Menu

© 2026 UhiyamaLab

JPEN
BLOGTOOLSPRODUCTNOTES
Back to list

Setting Up for VRChat World Building: From Project Creation to the SDK Panel

Created: 2026-09-08Last updated: 2026-09-09

Create a Worlds project with ALCOM or VCC and get the VRChat SDK panel open in Unity. Covers how the four tools connect, choosing a save location, waiting out the first launch, and verifying you're done.

VCC, ALCOM, Unity Hub, Unity, SDK. A row of similarly named applications, and no clue which one to install.

It doesn't help that the steps differ between articles. Older guides describe importing the SDK as a file, which is a different thing entirely from how it works now.

This article covers creating a world-building project and getting the VRChat SDK panel to open in Unity.

A laptop showing the Unity editor and the SDK panel

What You'll Learn

  • How the four tools connect to each other
  • How to create a Worlds project and open it in Unity
  • Six checks that confirm everything landed properly
  • What not to do at the start
Sponsored

Table of Contents

The goal is an open SDK panel

The finish line for this article is "VRChat SDK" appearing in Unity's menu bar, with a panel you can log into.

Uploading a world isn't included. Uploading involves build settings, target devices, size limits, and conditions on your VRChat account, so mixing it into setup makes "the preparation is correct but it failed" impossible to isolate.

Placing a floor comes later too. First just confirm the tools are in place.

The four tools connect in order

World building uses four applications, but installing all of them side by side isn't the finish line. Their roles connect in a chain, with each one launching the next.

A diagram showing VCC/ALCOM managing projects and the SDK, Unity Hub managing the Editor, and that Editor opening the project
  • ALCOM or VCC: The manager that creates VRChat projects and adds or removes parts like the SDK. This is the starting point
  • Unity Hub: A launcher for installing and selecting Unity Editor versions. You use it to open projects, not to create them
  • Unity Editor: The workspace where you actually place floors and lights
  • VRChat SDK: The VRChat-specific features loaded into Unity. It appears in the top menu as "VRChat SDK"

The most common detour is creating a project directly from Unity Hub's "New project". A box made in Hub has no VRChat parts in it, so the SDK menu never shows up no matter how long you wait.

A comparison: a project made in Unity Hub has no SDK, one made in the manager does

The manager creates. Hub is the assistant that launches Unity when the manager asks it to.

Decide two things before you start

Two things that are annoying to fix later, so settle them first.

1. Pick one manager and stay with it

VCC is VRChat's official manager; ALCOM is a community-made alternative. The projects they create are the same, and both use the same Unity. The only difference is the tool that builds the box.

If you're unsure, pick VCC. Official docs and tutorial screenshots will match yours exactly, which makes it easier to look things up when you get stuck. If you care about a lighter application, ALCOM is widely used too.

Once you've decided, don't install the other one. Touching the same project from both gives you two package management paths, and you'll lose the ability to trace what broke.

Don't pick the Unity version yourself either. Install whatever version the manager says to use. Unity isn't better for being newer — VRChat only accepts builds made with the specified version.

2. Decide the save location first

Save the project under a short path with ASCII characters only. Something like C:\VRChat\WorldLab, decided up front, is the reliable move.

A comparison: avoid non-ASCII paths, cloud sync folders, and long paths — use a short ASCII path

Three things to avoid.

  • Paths with non-ASCII characters or spaces: Package fetching can fail
  • OneDrive or Google Drive sync folders: Unity auto-generates tens of thousands of files, and syncing will break the project. On Windows, watch out — Desktop and Documents are often under OneDrive
  • Paths that are too deep: They can error out partway through

Check free space too. One project runs to several GB, so pick a drive with 20GB or more free.

Sponsored

Create the Worlds project

From here the steps are nearly identical in VCC and ALCOM. We'll name the project WorldLab, but any name works.

  1. Launch the manager and open the project list
  2. Go to create a new project and pick a Worlds template. Don't grab the Avatars one by mistake
  3. Set the name to WorldLab and the location to the path you chose, then create
  4. If it says the Unity version is missing, install the version it names via Unity Hub
  5. Once created, open that project in Unity

Template display names shift slightly as the managers update. Judge on "is this the Worlds one" and nothing else.

The first launch takes 5 to 20 minutes

The first time you open a Worlds project, Unity spins for a long while. "Importing" or "Compiling scripts" can sit there for 5 to 20 minutes without coming back.

This is normal. It's downloading packages and compiling scripts. If Task Manager shows disk or CPU activity, just wait.

Force-quitting and reopening repeatedly leaves half-written files behind, which actually does break things.

You may be asked "Enter Safe Mode?" partway through. That's an escape hatch for when script errors prevent a normal launch, not a way to shorten the first-launch wait. If it appears on the first open, don't spam Ignore — cancel out and read the Console errors.

Verify that it landed

Once Unity opens, check these six in order. Going top to bottom shows you exactly where things stopped.

Checking three points: the SDK panel, Assets, and the scene
  1. WorldLab appears in the manager's project list
  2. The Unity version on that row matches what the tool requires (not red, not "not installed")
  3. Unity launches and a scene appears in the Hierarchy
  4. VRChat SDK is in the top menu
  5. VRChat SDK → Show Control Panel opens a panel you can log into with your VRChat account
  6. Zero red Errors in the Console

Item six needs a note. Red Errors must be zero, but yellow Warnings can stay. A handful of warnings on first launch is normal, and trying to silence them by changing settings tends to break things instead.

Log in from the SDK panel. You don't need to be logged into the manager. Also, this uses your VRChat account — if you play VRChat through Steam or Meta, that login may not work directly here.

Pass all six and setup is done. It's fine if you can't place a floor yet, or don't know what Udon is.

Common Pitfalls

Different symptoms point at different places.

  • Unity says the required version is missing → Don't install the newest version yourself; install the one the manager displays, via Unity Hub. Being in Hub's list and being recognized by the manager are two different things, so check both
  • The SDK menu doesn't appear → First confirm you created the project from the manager. A box made with Hub's "New project" has no SDK. Then check the Console — a red error there is your cause
  • A flood of red errors → Don't panic at the count. Read the topmost error. One error spawns many downstream, and fixing the first often clears them all. Adding packages before you know the cause makes isolation harder
  • Can't log in → Check that it's a VRChat account and that email verification is done. This is an account problem, not a Unity problem, so treat it separately from setup

Keep a note on your environment

When "it worked yesterday but not today," the cause isn't always your code. The Editor or SDK version may have changed. Leaving this note up front lets you isolate it later.

Project:      WorldLab
Unity:        the version the manager displayed
Worlds SDK:   the version shown in the manager
Manager:      VCC or ALCOM, and its version
Date checked: the day you set up
Sponsored

Bonus: Good to Know Up Front

Not needed right now, but knowing it saves wasted effort.

  • Steps from older articles don't apply: Installing the SDK as a .unitypackage, or pulling UdonSharp from GitHub separately, are older approaches. Layering them onto a current project causes version conflicts
  • Quest and mobile need an extra Unity module: Android builds require Android Build Support, and you add it to the specified Unity version. Installing it into a different version has no effect. If you're starting on PC only, you don't need it yet
  • Keep worlds and avatars in separate projects: Sharing one project because "I'll make avatars later too" puts too many moving parts into your first project
  • What Assets, Packages, and Library are for: What you make goes in Assets. Packages holds the SDK itself, and Library is a cache Unity generates. Back up Assets, ProjectSettings, and Packages — Library regenerates if deleted
  • Don't add the SDK to an existing Unity project: Creating a fresh dedicated project is far more reliable than bolting the SDK onto one built for another game

Summary

Setup isn't about installing every tool — it's about building one working chain.

  • The manager creates. Unity Hub is for opening
  • VCC or ALCOM, one of them. Never both
  • Don't pick the Unity version yourself; install what the manager displays
  • Save to a short ASCII path. Avoid cloud sync folders
  • The first launch is long. If the disk is busy, wait
  • The pass mark is "the SDK panel opens and I can log in"

The question to ask when stuck is: "Did I create this project from the manager?" Get that wrong and no amount of fixing later steps will help.

If this is your first time in Unity, get a feel for the four windows in Unity's windows and controls before moving on. If you'd rather start building, head to making a floor, a spawn point, and fall recovery.

VRChat Notes in this section63
VRChat Notes