An example of an avatar using R15
R15 is an avatar body and animation rig in Roblox, which has more joints than R6 and is able to bend. The model is named after the number of body parts it has (15 parts) instead of 6 (R6). The model was available to the public early in the form of a testing place. As the description of the game says, all the current animations are temporary, and thus will most likely be changed in the future.
Implementing R15 and scaling into a game
R15 is available for the public on Roblox. To enable R15, users can go to the Develop tab, look at the set of tabs at the left, and click Games. There, they can configure the game they wish, and they will be brought to the "Configure Game" menu. In Basic settings, R6/R15 selections will be present also for scaling.
Broken features
Currently, some accessories aren't offset correctly on the avatar. Not all gears work. Roblox is currently converting all of the accessories and gears to work with R15. However, with over 12,000 accessories currently in the catalog, it does not seem likely that every accessory will be optimized for use with R15.
History of R15
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
|
August 2, 2016 (rumored) |
When the catalog shut down, there was a rumor which said that the R15 body will come after the catalog returns. The rumor continued into the next day, as the old banner was replaced by a maintenance banner for a short time. |
| At the Roblox Developer Conference 2016 | It was announced that the release date for R15 is in October 2016. Very realistic animations were shown. There were also shown some idle poses and how the character will look when using weapons. |
| August 19, 2016 | The Game Avatars Type setting was enabled to all users. See this Dev Forum post for more information. |
| September 26, 2016 | R15 became available to view on the avatar section. Players can now switch between R6 and R15. This feature is currently in beta. |
| September 29, 2016 | R15 was released to the public. See here. |
| October 12, 2016 | New swimming animations were added. That means while swimming you will not see walking animations. |
| October 2016 (date unknown) | Some R15 profile avatars now have a pose. This doesn't have an effect while holding most gear. |
| November 17, 2016 | Scaling was added but only available for R15. |
| November 23, 2016 | R15 is compatible for packages. Also, all item previews now use R15. |
| January 17, 2017 | R15 Animation Packs Debuted with The Stylish, Robot, Superhero, Zombie and Levitation Packs. |
| March-June, 2017 | Ninja, Knight, Mage, Pirate, Cartoony and Elder Animation Packs were released. |
| June 29, 2017 | If you equip an idle animation, your avatar pose on the website changes. |
| July/August 2017 | The Toy and Bubbly Animation Packs were released. |
| October 2017 | The Astronaut, Werewolf, and Vampire Animation Packs were released. |
| May 16, 2018 | The default R15 rig was changed with shorter limbs for compatibility with the upcoming Rthro proportions. |
| May 30, 2018 | New scaling options were added; 'Body Type' and 'Proportions' |
Avatar 2.0
On January 18, 2016, Roblox announced a feature called Avatar 2.0. It received mostly negative reception. All the negative feedback caused Roblox to go back to the drawing board and make something else, later remaking Avatar 2.0 to R15.
Scaling
The Scaling feature was released on November 17, 2016. It allows users to scale their avatar's width and height. Game developers can set whether scaling is user choice or normal.
Example from catalog has become a white bodypart
Enhanced Scaling
Roblox introduced two new sliders to the R15 scaling interface on May 30, 2018, with the attributes of Body Type and Proportions. These have been subject to speculation as some users believe this is an indication of Rthro being released soon.
Bugs
- Some body parts or packages appear to be mostly white.
Criticism
Although some people like the feature, many users did not respond well to R15 for a variety of reasons. A small portion of these users thought it would make Roblox harder to run on old systems, however; for most this was not much of a problem.
Many people feel that the stock animation is awkward, ugly, and does not suit Roblox well, hence the title, Roblox. Others fear that this is a step in the wrong direction for Roblox, and eventually it will only benefit developers. Many users took to the Forums to voice their complaints and rants. However, R15 is completely optional with the exception of games that are R15-only, plus there are different animation packs available in the catalog that can make this body type look more appealing for those who dislike the original animation.
Many people have complained the gaps are too noticeable, or they should be filled in. Or that it looks ugly with/without packages. The joints disconnecting also seem to be a problem. Also, in unknown date, Roblox updated the R15 default, but it stretched down the blends, so when you're moving around, the gap was very noticeable. Although, new R15 Default doesn't blend anymore, due to Anthro update.
Trivia
This section is a trivia section. Please relocate any relevant information into other sections of the article.
- The names of the models (found in the
fontsfolder in Roblox files) are "characterR15.rbxm" and "characterR15_2.rbxm". - The introduction of R15 is also the first time Roblox avatars have had bendable limbs. In the past, they were only in staged, pre-rendered promotional adverts and a select few games.
- Some games allowed R15 when it wasn't released to everyone, the most notable one being Community:Merely/Trade Hangout by Merely.
Gallery
