose parent is the Head joint of the R15 rig.

• All the other facial animation joints are descendants of the RootFaceJoint, and not direct children of the Head joint.

• Animations need to be provided for the 17 required poses, at minimum.

• Neutral animation must map to frame 0.

• Since the head is part of the single mesh with the body, the facial animation mappings must be included with the single body mesh:

  • The mapping between animation frames and facial poses are stored in the extra attributes / custom properties of the provided single mesh.
  • The name of the root face joint is stored in the extra attributes / custom properties of the single mesh, mapping RootFaceJoint to the corresponding name (usually DynamicHead).

Examples of non-supported bodies

The following are common examples of bodies that may not yield expected results with auto-setup:

Non-supported model examples

Accessories

Auto-setup can convert models into rigid accessories, configuring the scale type and attachment components required for rigid accessories.

To convert a mesh model into an accessory using auto-setup:

1. Fit the model onto a base body in Studio or your 3D modeling software.
2. Bundle the assets together in a single Folder.
3. Use Avatar Setup to use auto-setup on your assets.

During this process, you will be able to designate individual meshes or models as rigid accessories, layered accessories, or body parts. After conversion, a prompt displays allowing you to select the specific Asset Type.

For best results, ensure your models adhere to Roblox's accessory geometry specifications.

Layered clothing

Auto-setup can convert models into clothing accessories, adding in rigging and caging data that normally requires manual configuration.

To convert a mesh model into an accessory using auto-setup:

1. Fit the model onto a base body in Studio or your 3D modeling software.
2. Bundle the assets together in a single Folder.
3. Use Avatar Setup to use auto-setup on your assets.

During this process, you will be able to designate individual meshes or models as rigid accessories, layered accessories, or body parts. After conversion, a prompt displays allowing you to select the specific Asset Type.

For best results, ensure your models adhere to Roblox's layered clothing geometry specifications.

Bundle multiple assets

Auto-setup can process multiple accessory or clothing models with a single body model. To submit multiple models in the Avatar Setup tool, parent your models within a single folder.

To quickly parent your objects to folder:

1. In the Explorer, hold Shift and select the Model objects you intend to process with auto-setup. Ensure you are selecting a supported base body as one of the Model objects.
2. Right-click and select Group as Folder.
3. Select the Folder and then select the Avatar Setup tool to begin processing.

Reference models

Studio supports .gltf, .fbx, and .obj models using the 3D Importer. If you are exporting your model from a third-party tool, see Export Settings for export configurations.

For an asset that meets all of these model requirements, download one of the following auto-setup templates for your own reference and testing:

Nature Girl - Auto-Setup

A comprehensive .zip folder of an Avatar auto-setup ready character model, including clothing and rigid accessory assets and PBR texture assets.

This auto-setup template is not compatible with the traditional avatar creation workflow.

Download

Stylish Male - Auto-Setup

A comprehensive .zip folder of an Avatar auto-setup ready character model, including the base body and associated PBR textures.

This auto-setup template is not compatible with the traditional avatar creation workflow.

Download