How to Export Your VRChat Avatar to Blender for Editing

The basic process: extract your avatar files and import them into Blender

To export a VRChat avatar to Blender, you need to extract the avatar's files from your VRChat installation folder, then import them into Blender using the correct import settings. VRChat stores avatar data as Unity assets, which Blender can read through a free plugin called Cats Blender Plugin or by converting the files first. The fastest route is usually extracting the avatar folder directly from your VRChat cache, then using Blender's FBX import feature with the right material setup.

The process takes about 15 to 30 minutes once you have the files in the right place. You will need Blender (free, version 3.0 or later works well), the avatar files themselves, and patience with file paths — most problems come from files being in the wrong folder or Blender not finding textures.

Key Takeaways

VRChat avatar files live in your VRChat installation folder under VRChat\Cache-WindowsPlayer\avatars, organized by avatar ID.
Blender needs the avatar's mesh file (usually an FBX), its textures, and its materials to display correctly — all three must be in the same folder or linked properly.
The Cats Blender Plugin automates rigging and material setup but is optional; you can import and edit avatars without it if you set up materials manually.
After import, you will see a skeleton and mesh but no textures until you point Blender to the texture files in the avatar folder.

Finding your avatar files in the VRChat cache

VRChat stores downloaded avatars in a cache folder on your computer. Open File Explorer and navigate to C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\LocalLow\VRChat\VRChat\Cache-WindowsPlayer\avatars. You will see folders named with long strings of numbers and letters — these are avatar IDs. Each folder contains the mesh, textures, and metadata for one avatar.

To find the avatar you want, open VRChat, select the avatar in your avatar menu, and note its name. Then search the avatars folder for a file named something like avatar.fbx or model.fbx inside one of those ID folders. If you have many avatars, you can sort the folders by date modified to find recently used ones. Copy the entire avatar folder to a new location on your desktop or in a project folder — do not edit files directly in the cache, because VRChat may overwrite them.

Setting up Blender and importing the avatar mesh

Open Blender and create a new General project. Go to File > Import and look for FBX format. Navigate to your copied avatar folder and select the FBX file (usually named avatar.fbx or model.fbx). In the import dialog, check these settings: set Forward to -Y Forward, Up to Z Up, and make sure Import Mesh and Import Armature are both checked. These settings match VRChat's coordinate system and ensure the skeleton imports correctly.

Click Import FBX. Blender will load the mesh and skeleton. You should see the avatar's shape in the viewport, but it will likely appear gray or with placeholder colors because the textures are not yet loaded. Do not worry — this is normal. The mesh and bones are there; you just need to connect the textures next.

Linking textures and materials to your avatar

In Blender's Shader Editor, select the avatar mesh and look at the material slots. You will see materials listed, but they are missing their texture images. For each material, you need to add an Image Texture node and point it to the correct PNG or TGA file in your avatar folder. Open the Shader Editor (top right of the screen, switch from Layout to Shading), select the mesh, and click on each material in the material properties panel.

In the Shader Editor, add an Image Texture node (Shift+A > Texture > Image Texture), then click Open Image and navigate to your avatar folder. Select the texture file that matches the material name — for example, if the material is called Body, look for Body.png or Body_MainTex.png. Connect the Color output of the Image Texture node to the Base Color input of the Principled BSDF shader. Repeat this for each material. Your avatar should now display with colors and patterns.

Using the Cats Blender Plugin to automate setup

The Cats Blender Plugin is a free add-on that handles rigging, material setup, and shape key organization automatically. Download it from https://github.com/absolute-quantum/cats-blender-plugin by clicking Code > Download ZIP. In Blender, go to Edit > Preferences > Add-ons > Install, select the ZIP file, and enable it. The plugin adds a Cats panel to the right sidebar.

With your avatar imported, open the Cats panel and click Fix Model. The plugin will clean up the skeleton, organize materials, and attempt to load textures automatically if they are in the same folder as the FBX. This saves 10 to 15 minutes of manual setup. After Cats finishes, check the viewport to confirm textures loaded correctly. If some textures are still missing, you can add them manually using the method in the previous section.

Common problems and how to fix them

If your avatar appears with missing textures (bright pink or white), Blender cannot find the image files. Check that all PNG and TGA files from the avatar folder are in the same directory as your Blender project, or use the Image Texture node's Open Image button to manually point to each file. If the mesh looks twisted or upside down, you imported with the wrong axis settings — delete the mesh, re-import, and set Forward to -Y Forward and Up to Z Up.

If Blender crashes when you import, your avatar file may be corrupted or very large. Try importing just the mesh without the armature first (uncheck Import Armature in the import dialog) to see if the problem is the skeleton. If the avatar has thousands of bones or extremely high polygon counts, Blender may struggle — in that case, consider using a lower-detail version of the avatar or upgrading your computer's RAM.

What you can do once the avatar is in Blender

Once your avatar is imported and textured, you can edit it like any other 3D model. Use the Edit mode to reshape the mesh, adjust proportions, or remove parts you do not want. You can paint new textures using Blender's texture painting tools, or export the mesh to Substance Painter or another tool for more detailed work. You can also add new objects, adjust the skeleton for different poses, or create animations.

When you are done editing, export your avatar back to FBX (File > Export > FBX) and use a tool like VRCFury or Modular Avatar to repackage it for VRChat. These tools handle the Unity-specific setup that VRChat needs. Do not try to import a Blender-edited FBX directly into VRChat without going through one of these tools, because VRChat will not recognize the materials and bones correctly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to own the avatar to export it from VRChat?

You need to have downloaded and used the avatar in VRChat at least once. VRChat caches avatars you have worn, so if you have worn it, the files are in your cache folder and you can export them. You cannot export avatars you have only seen other people wearing.

Can I edit an avatar and upload it back to VRChat?

Yes, but you need to use a tool like VRCFury or Modular Avatar to repackage the edited FBX into a VRChat-compatible Unity asset bundle. Simply exporting from Blender and uploading will not work because VRChat needs specific metadata and shader setup that Blender does not provide.

What if the avatar has no textures in the cache folder?

Some avatars use procedural materials or shaders that do not rely on image files. In that case, you will see the mesh but not the colors or patterns. You can paint new textures in Blender or recreate the look using Blender's shader nodes, but you cannot recover the original appearance without the source files.

Will exporting my avatar break it in VRChat?

Exporting to Blender does not change anything in VRChat. Your avatar will work exactly as before. If you edit it and reupload, you are creating a new version, so your original avatar stays intact in your avatar list.

Can I export avatars from other VR platforms to Blender?

The process is similar for platforms like Neos VR or ChilloutVR, which also cache avatars locally. The file formats and folder paths differ, but the basic steps — find the cache, extract the FBX, import to Blender, link textures — are the same. Check the documentation for your platform to find where avatars are cached.

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