Towards an Avatar Customization System for Semi-realistic Ethnically-diverse Virtual Reality Avatars

Due to the Proteus effect, in which people modify their behaviour based on their avatar, participant avatar representation is an important factor in virtual reality (VR) studies. We develop an open source prototype avatar customization system that enables quick customization of semi-realistic, ethnically-diverse avatars. The prototype provides options for customizing body and face shape, hairstyle, glasses, religious clothing, and skin, eye, and hair colour. The prototype generates avatar assets that are fully rigged and textured for incorporation into VR study code, and it serves as a step towards designing more inclusive VR research studies.