VRMthe avatar file format

What's a VRM?

A VRM is a portable, rights-aware avatar file for 3D characters — one file that carries who you show up as from app to app.

It packages the model, rig, facial expressions, physics, thumbnails, and license metadata into a single file, so your identity travels with you across VRM-compatible apps — MEs included.

The case

Why VRM matters

Bring your own identity. One file, many places — VRM is built on glTF, so it's broadly interoperable across engines and the web.
Expressive by design. Preset facial expressions (blendshapes / visemes), look-at gaze, and first-person settings give believable performance out of the box.
Rights & safety inside the file. Creator, copyright, and usage permissions live in the VRM's metadata — so a marketplace like MEs can read and show buyers exactly how an avatar may be used.
Evolving and standardizing. VRM 1.0 is officially released, and the VRM Consortium is working with Khronos toward international standardization — good news for long-term compatibility.

Anatomy

What's inside a VRM file

Geometry & materials — mesh, textures, shader / material settings
Humanoid rig — standardized bone names for easy motion retargeting
Expressions — blendshape presets (smile, blink, visemes for lip-sync)
Physics — spring bones for hair, accessories, and cloth-like motion
Gaze & first-person — look-at settings; head masking for FPV
Thumbnail & metadata — author, version, license & allowed uses

(Actual support for individual features varies by app.)

In MEs

Using VRMs in MEs

You can bring your own avatar to MEs by uploading a VRM 1.0 file directly from your Profile page.

Upload flow: Profile → (Custom) → Import VRM, then select your .vrm file.
For the latest requirements, step-by-step instructions, and troubleshooting, see Avatars & VRM in Features.

Rights

Licensing & responsible use

Every avatar in the catalogue lists a license summary, and the original license is embedded in the VRM file itself. Before buying or deploying, check:

Commercial use allowed?
Redistribution or modification terms?
Sensitive-use restrictions (e.g. political / violent / sexual contexts)?
Attribution required?

Respecting creator licenses is core to MEs. If a listing's summary and the file's embedded license seem to differ, the license embedded in the VRM governs — contact support at info@o-me.io.

FAQ

Common questions

Can I use a VRM on other platforms?

Many apps support VRM directly or via import tools. Some (like VRChat) require import through Unity / UniVRM; others (like certain VTuber tools) may need VRM 0.x. Check each app's docs.

How is VRM different from FBX / GLB?

FBX and GLB are generic 3D formats. VRM is purpose-built for humanoid avatars and includes avatar-specific features and license metadata.

What about performance on lower-end devices?

Good optimization matters more than the file extension — sensible polycounts, atlased textures, and clean rigs.

Colophon

The file is the material.

In MEs the mind is cognitive clay, and everything in it is material — files, shaders, spring physics, the way light meets a surface. A VRM is not a picture of an avatar. It is the avatar: a humanoid rig that bends, expressions that read, physics that fall, and a license sealed in the same file.

You carry it in one file. Import a VRM once from your Profile and it holds its fit, its physics, its expressions, and its rights across every inner world you load into — the same self, lit differently each time.