AI-Assisted Blender Model Editing Workbench – Development Update The project has grown beyond simple VRM editing and is gradually evolving into a broader AI-assisted character creation pipeline. Current Progress Improved the Blender-based VRM editing workflow. Continued refining Shape Keys and facial expression editing. Made further progress toward Perfect Sync-compatible avatars. Increased automation through AI-assisted Python scripting inside Blender. Research & New Direction While experimenting with AI-generated 3D characters, I discovered that reconstructing a complete 3D mesh directly from a single illustration is significantly more difficult than expected when the result must also be animation-ready. After multiple iterations, the project shifted toward a hybrid workflow: Illustration → 2.5D appearance first → Convert only deformation-critical areas into full 3D geometry This approach prioritizes visual fidelity while preserving clean deformation for animation, making it more practical for VRM characters than attempting to reconstruct every surface as full 3D geometry from the beginning. Expanding the Workbench The project is now exploring two additional research directions: Illustration → Live2D AI-assisted PSD preparation and workflow support. Illustration → 3D Model (VRM) Building a reusable base model that can be automatically adapted from a single illustration. The long-term goal is not simply to generate 3D models, but to create an integrated creator workflow: Illustration → Live2D or VRM → AI-assisted Blender Editing → Final Avatar Current Milestone The immediate goal is to recreate my own VRM avatar from screenshots using the new workflow. If this can be achieved reliably, it will provide a strong foundation for future generalization to other characters and illustrations. I used two full 7-day Codex usage windows to test multiple approaches before arriving at this hybrid pipeline. That experimentation ultimately led to the project’s current design direction.
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