What Is VRChat SDK?

The SDK in VRChat SDK stands for Software Development Kit. And, as the name suggests, in an app that has been specially designed to enable users to create their own avatars and interactive worlds and such for the VRChat platform.

VRChat uses the Unity 3D game engine, and almost all the tools that Unity offers work seamlessly in VRChat, including things like lighting, navigation mesh, and animations.

There are three different versions of VRChat SDK around at the moment..

Perhaps the most popular of which is the VRChat SDK3 – Avatars. This can be used to create Avatar 3.0 avatars for VRChat. You can use this to create one or several unique identities for the VRChat platform.

Avatars created on VRChat SDK offer ultimate customization, unparalleled facial and body expression, and control.

There’s also VRChat SDK3 – Worlds, and it is through this app that you can create entirely new and engaging game worlds. You can create all sorts of chill hangout spots and clubs where you and your virtual avatar friends can get together and have fun. Or you can create virtual games.

And finally, there’s also VRChat SDK2. However, this is not as up to date as the VRChat SDK2 apps, and is solely for use when supporting old content.

When this article was written, the version of Unity that VRChat uses was Unity 2018.4.20f1, which is available to download via this link.

The good news is that this is a cross-platform app, and there are different versions available for different operating systems, including the likes of Android, AppleTV, Facebook Games, iOS, Linux, macOS, and Windows.

We are pleased to report that VRChat SDK is readily available and can be downloaded completely free of charge. Better yet

If you head over to https://hello.vrchat.com/ and scroll down to the bottom of the web page, you will find a button to take you to the VRChat SDK download page. From there, you can log into your VRChat account, and click the Download button.

From there you simply select which version of VRChat SDK you want to use (VRChat SDK3 – Avatars, VRChat SDK3 – Worlds, or VRChat SDK2 as described earlier).

The VRChat download comes as a standard Unity Package, in other words, it comes together with the appropriate version of Unity.

Once the necessary apps have been downloaded, you can then double-click on the apps to initiate the installation process. Various windows will pop up on your device, and you simply need to follow the on-screen instructions to carry out the installation. You will need to do this for both the Unity app and your chosen VRChat SDK app.

Please note, the instructions for setting up VRChat SDK presented here are assuming that you are running the required apps from a Windows PC and not from any of the other operating systems.

Before You Begin

The first thing you need to do is to double-check that you are using the correct version of Unity. As we mentioned previously, When this article was written, the version of Unity that VRChat uses was Unity 2018.4.20f1, which is available to download via this link.

But in order to check which is the correct version, in case it changes, you should head over to the Guides section on the VRChat website.

Please note however, that at this point, if you wish to build content for VRChat on Oculus Quest, then you will need to set up your Unity app accordingly. For more in depth instruction on how to do this, please follow this link.

Step One – Create A Project

At this point, you will need to open Unity Hub, click on Create a new project, and set it to 3D.

You can then go ahead and get to work creating your first project. But, a quick heads-up, Unity files can be pretty large, so please be sure to save all of your projects on a mass storage drive that has plenty of space available.

You would be well advised to create a new project for every separate world that you create. This doesn’t matter so much for avatars however, and it will be perfectly fine to keep your various avatars in separate scenes in one project (unless you plan on making a ton of avatars that is).

Once the project is open, you will need to ensure that the title bar ends in PC, Mac & Linux Standalone <DX11>. If it does not, this needs to be rectified.

Step Two – Importing the SDK

Now, with Unity open to your project, open Explorer and double-click on the SDK’s Unity package to open it.

You can also import it by heading to Assets > Import Package > Custom Package.

Please ensure that you are selecting the right SDK (VRChat SDK3 – Avatars, VRChat SDK3 – Worlds, or VRChat SDK2 as described earlier).

Once the import is complete, you should then check the Console window to see if there are any errors to fix. (Unless you have downloaded the wrong version of Unity, there should be no errors.)

Step Three – Logging In

In order to use the SDK, you have to log in using your VRChat account details. To do this, you will need to head over to VRChat SDK > Show Control Panel > Authentication.

Unfortunately, you cannot log in with your Steam, Oculus, or Viveport to upload content. And, importantly, you will need a VRChat account of at least New User Trust Rank.

But don’t worry, building your Trust Rank is easy, all it requires is for you to play VRChat, explore worlds and make friends.