🕶️ Holographic Meetings: Building a Low-Code 3D Avatar Chatroom with Ready Player Me (Tutorial)

ATNO For AR / VR / MR / XR Developer

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Oct 14, 2025

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1️⃣ Why Holographic Meetings? 🤔Before we jump in, let’s understand why this is worth your time:

• Replace boring Zoom calls with immersive 3D spaces 🌐
• Make remote work more fun and engaging 🎉
• Learn low-code XR development without a PhD in 3D graphics 👨‍💻
• Experiment with Ready Player Me avatars that look… kinda like you. Or your cat. 🐱

Fun fact: Some companies report 50% higher engagement in virtual meetings vs. traditional video calls! 🚀

2️⃣ What You’ll Need 🛠️

• Unity 2022+ (or later) — Free version works fine
• Ready Player Me SDK — For avatars (download from their website)
• Photon PUN 2 — For multiplayer networking
• Basic Unity knowledge — If you know how to create a scene, you’re good
• A sprinkle of patience, and maybe coffee ☕

3️⃣ Step 1: Set Up Unity & Import SDK 📦

1. Open Unity → Create a 3D project
2. Import Ready Player Me SDK

• Drag and drop into Assets

3. Import Photon PUN 2 for networking

Pro Tip: Use a clean project folder. Unity likes to throw tantrums if it’s messy 😅

4️⃣ Step 2: Create Your Chatroom Scene 🏢

• Add a plane as the floor
• Add lights (directional & ambient)
• Add camera and player spawn points
• Optional: Add a few furniture models to make it cozy 🛋️

If you want your avatar to “trip over” a virtual coffee cup… go ahead. It’s safe in VR 😆

5️⃣ Step 3: Add 3D Avatars 🕺💃

Ready Player Me makes this super low-code:

using ReadyPlayerMe;
using UnityEngine;

public class AvatarLoader : MonoBehaviour
{
    public string avatarUrl = "<https://hub.readyplayer.me/avatar/YOUR_AVATAR_URL>";    void Start()
    {
        AvatarLoader avatarLoader = new AvatarLoader();
        avatarLoader.LoadAvatar(avatarUrl, OnAvatarLoaded);
    }
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    void OnAvatarLoaded(GameObject avatar)
    {
        avatar.transform.position = Vector3.zero;
        Debug.Log("Avatar loaded successfully!");
    }
}

• Replace YOUR_AVATAR_URL with the link from Ready Player Me
• Boom! Your avatar now exists in your 3D chatroom 🎉

6️⃣ Step 4: Multiplayer Networking with Photon 🌍

• Set up Photon PUN 2
• Add a PhotonView to avatars
• Sync position and rotation so everyone sees each other move

using Photon.Pun;
using UnityEngine;

public class AvatarSync : MonoBehaviourPun, IPunObservable
{
    private Vector3 latestPos;
    private Quaternion latestRot;    void Update()
    {
        if (!photonView.IsMine)
        {
            transform.position = Vector3.Lerp(transform.position, latestPos, Time.deltaTime * 10);
            transform.rotation = Quaternion.Lerp(transform.rotation, latestRot, Time.deltaTime * 10);
        }
    }    public void OnPhotonSerializeView(PhotonStream stream, PhotonMessageInfo info)
    {
        if (stream.IsWriting)
        {
            stream.SendNext(transform.position);
            stream.SendNext(transform.rotation);
        }
        else
        {
            latestPos = (Vector3)stream.ReceiveNext();
            latestRot = (Quaternion)stream.ReceiveNext();
        }
    }
}

Tip: Smooth interpolation prevents avatars from looking like glitchy robots 🤖

7️⃣ Step 5: Add Chat & Interactions 💬

• Use UI Canvas for text chat
• Optionally add emotes, gestures, or reactions
• Test with 2–3 players to make sure networking is solid

8️⃣ Extra Tips & Tricks ✨

• Lighting matters: Shadows = immersive vibe 🌤️
• Keep scene lightweight: Avoid 10k poly models unless you want lag
• Avatar customization: Let users choose skins & accessories
• Test often: VR & AR can get tricky with collisions and sync

9️⃣ Fun Examples of What You Can Do 🎉

• Office meetings that feel like Star Trek holodeck 🖖
• Virtual classrooms with student avatars raising hands ✋
• Networking events where avatars dance awkwardly because why not? 💃🕺

📌 Quick Summary

• Holographic meetings are the future of remote collaboration 🌐
• Ready Player Me + Photon + Unity = low-code magic
• Build avatars, sync movements, add chat → instant 3D chatroom
• Keep it fun, lightweight, and interactive 😎

Quote: “Why settle for talking heads on Zoom when you can have pixelated humans in 3D?” 😆