New Wearable Category: Hands

by 0x56469159d91eb810dce34dd13ec4ed8194bca7be (NikkiFuego)

Linked Draft Proposal

New Wearable Category: Hands

Summary

This draft aims to introduce a new and highly desired Wearable Category: Hands! This has been a category that the community has been talking about for nearly a year now. It passed the Poll stage with 192 Yes votes and 1.6M VP.

Abstract

Currently, we see the wearable accessory categories flooded with hand accessories. This dilutes the accessory categories greatly and overall doesn't feel like good quality of the use of those categories. This draft's goal is to solve that problem by introducing a proper category for hand accessories/items.

Motivation

The addition of a Hands wearable submission category to the platform would be important for a number of reasons. First, it would allow content creators to submit and showcase their creations. Currently, creators must fit their hand-related wearables into existing categories, which may not always accurately reflect the true nature of their work. By adding a new category, creators would have a more specific and relevant place to showcase their creations, which could lead to increased visibility and potential sales.

Second, a Hands wearable submission category would also allow the Decentraland platform to accommodate a wider range of wearables and potentially attract a larger user base. This could be particularly beneficial for creators who are working on innovative or niche wearables that do not fit neatly into existing categories. By giving these creators a dedicated space to showcase their work, Decentraland could become a more diverse and dynamic platform.

The addition of a new wearable submission category would be an important step for the Decentraland platform, as it would allow for greater creativity and innovation from content creators and a more immersive and dynamic experience for users. This also allows for a revenue generation opportunity. The amount of wearables that can be made for a Hands category is endless.

Specification

We would propose the following parameters/guidelines for curation on the new category:

• 1000 tri limit (Identical to Feet Category) AMENDED
• 2 materials 2 textures limit. All textures must be square. (Identical to Feet Category)
• All pre-existing Upper-Body wearables should automatically hide the Hands category.
• Creators should be able to update their existing Upper-Body wearables as needed to accommodate this change.
• Skins should automatically hide Hand Category. (Identical to Feet Category)
• A mass email should be sent to every wearable creator (they have to submit an email upon publishing) to let them know about the change so that creators who have pre-existing wearables that include hand accessories (IE: Tiara, Top-Head, Earring, etc) can update their wearable as needed.

We would propose the following changes to the Wearable Docs:

• The Decentraland Avatar System: Body Shape, Head, Upper Body, Hands, Lower Body, Feet.
• Let’s see those hands! All gloves, rings, handbags, weapons, etc. are applied to the hands, not the upper body.
• Swapping out a new Upper Body image:
• Update in Wearable Categories section under Skin: Skin: Replaces the entire avatar (head, upper body, hands, lower body and feet except accessories). As well as adding Hands to the list of Categories below Upper_Body.
• New image for Upper Body, Lower Body, and Feet section:
• New addition to the Skin Weighting list: Right Hand and Left Hand Bones: for the hand and upper body’s intersecting vertices.

As well as adding a new Backpack Icon in the wearable section:

Provided Resources

• Doki and I have curated a Blender resource file that comes preloaded with examples of new avatars with the Hands separated and caps filled. Ideally replacing the currently pre-existing open source file for avatars.
• Doki and I would also like to volunteer our 3D Modeling services for free to the foundation to help curate default hand wearables for the community to introduce the new category.

Impacts

I have spoken in lengthy detail with members of the Explorer Team and they have approved this proposal and the integration process proposed. We came to an agreement that a 1,000 tri limit was going to be more conducive to the performance of the platform.

Implementation Pathways

As mentioned above, the integration process will be as followed:

• All pre-existing Upper-Body wearables will keep the original hands that they were published with and hide the new Hands category. This is to ensure good integrity with designs and not allow for old hands to overlap with new hands.
• Those who have previously published Upper-Body wearables will have the option to update their wearable and remove the original hands and unhide the new Hands category.
• New Hands category will be added to the category list for publication and to the Docs page with the outlined parameters above.
• New sorting category in both Marketplace and Backpack for Hands category.
• Open-source blender file with new default avatar modified to accommodate the new Hands category.
• Hands meshes will have enclosed caps on the wrist similar to Upper-Body and Lower Body waistlines.
• New Upper-Body open-source mesh will have enclosed caps on the wrists to accommodate the new Hands category.
• Skin category will hide the new Hands category by default.
• Doki and I will create a few Default Hands wearables for the foundation to integrate into the backpack.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the addition of a new Hands wearable submission category to the Decentraland platform would benefit the community, the platform, and wearable creators in various ways. For the community, it would provide a more immersive and dynamic experience as they would have access to a wider range of wearables to choose from. For the Decentraland platform, it could lead to increased revenue through publishing fees and higher levels of user engagement. And for wearable creators, it would provide a more specific and relevant place to showcase their Hand creations, which could lead to increased visibility and potential sales. All in all, the addition of a new Hands wearable submission category would be a positive development for all parties involved and would help to create a more vibrant and dynamic virtual world.

Vote on this proposal on the Decentraland DAO