Illustrate Your Identity: Where To Get Avatars for VR

Creating your virtual identity with an awesome avatar is one of the best parts of diving into VR and the metaverse. Whether you explore worlds in VRChat, attend meetings in Spatial or create content with LIV or VSeeFace, there are many different places where having an avatar can help you stand out. But with so many avatar options out there, where should you look to find the perfect virtual you? In this post, I'll be going over some of the top places to get free avatars as well as paid avatar marketplaces where you can buy premium models.

Free vs Premium (Paid)

Free avatars are great for trying out different looks and not spending any money. Sites and apps like Ready Player Me and VRoid Studio offer free customization tools and avatars. The downside is there's less variety and quality control with free avatar assets.

Paid avatars come with higher quality models, textures, and customization ability. Marketplaces like Booth.pm, the LIV Store, and Gumroad have pro avatar artists creating stylized and optimized models. These avatars are worth investing in if you want something truly unique to represent you across VR. But be prepared to spend money for quality work.

Whether you want to go free or paid, let's jump in and start exploring the best of avatar creation!

Free
Ready Player Me

One awesome free avatar source is Ready Player Me. This web-based platform lets you create a VR-ready avatar from a single selfie photo.

After uploading your photo, Ready Player Me generates a 3D animated avatar resembling you. You can then customize hair style and color, skin tone, facial features, and more. There are also a bunch of free outfits and accessories to choose from.

Once you're happy with your look, you can export the avatar as a glTF file. This will allow it to be imported into hundreds of different apps and games. Some places your Ready Player Me avatar will work include VRChat, Spatial, Wave, and Microsoft Mesh.

Ready Player Me is a quick and easy way to get an avatar if you don't want to do much custom modeling work. The automated generation process makes it accessible for beginners too. And since it works across so many platforms, it's a good option as your go-to avatar.

VRoid Studio

If you want full control over your avatar design, check out VRoid Studio. This free 3D modeling software lets you build custom anime-style humanoid avatars from scratch.

VRoid Studio has an intuitive interface with simple tools for sculpting face shapes, hairstyles, outfits, and more. You don't need any 3D art experience to design a quality avatar here.

Once your model is complete, you can export it in the VRM file format. This makes the avatar compatible with vtuber content creator apps like LIV and VSeeFace.

The software has base model templates to choose from. But the real advantage is being able to tweak every aspect of the avatar. Adjust body type, facial features, texture colors, and hairstyle until you have your perfect virtual representation.

Add your own creative touch by designing custom skin patterns, makeup, and clothing. The possibilities are endless!

 

VRoid Studio is an accessible way to concept and generate detailed anime-inspired avatars and it won't cost you a penny!

ModelSaber - Avatars for Beat Saber Creators

If you're looking for avatars specifically tailored for Beat Saber, check out ModelSaber. This platform offers a database of free user-uploaded avatars in .avatar and .VRM formats.

Many of the avatars are optimized for recording Beat Saber gameplay or streaming. This makes them ideal for Beat Saber content creators wanting a cool avatar to represent them.

Since the avatars are user-submitted, quality may vary. But finding gems among thousands of options is part of the fun! Most avatars are anime-inspired with bright colors and flashy effects that stand out in videos.

Once you download an avatar file, importing it into Beat Saber is easy. Use ModAssistant or just drag and drop the file into the appropriate folder on your computer depending on its use case. Then select it in-game or in streaming software.

ModelSaber has a constantly growing library of free avatars to choose from. Filter by popularity or latest uploads to see what fellow Beat Saber players are rocking in their videos these days.

Browse Free Avatar Worlds in VRChat

VRChat has its own avatar system, but you can also get free premade avatars from avatar worlds. These are spaces created by users with free avatar models available for taking.

Some popular avatar worlds to check out include:

• Big Al's Avatar Corridors: This is a popular avatar world that contains over 200 different avatars, mostly pop culture and TV related. It's a great place to find fun avatars to add to your collection.
• Toga and Ikita Avatars: This is a well-made VRChat avatar world that has an anime cyberpunk feel. It contains a good selection of quality avatars that have an incredible amount of interactions built in.
  
• Cross-platform Avatar World: This is a simple VRChat avatar world that has a selection of approximately 30 cross-platform avatars. There are animals, anime characters, superheroes, an alien, and a few Minecraft characters. There are also portals to two other popular avatar worlds, Big Al’s Avatar Corridors, and 100 Avatars.

These worlds let you browse and try on different looks before picking one to use.

Exploring avatar worlds is a fun way to discover free avatars made by creators in the VRChat community. You'll find everything from anime and furry avatars to superheroes, robots, and pop culture icons.

VRCmods - Free VRChat Avatars

VRCmods is a community site and modding resource for VRChat. Along with custom worlds, props, and tools, they also offer a wide selection of free avatars.

Browsing VRCmods is a great way to discover avatar creators within the VRChat community. You can filter avatar searches by categories like anime, furry, human, mecha, etc.

Avatars downloaded from VRCmods will be optimized for use in VRChat right away. That makes the site a go-to for ready-made VRChat persona needs.

If you want to easily find free, stylish, and community-created avatars for VRChat, be sure to browse VRCmods. New designs and creators are featured daily!

Premium (Paid)
The LIV Store - VR Avatars for All

The LIV app offers resources for VR content creators through their vtubing, mixed reality, and chat reading tools. Their LIV Store provides both free and paid avatar options.

Browse the LIV Store for VR-ready avatar models in formats like VRM, .avatar, and Unity asset files (.unitypackage). Many work across multiple platforms beyond just LIV software such as VRChat and VSeeFace.

For VRChat users, they have a section dedicated to VRChat-optimized avatar packages. These come with the models, expressions, and full-body tracking VRC supports.

The LIV Store also caters to content creators needing avatars for recording mixed reality videos. You can find a variety of streamer-ready VRM models here.

While the premium avatars cost money, some sellers offer a few freebies to choose from. These make great starters if you want to test things out.

The LIV Store offers more than just premade avatars - you can also request custom avatar commissions. Their artists are available to create personalized VR avatars tailored to your preferences. The LIV Store team can also help with avatar file modifications or conversions if you need existing models adapted for certain platforms. So beyond their catalogue of quality premade avatars, The LIV Store provides services for getting completely custom, optimized VR personas created just for you. Reach out to them for avatar projects requiring a personalized touch or technical fine-tuning.

Booth.pm

Booth.pm is a Japanese avatar marketplace with high quality, customizable VR avatar commissions from professional artists.

This is a go-to site for getting detailed, stylized anime avatars made specifically for you. But keep in mind - most of the site is in Japanese.

Navigating Booth can be tricky if you don't know the language. You'll need to use Google Translate or get help from someone who speaks Japanese.

However, the hassle is worth it for the level of customization and artistry Booth avatar artists provide. You can request specific features like hairstyles, outfits, eyes, etc.

Pricing varies by artist but expect to spend around $100-300 for a fully customized avatar. Lengthy commissions may cost more.

While tricky to use, Booth connects you with top Japanese VR avatar creators. For a premium, bespoke avatar made just for you, it's a great service.

Just be prepared to exercise your patience and translation abilities when ordering!

Gumroad

Gumroad is a platform where creators can sell various digital products directly to customers. Many VR avatar artists offer their services through Gumroad.

Browse Gumroad avatars by searching tags like "VR avatars", "VRChat avatars", "Vtubers", etc. You'll find individual artists and studios selling their work.

Pricing varies but expect to spend $50-200+ for high quality, custom Gumroad avatars. Some have ready-made options for quicker delivery too.

Advantages of Gumroad avatar commissions include direct communication with the artist and supporting indie creators. You can specify details you want for a personalized avatar.

Look through artist portfolios and reviews to find someone who matches your preferred art style. Anime, realistic, stylized - Gumroad has artists for all aesthetics.

While pricier than pre-made options, Gumroad allows you to get a one-of-a-kind custom avatar tailored to your requests.

VRCArena

VRCArena is a marketplace focused on VRChat content. They have an Avatar Commissions section where you can hire artists to create custom VR avatars.

On VRCArena, you can browse artist portfolios and pricing to find the right match for your vision. Styles range from anime to furry to realistic.

When you commission an avatar, you'll work directly with the artist on details like outfits, hairstyle, accessories, etc. Expect to pay $100-$300+ for quality work.

VRCArena artists are experienced with designing avatars optimized for features like VRChat's Visemes, physic bones, particle effects, and full body tracking.

You'll end up with a personalized, high quality avatar ready to import into VRChat.

While hiring an artist on VRCArena costs money, you get to work collaboratively with talents in the VR avatar creation space. It's worth the investment for a truly custom avatar.

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Finding the perfect avatar for VR and the metaverse opens up endless possibilities for self-expression and exploration. With the many sources covered in this post, you now have several great options to choose from on your avatar journey.

For free avatars, communities like VRCMods, Ready Player Me, and VRChat avatar worlds provide awesome starting points. Paid marketplaces like The LIV Store, Booth.pm, and Gumroad give you custom, high quality avatar commissions.

Optimizing your avatar for your preferred platforms takes a bit of work. But once you have that ideal virtual representation of yourself, you can dive into VR social experiences confidently.

So get creative, personalize your avatar, and then get out there to enjoy VR apps as your virtual persona. Join multiplayer games, hang out in VR chat rooms, collab in virtual workspaces, and more.

The future of living and interacting in virtual worlds is exciting. And it all starts with finding that perfect avatar that resonates with your individuality. Hopefully this post has outlined some helpful resources to start your avatar journey today!