In this tutorial, we explore how to set up full body tracking in VRChat to create immersive virtual stage performances. You will learn what equipment is needed, how to calibrate your setup, and how to embody digital avatars with expressive, real-time movement. 

Structure of the Training Session 

1. Preparation (approx. 60 minutes)

Objective: Ensure participants have all the necessary hardware, software, and account configurations to enter VRChat with full body tracking. 

Steps: 

1. Set up required hardware: 

• VR headset (e.g., Meta Quest, Valve Index, HTC Vive) 

• Full body tracking devices (e.g., Vive Trackers, SlimeVR, or Tundra Trackers) 

• Base stations if using optical tracking 

1. Install VRChat and SteamVR on the computer. 

1. Configure SteamVR for full body tracking and calibrate trackers. 

1. Launch VRChat and sign in with user account. 

Checklist: 

• Headset and tracking devices fully charged and recognized by system. 

• VRChat account created and avatar selected or imported. 

• Calibration completed and avatar properly mapped. 

• Stable internet connection. 

 

2. Introduction to the Tool (approx. 30 minutes)

Objective: Familiarize participants with VRChat as a performance space and the expressive possibilities of avatar embodiment. 

Steps: 

1. Briefly introduce VRChat: origin, platform accessibility, and social features. 

1. Demonstrate how avatars behave with and without full body tracking. 

1. Show examples of virtual performances, interactive events, or installations using VRChat. 

1. Discuss artistic opportunities in disembodiment, anonymity, exaggerated presence, and hybridity. 

Trainer Tip: Emphasize the unique dramaturgy of avatars—how posture, gestures, and gaze gain new meanings in virtual space. 

3. Hands-on Practice (approx. 45 minutes)

Objective: Guide participants through the process of avatar embodiment and basic stage interaction inside VRChat. 

Steps: 

1. Support participants in finalizing calibration and adjusting avatar height, hand/foot placement, and posture. 

1. In pairs or small groups, enter a shared VRChat world designed for performance (e.g., black box or scenic environment). 

1. Allow time for free exploration, improvisation, and movement experiments. 

1. Prompt participants to reflect on motion expressiveness, latency, and the avatar’s relationship to the virtual stage. 

Trainer Tip: Encourage intentional movement—how slow gestures, balance shifts, and gaze control can replace facial expressions. 

 

4. Advanced Features and Creative Use Cases (approx. 30 minutes)

Objective: Inspire creative uses of VRChat’s interactive tools, avatar features, and custom worlds for storytelling. 

Steps: 

1. Introduce avatar expressions, props, and animations via VRChat’s Gesture system. 

1. Showcase how to integrate music, voice, or livestreamed visuals. 

1. Present advanced examples: VR dance battles, hybrid livestream events, interactive audience moments. 

1. Discuss hybrid performance—combining physical stage presence with VR embodiment via projection or holographic setups. 

Trainer Tip: Explore the emotional gap between virtual and physical—how the abstraction of avatars can unlock vulnerability and experimentation. 

 

5. Wrap-Up and Feedback (approx. 15 minutes)

Objective: Reflect on embodied experience in VR and practical applications in performance. 

Steps: 

1. Revisit key skills: calibration, avatar control, expressive movement, and world interaction. 

1. Offer links to community-created VRChat performance worlds and avatar resources. 

1. Gather feedback on embodiment, technical ease, and artistic impressions. 

 

Post-Training Follow-Up 

• Share guides on avatar import/customization and OSC animation controls. 

• Encourage participants to co-develop VR stage pieces or motion studies. 

Trainer Tip: Consider recording participant sessions (with consent) for later review and analysis of digital embodiment aesthetics.