Lunalyn | Bnuy Vtuber 🌙

re: rigger cmo3 working files my hot takes that you might not agree with (and I may not be an expert in ofc), AND actionable strategies for riggers below: - more often than not, necessary when rigger doesn't have bandwidth, or is missing/ghosting/inactive - absolutely necessary for ongoing updates, outfits, features, toggles, is the single gatekeeper to vtuber models (for art: you have the psd and can commission new artists for assets but you can't do that for your final model unless you have the rigging file) - even though it might be hard to hear but rigging style DOES exist, but also is not that unique to the audience (most people don't notice every single nuance, just how experienced, how "bouncy", how much turn angles, how natural, fluid, and insync movements and physics are etc, unlike art styles that can look dramatically different with every bit of character/facial features design, brush strokes, rendering style etc) - rigging technique and file management does exist and experience has a huge factor but many of these skills are taught and learnt whether mentorship, tutorials or resources, most of it that looks like a standard of quality is not proprietary knowledge or fully trial and error, there is a shared baseline science and correctness to it, the tuning, nuances and problem solving on complex rigs is where unique technique shines but that's like X%, not the whole project, not every single brush stroke - ultimately this is like the codebase for a project that is in ongoing development with versioning, v2, outfit 2, features etc. it is often NOT a one off project!!! - rigging is A LOT of work and that work SHOULD NOT be wasted - the vtuber should be using your rigged model for the longest possible time ongoing, don't let your hard work just be discarded if you don't have the file or can't update it, let it live on!!! so I think all in perspective it's necessary to have a protocol for working files handovers: - extra pricing and licensing for cmo3 working files, - or a guarantee and fallback of communication and bandwidth for your clients (i.e. partnered trusted riggers who can take over a project in case you cannot who have access to your files) - long term clients who have indicated need for future updates should have their working files securely backed up. if you don't have room, you can purchase external HD or cloud storage - you are a business so you SHOULD take on business expenses. You can also have file expiry protocol, i.e. keep files for 1 year, if no further changes planned, discard. - distribute custom legal contracts when purchase or transfer of cmo3 happens, a serious document with clear terms, dates, names (vtuber alias is still better than none) and signatures from both parties, this is better than verbal agreement or even generic terms on a platform like vgen, consider having a third party witness signature as well on the agreement - I don't really know how the files work but is there a way to consider partial cmo3 files, i.e. don't include the rigging, but allow toggle, outfit editing, outfit physics can be done, so it's basically a static cmo3 until you merge those edits back into your main file and do a bit of work to integrate? - host file on secured file share points or platform that will track every single download and require login, so you know the file has not be distributed directly - add a license key technique to lock your cmo3 file like software so that only one or select people can unlock it by getting the keys from you - require versioning commits, i.e. use something like GitHub, shared Google drive/drop box, and all edits to the file by others must be committed to the same location! keeping file history and record of who changed it!! these are my thoughts and possibilities, cheers