Warudo Steam Collab Plugin

How to set up the Steam Collab Plugin for collaboration directly in Warudo.

In order to collab with someone, you will need to send your model file to your collab partner. Please make sure you trust them with handling your model with care!

Step 1: Installing the Collab Plugin

To install the plugin, go to the Discovery tab in Warudo and search for "Collab". You should be able to find the item in the Workshop. Simply click Subscribe and Warudo should be downloading the plugin and enabling it automatically.

Step 2: Prepare your Scene

Your collab partner needs a model to control, so add a Character Asset to your Asset list. The model should be the same as the one they use to guarantee the sync to be correct. Place them somewhere in your scene, like next to your own model. Make sure to name the Character Asset so it is easily identifiable. Add a Steam Collab Lobby Asset to your scene. This is where you will be able to create or join lobbies. Set your own name and character model in it.

Currently only Character bone rotations, Blendshapes and Mesh Visibility are synced across the network through the plugin. Moving, rotating or scaling your Character Asset will not be reflected on your collab partners side. It is planned to add this as a feature in the future.

Step 3: Set up a Tracker and a Tracking Blueprint

To enable your collab partner to move, you will need to set up a tracker asset and a blueprint for them. First, add a Steam Collab Tracker Asset to your scene, and then set your collab partner's name and the model they should control. Once set, you can click the Generate Blueprint Button to generate a blueprint that will allow your collab partner to control their model. Their model should also automatically be in T-Pose by now, which is necessary to not have animations overlap and offset the tracking.

If you want to collab with more people, you can simply add more Character Assets and Steam Collab Trackers, one for each additional collab partner.

You may notice after generating that their character will sink into the ground. That is normal and will correct itself once you have a connection to your collab partner.

Do not apply any poses or animations besides the T-Pose to your collab partners model. Animations will "add" to any bone rotations they are sending from their end, breaking the animation.

Step 4: Open or join a Lobby

Open a new Lobby by clicking the "Create Lobby" button in the Steam Collab Lobby Asset. This will generate a new Lobby Code, which you can send to your collab partner. In order for them to join, they need to put this code into the Join Code field, and click Join Lobby. Once joined and everything is set up correctly, you should see each other's models move.

Make sure to only send the Lobby Code privately to your collab partner. Do not share the code with anyone else!

If you only do a 1-way collab (where only 1 side needs both characters in the scene), the side that only needs to receive the tracking data does not need to set their Tracker Character. Not setting that field will still allow them to receive their partner's data, but they won't be sending any themselves.

Step 5: Collab!

From here on out you should be good to go! Experiment with interactions to see what works, play different animations on your character to have it reflected on your collab partners end. Ragdolling your character will be reflected on your partners end as well (though difference in the scene might make you phase through objects)! Note that getting hit by a thrown prop will also reflect on their side, since it affects bone rotations.

If your collab partners model appears choppy due to bad connection quality, you might want to increase their smoothing in the tracking blueprint you generated earlier. Don't increase it too much though, or animations might look sluggish!

Step 6: Ending the Collab

Once you are done with your Collab, simply leave the lobby through the Steam Collab Lobby Asset. Deactivating the tracking blueprint through the eye symbol in the blueprint list will also disable the model, so you have a prepared setup for your next collab that you can reenable by simply enabling the blueprint again.

Knowns Issues and Limitations

• Characters with too many Blendshapes will fail to sync them. If your character approaches or exceeds 300 blendshapes, you might want to remove unnecessary ones or use a different model. Note that if multiple meshes share the same blendshape name, they still count individually for that limit.

• Expression toggles only sync blendshapes, but not other things like material changes, mesh toggles, or animator parameters.

• If your character has meshes that share blendshape names, only one their values will be synced to the entire model. This is very rarely an issue as most trackers will apply blendshapes this way anyway, but if your model is set up this way for some reason, we recommend renaming one of the shapes.

• VRM Blendshapes are not the same as regular blendshapes, as the can effect materials for things like UV offsets. These things are not synced if they effect anything beyond regular blendshapes.

• At the time of writing the guide the plugin is still very young and common issues are still mostly unknown. We need your help to identify them by sending us info about any weird quirks in the Discord!

Give your feedback in the official Warudo Discord Server!

The best way to reach me about the plugin is through the official Discord found in the Warudo App itself. Search for the Collab Plugin in the Workshop Showcase!