Overview
Challenge
Process
Walkthrough
Wardrobe
Logo
Play
Outcome
Anime-style avatar with long brown hair in a magenta snapback and a pink cat-print tank top, hands raised to the cap, on a lavender plaid background with stars and hearts Avatar with long brown hair and red-framed glasses in a red plaid crop top and dark jeans, one hand raised, on a lavender plaid background with stars and hearts Avatar with short tousled brown hair in a dark red mock-neck top and black shorts, on a lavender plaid background with stars and hearts Avatar with a short bob and tiny buns in an orange tube top and wide-leg jeans, one hand at her forehead, on a lavender plaid background with stars and hearts Avatar with a long bubble braid in a cream cable-knit sweater and white trousers, on a lavender plaid background with stars and hearts Avatar with wavy short brown hair in a black and white plaid halter dress, on a lavender plaid background with stars and hearts Tap to change the look
Experience Design VR Design, 3D Modeling, World Building

Dolled Up VR

A nostalgic VR dress-up world, and a deep dive into an entirely new technical pipeline.

Play the 2D version
Role
3D Modeler, World Builder, VR Designer
Timeline
Spring 2026 to Present
Tools
Unity, Blender, VRoid Studio, Visual Studio, Gemini
Status
In Progress

The Challenge

Dolled Up VR is an immersive experience built in Unity, centered on a nostalgic, dreamy closet inspired by the wardrobe energy of Hannah Montana. With no prior experience in 3D modeling, scripting, or VR interaction design, I learned all three in parallel on a compressed timeline.

The Solution

The closet is assembled in Unity from sourced and original assets: the clothing racks were found online, while I modeled the mirror, rugs, and room décor myself. Every interaction is scripted, written in Visual Studio with help from Gemini, and the world grew more detailed as my technical skills caught up with the vision.

Under the Hood

Learning the Pipeline

Four overlapping stages, revisited continuously as my skills developed.

  1. Model

    The mirror, rugs, and décor are modeled in Blender, alongside clothing racks sourced online.

  2. Build the world

    Everything is assembled in Unity: a starry blue wall, lavender floor, lighting, and a mirror.

  3. Dress the avatar

    Avatars and outfits are designed in VRoid Studio, then swapped in as models when the player picks a dress. The character can also cycle through poses.

  4. Make it VR

    An XR rig with locomotion and grab interactions turns the scene into a space you can stand in.

No headset? No problem.

Unity’s XR Device Simulator let me test movement, turning, and grabbing with a keyboard and mouse, so building, testing, and fixing could happen before putting on a headset. The mannequin in this clip is the base for the playable character, which I programmed to walk and respond to controls, inspired by Dress to Impress.

The Unity editor open on the DolledUpVR closet scene, with the scene hierarchy, XR simulator, and project assets visible
The closet scene in Unity, with the XR rig, avatar, and clothing systems.
Unity scene view of circular clothing racks with colorful swirled banners
Circular racks with swirl-print banners, in the Scene view.
Game view of a wardrobe and store space with a mannequin and XR controller labels for Grab, UI Press, Turn, and Blink
The mannequin, the playable character base, with the simulator’s controller labels.
Unity scene view of the lounge corner of the closet with a seating area, with a console warning visible
The lounge corner, along with a console warning that was very much part of the learning.
The Current Build

Walkthrough

A walkthrough of the closet as it stands in VR: the lounge, the racks, and the avatar trying on outfits.

Dolled Up VR closet walkthrough (1:42, with sound).
The Closet

The Wardrobe

Modeling every garment from scratch would have taken too long, so I designed the clothing in VRoid Studio instead. Each look is its own model that swaps in when the player selects a dress, and a set of poses lets the character strike a pose on command. A few of the looks so far.

Avatar in a blue sparkly sundress
SparkleBlue glitter sundress
Avatar in a navy dress with a gold sash and gold embroidery
Navy & GoldEmbroidered, with a gold sash
Avatar in a cream off-the-shoulder ball gown
Cream GownOff-the-shoulder ball gown
Avatar in a pink plaid crop top and dark wide-leg jeans
Plaid & DenimCrop top, wide-leg jeans
Avatar in a pink dress in the starry blue closet, with a shelf and star-framed mirror behind her
Pink DressPink sundress, in the closet
Play

Try It On

As a companion to the VR build, I made a 2D version of the closet for nostalgia and to experiment with Claude Code. It draws on the dress-up games I grew up with: change your look at the racks, mirror, vanity, and jewelry cabinet, play the guitar and drums, sing along, and pet the cat.

10OutfitsStarter
14HairstylesLong & Straight
6Makeup looksBare
7Jewelry setsNone
9PosesNone
0Cat petsPress E by the cat
WASD WalkE InteractSpace PoseG GuitarV SingDrums ASWDESpace · Q leaveM Music

The Outcome

Currently an in-progress VR prototype, and already a full end-to-end learning journey: from no Unity experience to a functional, explorable 3D environment. With the timeline so tight, a working space came before polish. Next steps include more interactions, music, and finishing touches.

Key Takeaways

  • Testing the game with a full class taught me the most. Watching people play showed me what confused or disoriented them and how to reduce motion sickness in the headset.
  • Learning the pipeline from scratch, from modeling in Blender to building and testing VR interactions in Unity, made this the project where I grew the most.
  • Finding my own way to create a nostalgic atmosphere was the most enjoyable part of the project.
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