VNRevolution
3D VISUAL NOVELS / INDEPENDENT DEVELOPMENT

MAKE A CAST.
BUILD WORLDS.
TELL STORIES.

A creation environment built around making visual novels.

VN Revolution is my attempt to bring characters, clothing, scenes, shots, and writing into one approachable app. Use it for the whole story—or just the part your current tools make difficult.

Explore what’s taking shape
VN Revolution original character artwork and logo
Less setup. More making.That’s the goal.
THE WORK SO FAR

Inside the
workshop.

There’s already a lot here. These are the tools and experiments implemented in the existing development app, with space to show each one in action.

The replacement editor is being built separately; its workspaces are not all connected yet. A complete beginner-ready engine and playable-game export are still ahead.

01The outfit starts with you

Flat patterns.
Real clothing.

Create clothing from editable sewing patterns, then fit it around a character. This is the feature at the heart of VN Revolution: making an original wardrobe without having to model every garment by hand.

  • Edit pattern curves, seams, proportions, and garment measurements.
  • Work with layered outfits, fabric properties, prints, hems, and construction details.
  • Fit and relax the cloth, then examine how it follows a changed pose.
Experimental · implemented in the existing app

Several garment systems are being developed. Cross-character fitting and posed intersections still need work; some presets are explicitly marked rough.

Actual development capture · August 2026. This older image does not show the latest pattern tools.

02Make the revision you thought you could not

The screenshot
remembers.

An exported image can point back to the exact project and camera history states that made it. Find a shot you like, reopen its state, and make the small adjustment that used to mean rebuilding the scene.

  • Save a clean image without the editor interface.
  • Choose screenshot output from 720p through 8K, with supersampling options.
  • Restore the project and camera history referenced inside the PNG.
Implemented · project-linked PNG recovery

The PNG stores references, not a self-contained copy of the scene. Recovery needs the matching project, retained history, and assets.

RECORDING SLOT

Export. Change the scene. Bring the shot back.

Capture a SFW scene, move the camera and a prop, then restore from that original PNG. Finish with one small revision.

Reserved for an actual app capture

Screen recording to come

03Direct a sequence, not a folder of images

One location.
Many moments.

Organize the story into chapters, scenes, locations, and shots. Reuse a location, keep each shot’s camera, and decide when lighting should be shared or belong to one moment.

  • Navigate, clone, rename, and organize shots with thumbnail previews.
  • Keep location lighting shared or make an independent shot override.
  • Preserve cameras and authored scene state as you move through the timeline.
Implemented · shot timeline and scene state

These tools work in the existing editor. The full storytelling workflow is still being brought together.

TRY THE IDEA Lighting inheritance

Change the location’s lighting. The middle shot keeps its own setup until you reset it.

SHARED LOCATIONThe rooftop
SHOT 01The arrival
Daylight
From location
SHOT 02A quiet moment
Evening
Own lighting
SHOT 03The reply
Daylight
From location

A diagram of the implemented inheritance rule. These are sample settings, not rendered scenes.

Interactive explanation · sample values, not an app capture or renderer

04A hand on a table. Feet on the floor.

Pose the intent.
Keep the contact.

Move hands and feet with inverse kinematics, pin contacts, and keep an orientation while you adjust the pose. The aim is less wrestling with individual joints and more directing the character.

  • Plant both feet or lock individual hand and foot targets.
  • Use repeatable targets, reference poses, joint limits, and body-intersection avoidance.
  • Save named setups and use direct joint, trackball, and weight-painting tools when you need them.
Implemented · IK and pose authoring tools

IK and collision avoidance are tools, not guarantees of a natural pose. Results depend on the imported rig and may need manual adjustment.

RECORDING SLOT

Keep a hand planted while the body moves

On a fully clothed character, pin a hand, adjust the body, then demonstrate planted feet and a repeatable target.

Reserved for an actual app capture

Screen recording to come

05The pictures and the words belong together

Write the line.
Place the shot.

Put dialogue and shot references in the same writing flow. Format the text, bring shots into the script, and preview the sequence inside the app. The current editor saves its script as ordinary .rpy text.

  • Drop timeline shots into the script alongside dialogue.
  • Use bold and italic formatting and automatic script saving.
  • Preview dialogue and shot changes, then return to the editing scene.
Implemented · dialogue, shot references, and preview

This is the implemented dialogue-and-shot workflow. Full branching logic, events, and packaged playable-game export remain part of the larger vision.

TRY THE IDEA Dialogue → .rpy text
THE TEXT REPRESENTATION.rpy fragment
# vn-revolution-shot: 00000000-0000-4000-8000-000000000001 "The rooftop"

"We could make something here."

This small example mirrors the app’s dialogue tags and shot comments. It does not run Ren’Py, create branches, or export a game. Your text stays in this page.

Interactive serialization example · sample content, not the app editor

06Give the cast a little more character

Shape the cast.
Style the hair.

Author reusable shape sliders and build anime hair from editable guides. Work on a character’s proportions before posing, or adjust a lock’s curve, width, taper, and twist.

  • Create shape-control volumes with falloff, mirrored edits, and painted influence.
  • Adjust character sliders independently from their reusable definitions.
  • Generate solid hair clumps from Bézier guides, with mirrored locks and color controls.
Implemented tools · hair generation is a prototype

Shape fitting does not automatically adapt every imported accessory or outfit. Hair tools remain a proof of concept; a distributable character foundation is still needed.

Actual character preview · August 2026. This image shows an imported character, not a character created by the hair prototype.

07Give the scene its mood

Light the scene.
Set the tone.

An anime shading pipeline, outlines, shadows, and local lights give you control over how the scene reads. Keep lighting consistent across a location, or change it for a particular shot.

  • Tune anime light bands, outlines, and material shading.
  • Work with sun, ambient light, skyboxes, and placed lights.
  • Use real-time shadows and supported imported color grading.
Implemented · real-time rendering controls

Appearance varies by asset and imported shader support. The retired baked path-tracing experiment is not part of the current renderer.

Actual app recording · September 2026 · 18 seconds, no audio. Adjusting light direction, light height, and toon-band softness on an imported character.

08A place for the work you already made

Bring your cast.
Import the scene.

Import GLB and VRM 0.x characters, use captured Koikatsu outfit bundles, and bring supported CharaStudio scene data into the Builder. Adopting VN Revolution should not mean abandoning your existing process.

  • Load GLB, VRM 0.x, and companion-exporter .kkbundle character sources.
  • Browse and import CharaStudio scene cards using the required source assets.
  • Compose scenes and export images for a workflow that continues in Ren’Py.
Implemented import paths · compatibility varies

Koikatsu bundles require the companion exporter. Scene imports depend on the local asset catalog, and not every source shader or material is reproduced exactly.

RECORDING SLOT

An existing cast, in a new workspace

Import a fully clothed character bundle or a supported SFW Studio scene, then adjust the camera or a scene object.

Reserved for an actual app capture

Screen recording to come

THE REST OF THE VISION

A few chapters
still to write.

01 / STORY SYSTEMS

Choices that matter.

Branches, tracked events, character variables, and approachable game logic beyond the current dialogue preview.

02 / A COMPLETE WORKFLOW

All the way to a game.

A coherent replacement editor, a welcoming beginner experience, and playable application export for Windows and macOS.

03 / A FOUNDATION TO SHARE

A cast you can start with.

Original character assets that can be distributed with the app, alongside more reliable clothing and import workflows.

INDEPENDENT. UNFINISHED. MOVING FORWARD.

HELP ME
BUILD IT.

I want to use this, too.

My own visual novel is why I started. I’m building the tools I wish I had, on a small budget and without a fixed release date.

Following the project helps turn this collection of working systems into a creation environment people can use. Support could also help fund the original artwork and assets it needs.

Follow & support on Patreon

Progress updates and early builds as they become available. Visit Patreon for membership details and the latest on development.