Designing Digital Fashion in Decentraland
We caught up with KJ Walker, one of Decentraland’s most prominent digital creators, to get her insight on designing digital wearables for the metaverse.
It’s no secret that digital fashion is swiftly becoming a popular mode for self-expression in the metaverse and IRL. Across many virtual worlds, we’re seeing a diverse selection of custom wearables for avatars, PFP dressing, AR filters and more. It’s an exciting new frontier, but when it comes to creating these wearables, the learning curve can be rather steep.
There are plenty of factors to consider if you want to design in Decentraland, such as low polygon modeling due to triangle limitations, working with specific armatures for rigging/weighting, and platform-specific software development kits (SDKs). With no central authority teaching us how to do all of this, it is very easy to uninstall Blender just as quickly as you downloaded it.
Luckily for us, there are some immensely talented individuals currently pioneering the digital fashion space who have already figured out a good chunk of the hard stuff. In true web3 spirit, many of them are happy to share that knowledge with the rest of us.
One such gifted individual is KJ Walker, a trailblazing digital creator who has crafted countless stunning 3D builds and virtual wearables for Decentraland. Her brand, Low Poly Models, recently released a TechWear jumpsuit, and it is everything! We were fortunate enough to pick her brain about how to get started as a digital creator in Decentraland and here’s what we learned.
A Bit About KJ
Born in the UK and raised in Spain, KJ had an interest in science but decided to pursue her passion for “making things”, as she puts it, and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts from the University of Seville. KJ later crossed paths with Decentraland’s Creative Director, Toonpunk, who introduced her to the idea of a decentralised metaverse.
“This discovery made me realize that creativity and science could go hand in hand to make immersive digital experiences and I was instantly captivated,” KJ says. “Creating in Decentraland allows me to explore both of my creative and technical interests. It offers a platform to express my creativity while also contributing to the growth of an open-source world. Being able to do what I love while making a meaningful contribution to a larger community is an incredible opportunity.”
But Wait, Why Decentraland?
Creating in Decentraland allows me to explore both of my creative and technical interests. -KJ Walker
Blockchain Social weighs in:
While other platforms do allow you to submit your own designs, some do not allow the same level of control over your digital closet as we are seeing on the blockchain.
For example, designing for Zepeto allows you to use one of their templates or create your own unique design, however there is no secondary marketplace for you to resell your items, you can’t gift an item from your own closet to a friend’s, and you don’t have control over the supply. Their creator marketplace is fairly saturated and their search function makes it difficult to find creator items by theme or keyword. You don’t even get to claim one for free, you need to spend your own Zems to own your own designs.
With Decentraland, while there is a submission fee involved, you decide the supply in order to determine the rarity and value of your design and you hold that supply within your control. You have the power to change the price, mint items as gifts or to donate them as swag, or even burn some of the supply. This is a very valuable marketing asset in growing your brand or building a community. In addition, collectors of your designs have the option to resell them on a secondary marketplace, which opens up a bit of a thrift market where new users can find affordable pieces to collect that may otherwise have been out of their budget. As a bonus, a portion of secondary sales are also given to the creator.
Tips & Tricks For Getting Started
If you’re passionate about fashion and keen to try designing digital, KJ has some great advice on how and where to start creating for the Decentraland community.
Blockchain Social: What advice would you give to prospective 3d modelers and designers in Decentraland?
KJ: If you’re using Blender, you’re in luck! All the 3D documentation for Decentraland is tailored for Blender users. Explore the documentation repeatedly and stay up to date with any changes — joining the Decentraland Discord is a great place for this! Don’t hesitate to reach out to fellow creators either. Many are happy to help and can empathize with your challenges. Embrace the learning curve and remember that persistence pays off!
For more in depth tips on how to design wearables for Decentraland, check out KJ’s Tutorials on YouTube:
Blockchain Social: What has been your biggest challenge when it comes to designing and deploying wearables on Decentraland and how did you overcome it?
KJ: Getting wearables to look just right in Decentraland can be tricky. The rendering engine treats wearables differently from other models, leading to differences between its appearance in Blender and Decentraland. Lots of in-world testing, via the Builder or the SDK, and making minor adjustments to the materials helped make wearables look more how they were intended to look. As you make and test more wearables, you get to know which settings work best for different use cases and which best suit your creations.
Head to this link for more information: https://builder.decentraland.org/
Staying up to date on the Wearables Submission Forum and Design channels in Discord is a good way to learn the ins-and-outs of getting your wearables to work in-world. Check out the Community Wearables Submissions here: https://forum.decentraland.org/c/community-wearables/12
Blockchain Social: One of the most intimidating parts of digital wearable design can be the rigging/weighting of your piece to the avatar. It needs to be done in such a way that it won’t interfere with other wearables or clip through the base model. Do you have any advice on how to make that process less daunting?
KJ: There is a new armature available on the Decentraland wearables documentation page that should help with this, as long as you use the official armature and don’t modify it. The updated wearable documentation includes the new files and comprehensive instructions on importing the models into Blender. The new avatars also have new and improved topology for smoother animations. By downloading the avatars from the official wearables documentation page, potential problems can be avoided. If in doubt, don’t be shy to reach out!
Download Wearables Resource Models:
https://docs.decentraland.org/creator/wearables/creating-wearables/
If this glimpse into the world of Decentraland Digital Fashion has you wanting to dip a toe in, shoot us a message with any questions you may have! We’d love to show new and prospective users around so you can experience all the potential that the metaverse has to offer.
Connect with KJ Walker on Instagram and Twitter, or head to her website.
