Rthro

Rthro Animation (previously known as Anthro) is the most recent addition to avatar types for Roblox, first revealed during the Roblox Developers Conference 2017. It was originally named 'Anthro' because the definition of the word Anthropomorphic is given as the state of having human qualities or characteristics, however it was renamed to Rthro in October 2018. The original avatars were named Ken (male avatar) and Barb (female avatar) by Roblox, following a similar naming fashion to the male and female Barbie dolls.

These avatars stand out as being much more humanoid when compared to the traditional "blocky" appearance that is commonly associated with Roblox avatars. With more refined joints on the avatar than R6 and R15, animations are also more human-like. Most existing catalog content, such as hats, shirts, and pants are compatible with this avatar type. Rthro scaling was released to the public on October 22, 2018, and the first Rthro-specific bundle known as Knights of Redcliff: Paladin (along with the Rthro Animation Package) was published on October 23, 2018. An official splash page about Rthro can be found here, along with a blog post explaining it in detail.

Leaks
Between the time that Anthro was initially announced and when it was released, users have found the main files for Rthro inside Roblox's files. Many videos have surfaced on websites such as YouTube about this. These included faces, or what Roblox called "face projections", legs, textures for bodies, actual bodies, and other unconfirmed avatars.

Baseline Model
Roblox uploaded a model that would become the baseline for all Rthro packages, and can be found here.

Game
A private group led by (which involves some official Roblox administrators as members) had published a testing game called Avatar Future, which allowed users to experiment with scaling and packages pertaining to Rthro before it went private at the end of September 2018.

Enhanced Avatar Scaling Options
On May 30, 2018, an announcement was made on the Roblox Developer Forum showcasing two new sliders for the Body Scale section in the Avatar editor, which led many to believe Rthro had released due to the ability to scale avatars to more realistic shapes. confirmed this as false on his Twitter, where he states that the scaling were what Anthro evolved into.

Unlocked Avatar Scaling Options
On October 15, 2018, another post was made to the DevForum explaining the next stage of Anthro in full detail, and also referred to it as ‘Rthro’.

From the community
Many Roblox users have criticized the realism of Rthro after it was initially announced. Many arguments suggest that the former avatars were too realistic for Roblox and would only serve to push the platform further towards the uncanny valley due to conflicting with the well-known blocky appearance of avatars. Users also expressed concern that Anthro will replace the more traditional R6 and R15 avatar types, however this was never confirmed. There were also fears that the new character style would not be compatible with certain hats and gears, and some also believed that Rthro will encourage online dating.

From influencers
At RDC 2017 and on the Dev Forum, multiple Roblox Developers commented on their dislike for Rthro and made jokes about it. Additionally, several Roblox YouTubers have heavily criticized it, claiming that it will be used by online daters.

Post-release
After the scaling options and first Rthro package were released, many users appreciated the fact that Roblox allowed players to try the package for free. The package itself was reported to have some flaws, where many users had issues with the head in particular as it would often not scale correctly or cause other body proportion issues when worn. The animation package was also well-received, primarily due to the fact that it is the first free animation pack that Roblox has released.

Trivia

 * Rthro's files were created in 2013 according to the original files’ properties.
 * This however could be because of a bug that happens when downloading files, where their creation date is inaccurate.
 * Rthro allows the user to be taller than R6 and R15 avatars.
 * Rthro characters are able to be used in Roblox Studio.
 * Some of the default character models from Fortnite Battle Royale have been used by Roblox to test Rthro, although it is unlikely that they will ever become actual bundles due to potential copyright issues.
 * Another model from Mafia 3 has also been used to test RThro.
 * The first user to test the Rthro packages is, followed by , , FarazTheGreat , , Captain_Rando and kratos3089.
 * Rthro packages were also available early to certain Admins, Interns, DevForum members and Official Roblox STAR Video Creators.
 * City Life Man is the first Rthro bundle to be taken offsale, as well as the only currently released Rthro bundle to be unavailable.
 * Due to the small sizes of the heads provided in Rthro bundles (when compared to existing heads), as well as how many existing accessories do not scale to accommodate such, they have become popular among trolls.