Avatar Troubleshooting

This is a guide to help you troubleshoot common or uncommon problems when creating or editing avatars within VRC.

General Info

Most of my guide is based off of things I have encountered and found solutions for.

If you have any suggestions or grammar corrections, post it in the comments and I'll update it.

I have not been paid to share any of these links nor do I receive a commission to share any of these links. If you do wish to support me you can so with these links:
★ https://www.buymeacoffee.com/lilliannorthn
★ http://paypal.me/lillnorth

This guide is not organized in any particular order. It's just when I find a problem and a solution.

Common Tools

Pumkins Avatar Tools
★ https://github.com/rurre/PumkinsAvatarTools
This is a very good tool that encompasses a lot of things like removing aspects of an avatar or copying from another avatar.

VRCFury
★ https://vrcfury.com
This is also a very good tool that can auto fix things for you or help you install things such as Gogo Loco.

VRC School

VRC School
★ https://vrc.school
★ https://github.com/VRLabs/VRCSchool

VRC School is the perfect place to understand and learn how to make and understand VRChat avatars.

Troubleshooting |

"Found an audio clip with load type "Decompress On Load which doesn't have "Load In background."

How to fix it

• Select the fatal error in the VRChat SDK
  
• Under Hierarchy on the left select one of the audio clips
  
• Go into Inspector in the top right
  
• Beside AudioClip click on the Audio Clip
  
• Select the Audio Clip in Project
  
• Go into inspector
  
• Enable "Load In Background"
  
• Click Apply in the bottom right

Alternative way of fixing it

• Background on the audio clip!"
  
• Find the audio files under the assets tab
  
• Select an audio clip
  
• Click on the inspector in the top right
  
• Find the option "Load In Background" and enable it.
  
• Then click apply in the bottom right

Viewpoint of avatar is too high/low

If you've ever uploaded an older model and then try it in game but the viewpoint is way off where the eyes are actually positioned this is how you fix it.

• On the left side in the hierarchy right click and select the option "create empty"
  
• This will create an empty GameObject that we will use to see where the eyes should be
  
• Select the object and move it in between the avatars eyes a little in front of their face
  
• When you have the object positioned click on Inspector in the top right
  
• Copy or write down the values in Position and keep it for these next steps

• Select your avatar in the Hierarchy in the top left
  
• Go into Inspector on the top right
  
• Scroll down to the VRC Avatar Descriptor
  
• Open the View drop down menu
  
• Copy paste those values you took from the Empty GameObject

Then upload the avatar as normal.

Alternatively you can use Pumkins Avatar Tools.
★ https://github.com/rurre/PumkinsAvatarTools

• After installing it via the Creator Companion open your project.
  
• At the top select "Tools"
  
• "Pumkin" - "Avatar Tools"
  
• Drag your avatar from the Hierarchy on the left into the tool and find "Tools" and "Edit Viewpoint". This will allow you to easily edit your viewpoint.

Missing Mono Script

This MIGHT work for some avatars and it might not for others. I have not tested this enough.
When you have pulled your avatar into the Hierarchy select the Inspector in the top right scroll down and then in Scripts it says “Missing (Mono Script).
This might be due to dynamic bones.You can purchase it here: https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/tools/animation/dynamic-bone-16743

Here is how to fix it:

• Import Dynamic bones into the project
  
• Select the avatar, click on Inspector in the top right
  
• Scroll down to script
  
• Next to Missing (Mono Script) click on the plus button
  
• Search up DynamicBone and double click

Alternatively you can use Pumkins Avatar Tools.
★ https://github.com/rurre/PumkinsAvatarTools

• After installing it via the Creator Companion open your project.
  
• At the top select "Tools"
  
• "Pumkin" - "Avatar Tools"
  
• Drag your avatar from the Hierarchy on the left into the tool and scroll down to "Remove Components" and remove Empty Scripts.

A VRCAvatarDescriptor is required to build an Avatar

If you’ve logged into the VRChat SDK and you’re getting this message it’s so incredibly easy to fix you’ll be surprised!

• Select your avatar in the Hierarchy in the top left
  
• Select Inspector in the top right
  
• Scroll down to “Add Component”
  
• Search for “VRC Avatar Descriptor” and select it.

That’s all you need to do!

Avatar or certain parts of an avatar appear pink or light blue.

If the avatar appears pink that either means you haven’t imported a shader, you haven't imported the correct shader or the files did not change properly.

If you didn’t import shaders or imported the wrong one:

• Go onto the listing for the avatar.
  
• Find what shader they used.
  
• Either download or buy it.
  
• Import the unity file into the project.

If you did import the correct shaders:

• Go into the project on the bottom
  
• Go into your assets
  
• Go through the folders until you find a “Materials” folder.
  
• Here the balls should also appear pink/blue.
  
• Select one or several of the balls
  
• Go into Inspector in the top right
  
• Next to where it says “Shaders” it probably says something like: “Hidden/InternalErrorShader”
  
• Select that dropdown menu.
  
• Scroll down to the shader you imported.
  
• Select the shader
  
• And then select a version (this is more common with poiyomi).

If you’re still having problems with the shader the avatar might use several shaders or you imported the wrong version.

Feet are in the ground in Desktop/Half body.

Avatars will sometimes have their feet in the ground whether that be due to heels or other shoe styles.
This can be fixed by editing the FBX of the avatar within Unity!

• Locate your avatar model's FBX file. It will have a little arrow button next to it.
  
• When you select your avatar and look in the top right "Inspector" you will see a menu.
  
• Select "Rig".
  
• Select "Configure"
  
• Select the Hip Bone on the right side.
  
• Move the avatar up or down with the arrows that appear over the avatar to where the feet are where you fish for them to be naturally.
  
• When you're done click "Apply" and "Done".

Upload it as normal and you should have your feet in your desired position.

Avatar spins when crouching or laying down.

This has to do with an object near or in your head bone has a collider.
You have to through the objects near your head and look at the in the "Inspector" tab in the top right to see if they have a collider. This will be green, and might be under some of your other scripts.
To remove this you can click on the 3 dots at the top right of the collider and click "Remove Component"

Avatar looks pixelated when talking or using blendshapes.

This has to do with the import you do from blender into Unity.
Locate your avatars FBX which will have a white arrow to the right of it.
Select it and locate the Inspector tab in the top right.
Under "Model" select the option "Legacy Blend Shape Normals".

Hair/Shirt/Ears/ETC is very bright in dark areas.

This can be a dual issue. So one or even both of these solutions may work.
Lower Brightness Limit

• This has to do with your avatars "Lower Brightness Limit" where it hasn't been enabled to go darker.
  
• Locate the object that is too light and find the material it's using.
  
• Click the dropdown menu under the sphere of the texture.
  
• Locate "Lighting"
  
• Change the "Lower Brightness Limit" to be the same as other items on your avatar or test it out yourself.

I have mine set at 0.02 and it seems to work well.

Anchor override

• Select the Meshes/Objects in your Hierarchy on the top left.
  
• Click the Inspector on the top right.
  
• In the dropdown called Probes you want to drag your Hip bone into the slot.
  
• You can find your hip bone by clicking the dropdown called "Armature" in your Hierarchy.

Avatar's texture appears like a big block and isn't transparent.

Locate the avatar's material and click the dropdown menu under the sphere.
Under "Rendering Mode" select transparent.

Troubleshooting ||

Mouth not moving when talking

This has to do with the viseme's, it can be fixed 3 ways.

Method 1:

• Select your avatar in the Hierarchy.
  
• Within the VRChat Avatar Description find "LipSync".
  
• Under "Face Mesh" drag your avatars head from the Hierarchy into the slot.

Method 2 (This is for vismes with blendshapes):

• Select the correct blendshapes, for example Vismes: sil would have vrc.v_sil.
  
• You match the visme's with the correct ones.

Method 3 (This is for vismes with blend shapes):
This has to do with your facial animations. If you've edited your own facial animations with blend shapes you might have accidentally turned them off.

• Locate your facial animations.
  
• Make sure that none of them have your vismes' values set to 0 or 100/1 it will turn off your ability to move your mouth when you're talking.

Application Error

• This appears when you're trying to upload your avatar but it gives you an application error in the VRhat SDK window.
  
• Select your avatar in the Hierarchy.
  
• Go into Inspector at the top right.
  
• Scroll down to "Pipeline Manager (Script)".
  
• Detatch.

The blueprint ID is to connect avatars connected like having a PC and a Quest version.

Avatar's skin or clothing clipping visible through other clothing

This can be fixed 2 ways.

Option 1:
If you have a model with blend shapes you can use those to avoid clipping with the avatar's body or maybe even clothing.

• Select your avatar's body.
  
• Under "Skinned Mesh Renderer" locate BlendShapes.

Here you can drag the values of certain aspects of your avatar's body to be smaller or bigger. This can be added into animations so when you turn on a sweater it makes the arms smaller and when you turn on a t-shirt the arms go back to normal.
Some clothing will have blend shapes but ideally you can do weight painting to make sure it isn't clipping with clothing.

Option 2:
Weight painting HAS to be done in Blender. I have not tried it before but I'll accompany
some videos I have found easy to understand and follow.

Here is a tool that I have only heard good things about in terms of weight painting. It can be the go to solution or a start to your weight painting.
https://jinxxy.com/SentFromSpaceVR/robust-weight-transfer

AUTO Instant Weight Painting Fast and Easy in Blender | VRChat Avatar Tutorial
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rW-TeCYjro

(Blender) Understanding Weight Paint.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Q0vXf9Ni_4&t

VRC | Beginner Guide to Weight Painting
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLtm8pxTU-I&t

Avatar doesn't have physbones after exporting from Blender.

You might have edited your avatar within blender and after uploading your clothes or hair appears stiff.
You can fix this two ways.

Option 1:
For this you will be using Pumkins avatar tools to copy the physbone components from the prefab of your item onto your avatar. Just make sure that the bones under the Armature of your avatar are the same.

• Find the prefab of the item you want the physbones off and drag it into the Hierarchy but not under your avatar.
  
• Close your project and install Pumkins via the Creator Companion open your project.
  
• At the top select "Tools"
  
• "Pumkin" - "Avatar Tools"
  
• Drag your avatar from the Hierarchy on the left into the tool and scroll down to "Copy Components"
  
• Drag the item you want to copy into the tool.
  
• Copy Physbones and Physbone colliders.

Option 2:
This is gonna be a very tedious method but it might work better for you.

• Make sure that all your bones in the avatars Armature are the same as your item.
  
• Select your item in the hierarchy.
  
• Locate Inspector in the top right.
  
• Look under the item's Hierarchy and find a bone with a Physbone Component.
  
• Locate that same bone under your avatar and add a Physbone Component.
  
• Make sure that you're using the correct version. Some bones use 1.0 and others use 1.1. It's important that these match because they behave differently.
  
• Within your item's bone copy the Physbone Component by locating the Inspector, clicking the three dots beside the Physbone Component and clicking "Copy Component".
  
• Locate the bone under your avatar and click the three dots within that bone's Physbone Component and clicking Paste Component Values.

Facial animations get stuck

The only way I've seen facial animations get stuck is when you apply custom blendshapes onto the face but not the facial animations. This can be fixed by having an idle facial animations be your custom blendshape settings.

Poiyomi module error

This can be fixed by adding poiyomi via the creator companion.

• Remove Poiyomi from your project.
  
• Close your project
  
• Go onto the Poiyomi website here: https://github.com/poiyomi/PoiyomiToonShader
  
• Click on "Grab the VPM for VCC!"
  
• Add to VCC
  
• Click "I Understand, Add Repository".
  
• Locate your project in the Creator Companion.
  
• Add the Poiyomi Repository by clicking the (+) button.
  
• Open your project and the error should be fixed.

Item dissapears in side view.

• In the hierarchy on the left select your avatar.
  
• Find the body of your avatar.
  
• Click on the Inspector in the top right.
  
• Under the "Skinned Mesh Renderer" there will be a section called "Bounds" with values.
  
• Copy all of those values and paste them somewhere you can easily grab them again.

• Again in the Hierarchy find the item that is dissapearing.
  
• Find the Bounds and paste those values.

You want all of your items to be the same size as your body basically.

Missing blendshapes.

This might not work for every avatar. But if your avatar has missing blendshapes for the face, body or any other part of it you might be able to fix it by changing the mesh. That is if they're the same but one has the blendshapes and the other one doesn't.
To do this.

• Select the part that is missing blendshapes in the Hierarchy on the left side.
  
• Click Inspector in the top right.
  
• You should have something called "Skinned Mesh Renderer".
  
• In there under Mesh there should be a little box click that.
  
• Here you want to replace the mesh from an object you know works with the one that does not.
  
• So if you're missing blendshapes for your head after you took your avatar through blender. Then you want to take the mesh from a previous version of the avatar that has not been through blender.
  
  This has worked for me.

My avatar's clothing/hair goes invisible in water!

• Select the piece of clothing that goes invisible in the Hierarchy on the left side.
  
• Click on Inspector in the top right.
  
• Find the Materials they will be bubbles with a name and (Material) at the end.
  
• You want a setting called "Rendering" or similar.
  
• Set this to 2999 or less.

With this the parts of your clothing you want to be transparent stays transparent but doesn't completely remove the clothing when you enter the water.

Thank you!

Thank you for taking the time to read this guide.
I've put a lot of time and effort into this so thank you!

[Samsite33]

Sweet🥰

[Lillian North]

You're welcome!

[Shotzla]

THANK YOU!