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Using Custom Textures

Using Custom Textures allows you to replace the model's built-in textures with your own custom image files. This provides the most direct way to modify your character's appearance, as you're editing the actual image files that the model uses.

What Are Custom Textures?​

Custom Textures are custom PNG image files that replace the original texture files from the model. When you enable the Use Custom Textures option, EmoteLab looks for these custom files in a specific folder and uses them instead of the built-in textures.

Understanding Texture Folders​

Custom textures are stored in a specific location:

%USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\GlycoProduction\EmoteLab\Texture Cache\{ModelName}\Custom Textures

Where {ModelName} is the name of the model.

When you first enable Custom Textures, the system automatically creates the folder structure:

Custom Textures/
  ├── {texture1}.png
  ├── {texture2}.png
  ├── {texture3}.png
  └── ... (additional texture files)

Each PNG file corresponds to a texture used by the model.

How to Use Custom Textures​

Step 1: Navigate to Texture Settings​

  1. Open the Color tab: Click on the Color tab at the top of the interface (it has a color/palette icon)
  2. Locate the toggle: Find the Texture section at the lower right corner of the interface

Step 2: Switch to Custom Textures​

  1. Enable the toggle: Click the Use Custom Textures checkbox to enable it
  2. Wait for setup: The system will automatically set up the custom textures folder
  3. Observe changes: The model will update to use custom textures. If it is the first time using this feature, there will be no visual changes since the built-in textures will be copied to the custom texture folder as templates.

Step 3: Editing Custom Textures​

  1. Open the texture folder: Click the Open Custom Texture Folder button. This will open the folder in your system's file explorer
  2. Choose an image editor: Open the PNG files with any image editing software
  3. Edit the files: Make your desired changes to the texture images but follow the rules:
    • Must maintain the same image dimensions
    • Must preserve transparency (enable alpha lock in your image editing tool)
  4. Save your changes: Save the PNG files with the same names and overwrite the existing files

Step 4: Reloading Textures​

  1. Return to EmoteLab: Switch back to the EmoteLab application
  2. Reload Textures: Click the Reload Textures button in the Texture section
  3. View the character in the viewport: The system will reload all texture files from the folder. Your changes will appear immediately in the viewport
Important

You must click Reload Textures after editing files for changes to appear. Simply saving files doesn't automatically update the model—you need to explicitly reload.

Switching Back to Original Textures​

To return to using the original built-in textures:

  1. Uncheck the toggle: Click the Use Custom Textures checkbox to disable it
  2. Model updates: The model immediately switches back to original textures
warning

The custom character folder is NOT for saving edited textures. Your custom texture files remain in the folder when switching back to original textures. However, loading a character with custom texture enabled will OVERWRITE the texture files in this folder. To save the edited texture, you MUST save a character with the Use Custom Texture option enabled.

Important Considerations​

File Naming & Integrity​

  • Exact name matching: Texture files must have the exact same names as the original textures
  • Case-sensitive: File names are case-sensitive on some operating systems
  • No extra files: Only include texture files that match the model's atlas
  • No missing files: All texture files must be present

Saving Characters with Custom Textures​

  • Characters with Use Custom Texture enabled can be saved as other characters
  • The saving process can be slow since it involves unpacking the texture into regions for maximum compatibility (so if the model updates, the texture atlas layout can change, new parts can be added)
Backup Your Files

Always keep backups of your custom texture files. Keep multiple versions if experimenting. Consider backing up to external drives or cloud storage.