Importing models back into Vroid?

[Ren Ookami]

Pretty sure it have been asked many times, but that's a critical feature.
How does a program literally about creating VRM models don't have the feature to import them back? What is even the point to downlad from the Vroid hub models with "alteration permission" if we can't even import them back to modify them?

That or force people allowing alteration to post a Vroid file on top of the VRM, It's easy enough to drop them in the avatar folder. Because in that regard, the VRM alone is useless for people who are no Blender wizards. A.k.a the target audience of your program.

Even not implementing this feature, that upload convention would already be a fix.

[NikoAetherious]

I have said in previous discussions that importing models is somewhat defeating the purpose of VRoidStudio, being that a vrm is meant to be exported from VRoid and subsequently imported into other applications for various use cases, but you raise a valid point here. The fact that VRoid is primarily targeted to people who do not have sufficient skills with Blender or similar software means that being able to make alterations to a preexisting model in app without needing to resort to Blender is a reasonable feature. I suppose the issue is more so on the technical side, as it is possible that a vrm is created with an application other than VRoid that does not follow all the same conventions as one made with VRoid. As an example, there is a user named PzimaVR on VRoidHub that has a collection of models that are essentially a floating tv box with legs ( https://hub.vroid.com/en/characters/8185000604404896877/models/3776922714048637052 ), and while they do meet the requirements to be a vrm and do allow for alterations, such a model would not be editable with VRoidStudio, so it is an open question of how the app would handle the import of such a model. The only real method that I can see working is through the sharing of the VRoid file as opposed to importing the vrm, that way compatibility between VRoid and the model is guaranteed, but requiring the upload of a VRoid file is unrealistic since vrm models can be made outside of VRoidStudio, so the VRoid file does not exist for all cases.

[Ren Ookami]

Thank you for your response.
It answered that age old question of why we can't import VRM back. It's totally understandable that VRM models made in other applications can't be imported in Vroid, Same for Avatars heavely modified in Blender (or other application) who no longer meet the program's restrictions even if they are still in VRM format and were originally made in Vroid.

But as it is now, who knows even if the avatar I found was just really good textured, or would not even be compatible with Vroid? That is a question I didn't asked myself since I was on the "Vroid hub", assuming these were 100% Vroid related avatars.
And let's be honest, people with even less experience would be even more lost, if even trying to understand the situation at all.


Some upload convention to identify such cases at a glance and avoid misunderstandings may be enough of a step forward, since Vroid format already exist and wouldn't need any alteration.
When avaiable, the Vroid file is enough to import back in the program, as we both noted. And as you said it would secure compatibility with the Vroid application, unlike finding a way to import back some random VRM, which is a majot plus.

As long as the tool to upload it and therefore mark an avatar as "compatible for edition in Vroid" is here, people may start to use it. From there, people can filter out the list of avatars like they did until now. Things will sort themselves in time if the tools are present in the hub.

That is a good solution, in the sense that the application and formats do not need changes for it to work. Because was less a need for "Vroid file to be here for all avatars" in the hub, but instead just "being capable to identify which ones works for this particular purpose" (being altered in Vroid itself) or not.