Viewer App Features
Lighting, animation playback, gestures, background transparency, FX parameters, and more
The viewer app has convenient features not just for viewing avatars, but also for making streaming and photography more comfortable. This page introduces the convenient features unique to the viewer app.
- Toolbar — Buttons at the bottom of the screen to open frequently used features
- Animation Playback — Play individual animation files or playlist animations
- Lighting — Freely adjust the direction, brightness, and color of light
- Gesture / Expression Switching — Switch hand signs / expressions with Shift + number keys
- Cursor Eye Look Mode — Make the avatar's gaze follow the mouse cursor
- Pedestal Display / Size / Vertical Position — Adjust the pedestal at the avatar's feet and avatar height
- VRChat FX Parameters — Switch avatar expressions, clothing, etc.
- Transparent Background Mode — Float the avatar alone on the desktop
- Avatar Transparency Mode — Make the avatar semi-transparent at the mouse position to operate behind it
- Load Reduction Mode (FPS Throttle) — Lower GPU load when there is no movement
- Display Language Switching — Switch UI language
- Convenient Keyboard Shortcuts — List of keyboard operations
Toolbar
A group of round buttons displayed at the bottom of the screen. Animation playback, transparent background, streaming mode, various settings, and many other features introduced on this page can be opened from this toolbar.
Main Buttons
| Button | Function |
|---|---|
| Back | Returns to the avatar list or the startup screen |
| Animation Playback | Opens the Animation Playback panel for individual animation file playback, playlist playback, and display position adjustment |
| Transparent Background | Turns Transparent Background Mode ON / OFF |
| Streaming Mode | Opens VMC / VRChat OSC reception settings and streaming camera / face tracking configuration |
| Settings Menu | Opens lighting, cursor eye look mode, pedestal, VRChat FX parameters, load reduction mode, display language, etc. |
- The toolbar appears when you move your mouse near the bottom of the screen
- If you opened an avatar file directly, an Open Avatar File button may appear to the right of the back button
Animation Playback
A feature that loads animation files (.anim / .vrma) and plays poses or movements on the avatar. You can switch between Simple for immediately playing a single file and Playlist for arranging and playing multiple files.
How to Use
- Open the Animation Playback panel from the toolbar
- In Simple, load a single animation file using the Open button or drag and drop
- In Playlist, add multiple animation files and play them in sequence
- Control playback with the play, pause, previous, next, and loop buttons
Playback and Display Position Adjustment
- Simple: Use when you want to quickly check a single animation
- Playlist: Save multiple animations and enable continuous playback and reordering
- Set: You can save up to 10 playlists. Can be used differently for each scene
- Pedestal Size: Adjust the size of the pedestal displayed at the avatar's feet
- Vertical Position: Adjust the height of the avatar during animation playback. Use this when the avatar floats above the pedestal due to accessories or clothing
- Face Forward: Returns the avatar's direction to face forward
- You can add up to 10 entries per set
- The previously selected set is automatically restored
Lighting
A feature that freely adjusts the direction, brightness, and color of the main light that illuminates the avatar. It's useful for creating atmosphere in streaming or photography, and for finding the light that makes your avatar look best. Settings are saved even after closing the app.
How to Use
- Open Settings Menu from the toolbar
- Select "Lighting" to open the lighting panel
- Adjust the light using preset buttons and sliders
Adjustable Items
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Preset | Switch between 6 types: "Standard / From Left / From Right / Top / Front / User" with one click. Brightness and color temperature are maintained |
| Direction | Adjusts the left-right direction of the light, with the avatar's front facing 0° |
| Height | Adjusts the vertical direction of light. Negative values light from below, and 90° lights from directly above |
| Brightness | Adjust light brightness from 0 to 1.0. The background darkness also changes with brightness |
| Color Temperature | Adjusts from warm to white colors (approximately 4200K to 9600K). Standard is 6500K |
| User Settings | Save current direction, height, brightness, and color temperature for later restoration |
| Light Fix | Switch between World Fixed / Avatar Fixed. With avatar fixed, the lighting remains constant even when rotating the avatar on the turntable |
| Show Marker | Visualize the light direction with a 3D marker (like Unity's Directional Light). Intuitively understand the direction |
- Use the Reset button next to each slider to reset individual items, or use the Reset button at the bottom of the panel to reset direction, height, brightness, and color temperature to default values all at once
Gesture / Expression Switching (Shift + Number Keys)
A feature to switch the avatar's hand signs (gestures) using Shift + number keys. Since most VRChat avatars are designed with expressions linked to gestures, you can also use it for switching expressions like smiling and angry faces. For VRM avatars, it also works if the avatar has the settings configured.
How to Use
- Left Shift + 0-7: Switch left hand gesture (GestureLeft)
- Right Shift + 0-7: Switch right hand gesture (GestureRight)
- 0 is neutral (no gesture). 1-7 correspond to various gestures like fist, open hand, pointing, peace sign, etc.
- Pressing the same key again will cancel the gesture and return to neutral
- Which expression corresponds to which gesture depends on the avatar's settings. For avatars without gesture or expression settings, the appearance may not change
- Behavior differs between VRChat avatars and VRM avatars. VRM avatar expressions have a maximum of 5 types, so number keys 0-5 are valid
Cursor Eye Look Mode
A feature that makes the avatar's gaze follow the mouse cursor in real-time based on its position. You can create the effect of the avatar looking at you.
How to Use
- Open Settings Menu from the toolbar
- Turn ON the "Cursor Eye Look Mode" toggle
- When you move the mouse, the avatar's gaze follows the cursor
Pedestal Display / Size / Vertical Position
A feature to adjust the visibility, size, and vertical position of the circular pedestal placed at the avatar's feet. The pedestal has a faint reflection of the avatar, giving it a figurine-like appearance.
How to Use
- Show / Hide: Toggle with "Show Pedestal" in the settings menu on the toolbar
- Size Adjustment: Adjust with the "Pedestal Size" slider in the animation playback panel. Use the Reset button next to it to return to default size
- Vertical Position: Adjust the height of the avatar during animation playback with the "Vertical Position" slider in the animation playback panel
- The pedestal automatically adjusts to the height of the avatar's feet
VRChat FX Parameters
A feature to directly control expression, clothing, and menu parameters set in the avatar's FX layer from the viewer app. Using the Expression Menu information obtained by the Exporter, you can display items that primarily appear in the VRChat menu.
How to Use
- Press the "VRChat FX Parameters" button in the menu
- A panel opens in the bottom right showing a list of avatar parameters
- Show Expressions displays items set in the Expression Menu by category
- Show All displays a list of all available FX parameters
- Operate using the UI appropriate for the parameter type
- Use the Reset on the right side of the category to return parameters in that category to default values
- Use Reset All at the bottom to return all parameters to default values
- Parameters changed from default values are displayed in yellow
- The category reset button is only enabled when there are changed parameters in that category
- Items directly under the root of the Expression Menu are displayed as the Expressions category
- This button is only shown if the avatar includes Expression Parameters (avatars without them cannot use this)
- VRChat internal parameters and internal parameters from Modular Avatar are automatically excluded
Transparent Background Mode
A feature that makes the window background transparent, so only the avatar appears floating on the desktop. Useful for OBS window capture and desktop mascot purposes.
How to Use
- Press the Transparent Background Toggle button on the toolbar
- The window frame disappears and only the avatar remains
- Press it again to return to normal mode
Characteristics While in Transparent Mode
- Always on Top: Continues to display above other windows
- Click-Through: Clicks pass through transparent areas where the avatar is not displayed to the app behind
- Hotkey: While holding Alt / Ctrl / Shift etc. (configurable), click-through is temporarily disabled and you can operate the camera
Avatar Transparency Mode
A feature that temporarily makes the avatar semi-transparent when the mouse cursor is over it, allowing you to control the app behind it. Useful when you want to click on an app behind the avatar while using it as a desktop mascot.
How to Use
- First turn ON Transparent Background Mode (avatar transparency cannot be used without this mode ON)
- Turn ON the "Avatar Transparency Mode" toggle in the menu
- When you move the mouse over the avatar, it fades out (approximately 0.15 seconds) and you can touch the app behind it
Behavior
- When the mouse moves away from the avatar, it automatically returns to its original opacity
- Pressing a hotkey (Alt / Ctrl / Shift etc., configurable) immediately returns to 100% opacity
- When turned OFF, the avatar remains fully opaque at all times
- This feature is only available when transparent background mode is ON
- If you forget the hotkey, close the app once. Avatar transparency mode will be turned off
Reduce FPS When Idle (Load Reduction Mode)
A feature that automatically lowers the rendering FPS to reduce GPU load when the avatar has no movement. You can save resources for use cases where you keep the window open at all times (desktop mascots, etc.).
How to Use
- Toggle "Reduce FPS When Idle" in the menu
- You can select from 3 levels
| Setting | Behavior |
|---|---|
| OFF | Always maximum FPS |
| ON (Consider Shaders) | Full FPS while animation shaders (time-based shaders) are active, throttled otherwise |
| ON | Throttle when operation, animation, and dynamic object simulator movement stop, regardless of shaders |
Behavior While Throttled
- During idle, FPS drops to approximately 5fps
- Returns to maximum FPS when mouse operation, animation playback, or dynamic object simulator movement is detected
- While the window is minimized, FPS drops to approximately 1fps
Display Language Switching
A feature to switch the UI display language of the viewer app. In addition to Japanese, it supports English, Simplified Chinese, Korean, and Thai.
How to Use
- Open Settings Menu from the toolbar
- Click the "Language" item to switch
- Options: auto / 日本語 / English / 简体中文 / 한국어 / ไทย
- If you select auto, the display language is automatically determined based on your OS language settings
- Your language choice is saved even after closing the app
Convenient Keyboard Shortcuts
In addition to mouse operations, you can also control the avatar display and camera from the keyboard. Here are the most commonly used keys.
| Key | Function |
|---|---|
| ↑ ↓ ← → | Rotate view (orbit) |
| Ctrl + Arrow keys | Pan view (parallel movement) |
| + / - | Zoom in / Zoom out |
| Double-click | Reset camera |
| Shift + 0-7 | Switch gesture / expression (→ Gesture / Expression Switching) |
| I | Show information overlay (FPS, system information, avatar information) |