What is Ready Player Me
Learn how Ready Player Me works
Ready Player Me is an avatar system for games, apps, and VR/AR experiences developed with Unity, Unreal Engine, React, native mobile solutions, and almost any stack that supports REST and PostMessage.
With little effort, you can integrate the Ready Player Me Avatar Creator into your app or game. Players can choose between thousands of customization options to create an avatar that represents their identity best. These avatars will then be served as fully skinned, rigged, and ready-to-animate 3D models to your development environment of choice.
For easy integration, you can use the SDKs (Unity, Unreal, React) or directly work with the APIs and/or iFrame Avatar Creator integration.
How it works
Learn in more detail about the components of the Ready Player Me System.
Avatars
The avatar is the center of Ready Player Me. Players can choose to create an avatar in their likeness from a selfie or a preset and customize it with various standard and custom assets.
For your application, you can choose between full-body and half-body avatars.
Full-body avatars are fully rigged, skinned, and game-ready 3D models of the whole person.
Half-body avatars consist of a head with a torso and hands, and are specifically designed for easy integration into VR games and apps.
GLB files
All avatars are stored as GLB files on Ready Player Me servers.
GLB is a standardized file format for sharing 3D data. A GLB avatar file includes information about the 3D model, materials, and skeleton.
URL
Every avatar is represented by a unique URL to its GLB file. Avatar URLs follow the structure https://models.readyplayer.me/[avatar-id].glb. You can use the URL below to download a sample avatar and view it in a GLB viewer (Try: https://gltf-viewer.donmccurdy.com/).
The Avatar URL is public in that anyone with the URL can download its . While users can always download their avatars, you cannot modify a player's stored avatar without their permission.
You can retrieve an avatar 3D GLB model with desired performance and configuration settings for your application using the Avatars endpoint of the REST API. Here is an example of a URL that requests an avatar in the T pose.
2D Avatar Renders
You can request a 2D-rendered PNG image of an avatar for profile pictures and stickers. Change the file extension of the avatar URL from .glb to .png, as shown below.
You can customize the 2D renders. For example, you can request a smiling full-body render with a transparent background.
Avatar Creator
There are multiple options for creating an avatar and receiving an Avatar URL. All these methods use the same Assets and Avatar Endpoints of the REST API.
As a registered developer, you receive your own Avatar-Creator URL (https://[yoursubdomain].readyplayer.me), which you can integrate into your game or app via iFrame or WebView.
Developers can use the SDK to create their own customized Avatar Creator in Unity or Unreal Engine.
Developers can programmatically create an avatar using the Avatar Endpoints of the REST API.
Registered players can create and manage avatars in the Ready Player Me Hub.
Ready Player Me Accounts
Players who register with Ready Player Me receive a Ready Player Me Account and can
log in to the Ready Player Me Hub to manage their avatars and browse all Ready Player Me-enabled games and apps.
use their account credentials to log in to instances of the Avatar Creator on your and other developers' Avatar Creator URLs.
However, registering is not mandatory for players. For players who don't have a Ready Player Me user account, you can
create a guest account, which allows you to store and manage a list of their assets and avatars.
store their avatar URLs on your server. This offers players limited functionality, but allows them to play.
Ready Player Me API
Ready Player Me API is a RESTful service that allows you to create, modify, and request avatars, assets, and user accounts.
For example, you can request different levels of detail and make other performance adjustments on your avatar request.
See all Endpoints in the REST API Reference.
SDKs
The Ready Player Me SDK for Unity and Unreal Engine, along with many examples and packages for web and native mobile development, makes integrating the Avatar Creator and loading avatars in your game or app much easier.
The SDKs allow you to
load avatars into your app or game via avatar URL into your project and at runtime.
integrate the Avatar Creator into your app or game.
tune performance of your app by using avatar configurations.
Check out code samples to explore how it's done.
Ready Player Me Studio
Ready Player Me Studio is a developer workspace that helps you integrate Ready Player Me and manage your integration. After creating your Studio account, you will
get your own Avatar Creator URL.
modify the appearance and specifications of the Avatar Creator.
upload and manage your custom outfits and assets.
create an API Key to gain full access to all REST Avatar API endpoints.
enjoy the help of the Ready Player Me Copilot to guide you through the integration process.
The Studio is available at https://studio.readyplayer.me
Custom outfits
When you integrate with Ready Player Me, your players immediately have access to a large selection of assets for customizing their avatars.
You can enrich the default assets by adding your own custom and branded outfits. You can make them freely available or unlock them just for certain players. You upload and manage custom outfits via Studio or the Assets REST API.
Learn more about creating and managing custom outfits.
Conclusion
With the Ready Player Me avatar system you have a complete solution for creating, managing, integrating, and customizing player avatars for your games and apps for web, desktop, mobile, VR and any other platform supported by Unity and Unreal Engine.
Next Steps
Ready to create a Developer account?
Try the Quickstart for Unity / Unreal Engine / React and other platforms
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