Action Menu
The Action Menu is the primary way to access controls for your avatar and various other quick-access functions. When using an Avatars 3.0 avatar, these controls can be fully customized and can be one of many types. This menu allows you to drive various parameters, informing your avatar on how to react based on how you've set up your animators.
Using the Action Menu
Controller
To open the Action Menu, hold down the "Menu" button that usually pulls up your Quick Menu. A new menu will pop up—this is the Action Menu. It provides quick access to items like emotes, emojis, avatar features, and more.
Use your joystick to move the cursor. Select items by moving to them and releasing the joystick—similar to "flicking" to the item. You can change the settings to confirm selections with a trigger pull in the Action Menu settings.
Desktop
Press R to open the Action Menu. You can only open one menu in Desktop mode, and you must click to confirm your choices.
Settings
Using the "Bindings" button in the Settings menu, you can change how you pull up the Action Menu. For instance, you can set it to open by clicking the joystick on your controller.
Note: The Quest Hand Tracking Beta does not have access to the Action Menu yet. To control your avatar, use a Quick Menu wing instead.
Selection Methods
Flick Select
In Flick mode, push the joystick in the direction of the pie slice you want to trigger. Pushing part way shows an indicator of the selection. Pushing all the way triggers the selection.
Pick Select
Pick mode involves pushing the joystick towards the pie slice and confirming the selection with the trigger on the controller (or mouse click on Desktop). The default mode is Flick, except for Vive controllers. You can switch to Pick mode in Action Menu > Settings > Flick enabled setting.
Layout
The UI consists of three levels: the Action Menu, the Expression Menu, and the Puppet Menu.
Action Menu
The root menu includes Gesture Toggle, Config (for the UI), Emojis, Expression Menu, and Close.
Expression Menu
- Primary Page: Expressions
This menu can have various widgets, including stages. Entering a stage with puppets switches you to that stage's puppet mode. You can have multiple stages in each expression menu and a menu open in each hand.
Quick Actions
Quick Actions is a menu under the Expression menu that lets you control various parts of your avatar, the options in this menu are:
- Avatar Height : changes the height of your avatar between 0.20M - 5.00M
- Reset Height : Sets the height of your avatar back to the default
- Release poses : Resets poses for Physbones
- Reset Avatar : Resets all parts of your avatar including Physbones and saved toggles
- Legacy Fingers : Avatars fingers will be animated by SteamVR skeletal data if Disabled
Widgets
Widgets include Button, Toggle, and other control types, which can be configured to act in various ways.
Puppet Menu
The Puppet Menu allows you to drive various values/parameters for your avatar. When building an Avatars 3.0 avatar, you can map these out. In this mode, you can move the joysticks, touch the Vive touchpad, or use your mouse to control the puppet.
To return to the Expression Menu from a Puppet Menu, pull the trigger with the stick centered.
Closing and Saving
To close the Action or Expression Menu or any of their folders, choose the Back option at the top of the radial menu. Clicking the joystick (holding down the Vive button or pressing R on the keyboard) will close the menu but remember your place. Reverse this process to return to where you left off.
Puppet Menu Example
As you move your joystick/touchpad/mouse in various directions, you drive animation parameters to different values. This setup allows blending between various "moods," such as "happy" and "surprised," or other adjacent moods.
This is one way to use the Puppet Menu. Anything that can be parameterized can be controlled from this menu. There are also toggle buttons and other types of UI elements still in development.
You can pull up one menu on either hand (or both simultaneously). By default, you "flick" to select an option. In the Action Menu settings, you can choose to use the Trigger to select an option.
To back out after making a selection in the Expressions menu, pull the trigger. Pull the trigger again to return to the main menu.
Accessing the Action Menu
Valve Index Controllers
- Pull up the Action Menu by clicking the joystick on the corresponding hand.
- Back out of menus (or select an option when "Flick Select" is disabled) with the trigger.
Oculus Touch Controllers
- Pull up the Action Menu by clicking the joystick on the corresponding hand.
- Back out of menus (or select an option when "Flick Select" is disabled) with the trigger.
Vive Wand Controllers
- Pull up the Action Menu by clicking and holding the Menu button at the top of the controller.
Other Controllers
- If there's a joystick, clicking it inward should bring up the Action Menu.
- Back out of menus (or select an option when "Flick Select" is disabled) with the trigger.
All Controllers
- Pull up the UI by holding down the Quick Menu button.
Desktop Mode
- Press R to pull up the Action Menu.
- Move the mouse to select items, and click to confirm selections.
- Click R or Esc to back out of the menu.
Debug Menu
The debug menu in the Action Menu is a powerful tool. It displays the current animator state of your avatar, including parameter values, tracking states, and current motion states. It is useful for debugging.
Resources
- What is the Action Menu? on YouTube
