We would like to share a change in Avatar Type detection in the new 3D importer.
Currently, when you import an avatar, under settings on the right-hand side, there is a drop-down menu called Avatar Type. We set a default value for that Avatar Type after running the rig through criteria that determines its likely type. Developers can override this type.
After hearing your feedback, we have made the criteria more lenient - it is now the bare minimum required for an R15 animation to play on an avatar. That means that we only check for the R15 mesh names, the R15 joint names, and the R15 joint hierarchy. Extra meshes and joints are allowed. Attachments and cages are no longer considered when determining if a rig is R15.
Previously, the criteria for determining an R15 was very strict - expecting a rig to have the exact number and names of meshes, cages (if relevant), attachments, and joints. The criteria also expected the joint hierarchy to be correct. This led to many rigs that were intended to be imported as R15 originally set to be imported as Custom.
We expect this change to be the better default for R15. If the importer miscategorizes your rig, or you prefer to import as custom, you can easily override it in the Avatar Type dropdown menu.
A similar change will soon be made to animation import in the Animation Clip Editor.
Previous vs. Current Rig Type Detection Result for an R15 rig with an extra part (floor)
We hope this speeds up the importing workflow as the automatic type detection should now align more with the expectations. Please let us know if you run into any issues!
I would use this importer more often (because its great) if the meshes in question don’t get uploaded as actual models to your profile or group instead of just individual meshes as you would expect to happen much like how the Avatar Importer and Bulk Importer work. I’m still not sure why this is a thing and a change for this would be much appreciated, thanks
It seems that this hasn’t been addressed formerly but any workflows that generate assets on our profiles/group profiles that cannot be archived/deleted are too messy to be used seriously. Please at least make this optional.
Most players want to use the new and modern functions of ROBLOX and R15 is the thing that needs a lot of improvement or a combination of the two R6 and R15.
Intriguing. I look forward to seeing what this entails the next time I make character meshes, which is bound to happen sooner or later. I also like how this may or may not be a precursor to the big avatar changes planned in the sort-of near future.
Not uploading a model at all is something we can consider in the future, but there’s some behavior we would have to address. For instance a Surface Appearance is an instance and as such shouldn’t be put under a mesh in the mesh tab, but then would it just not get uploaded? Do we need a new tab for Surface Appearances? What about for bones and rigs? Ideally we can side step some of these issues in the future with better asset management solutions, but for now uploading a model with all the assets gives us a good base line where we can focus on improving the plugin itself.
I don’t understand your explanation as to why its required to be uploaded as a model. Does uploading a model directly correlate to how you apply a Surface Appearance to a mesh? I don’t understand why that’s the case. If images and meshes can all be imported individually and uploaded under their respective groups (not as a model) then I don’t see why this importer couldn’t just do the same thing. I would imagine that the meshes, images and/or textures get uploaded to their assigned groups anyway and not just as a model, so why is there that extra step of uploading a model? It just seems like a redundant step and just creates unintended results, especially if you’re utilizing your groups uploaded assets and don’t want to clutter it with thousands of uploaded models.
More so that there’s not yet tabs for some of the asset types (such as Surface Appearance) like there are for meshs and images, so uploading as a model is a stopgap to ensure all of the assets are available somewhere. This is definitely not an ideal solution though, and we’re looking into ways to make asset management more, well, manageable
Ah I see. But that implies that Surface Appearance needs their own asset type, but I don’t think that’s necessarily the case. Surface Appearance ultimately just use a set of 4 images so wouldn’t the solution have been to upload these 4 images separately as normal and then apply those 4 images to the Surface Appearance once you import your meshes? Or at least not upload any models as long as your mesh doesn’t require a Surface Appearance.
Been using the new mesh importer for a few days now…
This is potentially the most impactful and useful update Roblox has shipped this year. Our workload regularly involves fighting bulk import tools. This new system is much faster, more reliable and practically better in every way.
Really appreciate the work that has gone into this tool.
A few feature requests:
Please make configuration choices save between uploads.
i.e. Im almost always uploading with the “Anchored” property to true. If you can save me from having to press that button every time I open the window that would be very useful.
Potentially allow us to configure the uploaded material type also. At the moment objects are given the “plastic” material by default. 99% of the time we are swapping this to “smooth plastic” immediately after import.
Once again, great update and big thank you to the team who put this together. Looks like this tool will save me a lot of time in the future.
