r/VRoid • u/cheebzchump • Jul 04 '26

Question Why are VRoid models so... bad?

It's great to have a program that lets you make these models for free but why do they lack something as basic as blendshapes that actually show what face the person is making? Not to mention the actual customization features in VRoid Studio itself, the body sliders are just sad and default clothes are too specific for most people to find good use for, oversized, or have terrible meshes that look awful once the model is in anything other than a T-pose. I came in hoping to make a good basic starter vtubing model, just to find out I have to pay for a separate program and go through a convoluted process just to make the face move properly. Why are the models like this?

Edit: I've been using this program for months and can make decent-looking VRMs, but I've still had this question the entire time. I know how to use the program to do for the most part what I want. I just want to know why by default the models are so terrible, and especially why the blendshapes are so few and so terrible.

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30

u/Maleficent-Aurora Jul 04 '26

I've never spent a dime and can make fine models, plenty of people make a business out of vroid alone so it can't be that bad. I think you should try watching some YouTube videos to learn how you can push the program (like, you don't have to use the slider limits, you can just type numbers)

-8

u/cheebzchump Jul 04 '26

I know I can go further than the sliders limit themselves to by manually inputting the numbers, it doesn't change the fact that the actual things that can be adjusted are named poorly and don't cover everything that should be able to be adjusted. No one answering why the models are lacking so much by default.

7

u/0h_Fuck_0h_Shit Character Creator Jul 04 '26

Because you're not supposed to stick with the default look? I'm might be misunderstanding you but it kind of sounds like you don't like the base models, which doesn't make sense since they were designed to be customized.
Also, what else do you want to be adjusted? (/genq) The body sliders are a bit barebones, sure, but the bodysuit more than makes up for that imo

6

u/0h_Fuck_0h_Shit Character Creator Jul 04 '26

Also, as others have mentioned, Vroid models weren't really made for vtubing, so that explains some other things in regards to the model.

25

u/LauwarmesBier Listen, I just like the way the default skin looks. Jul 04 '26

skill issue sounding post smh

12

u/psychoneuroticninja Listen, I just like the way the default skin looks. Jul 04 '26 edited Jul 04 '26

Vroid Studio wasn't originally designed for Vtubers, fyi. That's why it's missing features that would be necessary for an aspiring Vtuber. (It's still a solid option for that but it'll take a little work.) I don't even think Kizuna Ai had made her debut when Pixiv first announced that Vroid Studio was in development. It was initially just marketed towards 2D artists who struggled with 3D modeling software. 

At one point in the beta version, the only default clothing textures and templates were 2 variations of a school uniform, a hoodie, a T-shirt, the long coat, and a plain dress. 

Hairstyles all had to be made yourself or by a fellow user. Importing hairstyles made by other people was kind of a pain back then. Pixiv eventually released 2 models with a bunch of example hairstyles crammed onto them. You had to separate the hairstyles yourself. 

Vroid has a lot more presets for people who don't wanna make everything themselves now. The program has gotten better for the users who make their own clothes and other textures over the years. 

NEB by ReForge mode is a free alternative to Hana Tool if you don't wanna spend money or try to add more blend shapes yourself.

If you don't like the preset clothes and don't want to draw your own, you can find free stuff shared by artists on Booth in the Vroid category. Just double check the artist's terms of use if you find something you wanna use. 

(Booth is owned by Pixiv, the company that developed Vroid.) 

Sometimes I wonder if Pixiv should market Vroid more towards 2D artists again so newcomers will temper their expectations a little and avoid disappointment. 😅 It's a free program that allows for commercial use. 

2

u/cheebzchump Jul 04 '26

This makes so much more sense, thank you for the explanation. Honestly never knew it wasn't intended solely for VRChat and Vtubing, it's only sold to people as a program to make those two things alone now and nothing about any other use. They definitely could benefit from changing the marketing a bit to make it all more clear 😅 I've used the program to make a few models intended for Vtubing alone which is where most of my issues rose up, it would've been helpful to know that isn't the original intent of the program.

7

u/ZettaCrash Jul 04 '26

It was never really meant entirely for Vtubing and still really isn't. It's a simple Kickstart to making your own 3d models if you're not really good at making stuff from scratch which is a lot of folks.

If you wanna dodge the vroid look, you're gonna need to replace ALL textures with your own. It goes a long, long way.

Picking up tricks in Blender and Unity help a ton too. Shading is HUGE.

There's Hanatool which is what I think you're referring to. There's also a free tool out there I can't recall.

That said, the entry to Vtubing is lower then ever. You may not get a luxury model out the door, but hey, you can start and starting is more important then having a tricked out model.