VRChat IK 2.0 - 8 and 10-point tracking!
The rumors are true: we’ve got some massive upcoming updates to the VRChat IK system! Let’s talk about VRChat IK 2.0!
We’ve completely revamped the IK system, improving every aspect of tracking in VRChat. While we were under the hood, we also added in support for even more tracking points – meaning you can now have up to 10 points of tracking on your avatar!
If you’re following us on Twitter, there’s a good chance you might’ve caught a sneak peek of these changes in action:
It’s important to note that there’s benefits for everyone here: from the people that simply own a headset and controllers to the people sitting on a shelf full of trackers. Additionally, these improvements will be available for all VRChat users – no VRChat Plus required, and our Quest community gets all the 3-point improvements too!
OK, let’s talk a bit about these changes in detail, and what they’ll mean for you.
VRChat IK 2.0
While VRChat’s tracking was pretty good, we’ve always known it could be better. We’ve rebuilt the whole system to more accurately track moving bodies, especially when they are twisted, upside down, or in a bunch of other unique positions that our previous system struggled to track.
This should mean that your avatar matches your real-life body’s movements more accurately, even if you aren’t wearing body trackers! To put things into perspective, let’s go through a few examples of some of the many improvements you can expect in this update!
Your avatar’s elbows should no longer clip through your avatar’s torso – which (we’d hope) is not something your arms are actually doing in real life.
You should notice improved motion through the IK changes and changes to how poses are handled - meaning less twisty spines!
We’ve also added in a few different IK modes for users to play around with. Check out the “gear” Settings tab in your Quick Menu while you’re wearing full body trackers. We suggest giving all of them a shot: the best one for you will depend on your avatar’s rig, your tracking setup, and what you’re trying to achieve with FBT.
Once again, it should be noted that these changes don’t just benefit users who are tracking their entire body: all users, including those that simply use a headset and two controllers, will see an improvement in how their avatar moves in VRChat.
Additional Tracking Points!
Right now, VRChat only supports up to 6-point tracking via SteamVR. That means you can use your headset and controllers, then optionally add in your waist and feet via tracked devices like the HTC Vive Trackers or the Tundra Trackers.
A 6-point setup allows you to manipulate your whole avatar in VRChat, and is frequently referred to as FBT, or full-body tracking. If you’ve ever seen someone dancing in VRChat, that’s how they’re doing it!
In this update, we’re bumping up support all the way up to 10 points of tracking, meaning that you’ll be able to track everything that was previously standard in FBT, plus up to four additional trackers – which can be used to track your elbows, knees, or both!
By adding more points of tracking, you’re giving the system more data to work with. Instead of having to guess where your knees or arms are, VRChat can simply know where they are. Chicken dance to your heart’s content.
Want to check out these updates like … right now?
Cool, ‘cause you can. Right now. On Live.
All of these features are available right now in a special Beta branch that works with Live! The IK 2.0 Beta is live compatible, meaning you can use it while hanging out with your friends on the live version of VRChat!
To join, simply join our Discord, head over to the #open-beta-announcements channel, and find the recent post regarding the IK beta. Read that to learn how to join in, and how to contribute feedback. We’ve also got a dedicated #ik-2-beta channel to chat in.
We’re looking for as much feedback as possible, so if you’re looking to help us test any of these improvements and features, we would very much appreciate it! Your feedback and bug reports will help shape how the improved IK system looks and acts when it releases to Live.
For now, this beta is only available on Steam, but we’ll look into expanding to more platforms later on during testing.
Go forth, try it out, and enjoy all the extra fidelity. Don’t forget to give us your feedback!
For press or media inquiries, please contact press@vrchat.com
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