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Face Customization
March 31, 2026 at 01:47 PM
Initial version
Face Customization is one of the deepest parts of Create a Zoi, the character creation system in inZOI. Built on Unreal Engine 5's MetaHuman technology, the face editor gives players control over facial structure, skin tone, eye color, facial markings, and more. Every pore, wrinkle, and strand of hair is rendered at high fidelity, producing results closer to film-quality digital humans than what most life simulation games offer.
The face editor operates in two modes: Basic Editing and Detailed Editing. Players sculpt their Zoi's face by clicking and dragging adjustment nodes directly on the 3D model, or by using sliders for finer control over specific features. A Symmetry Mode toggle lets you choose whether changes mirror across both sides of the face or apply independently.
Face customization is available when first creating a Zoi and when adding new household members through the Create a Family screen. Once a Zoi has been finalized, genetic features like facial structure and bone structure cannot be changed. Cosmetic features such as makeup, hair color, and contact lenses can still be edited after creation.
The face editor has two editing modes. You can switch between them at any time during the creation process.
Basic Editing is the default mode. It displays a smaller number of adjustment nodes on the face, each controlling a broad region. Dragging a node moves the surrounding area as a whole. For example, dragging the nose node moves the entire nose up, down, or side to side, while dragging an eye node shifts the entire eye socket. You can rotate the eyes by clicking and dragging the half-circle guide line that appears around each eye. Basic Editing is well suited for roughing out the overall face shape before switching to Detailed Editing for precision work.
Detailed Editing is activated by toggling the Detailed Appearance option, located in the middle of the screen. This reveals many more adjustment nodes across the face, giving you fine control over individual parts of each feature. Where Basic Editing treats the nose as a single movable region, Detailed Editing exposes separate nodes for the bridge, tip, nostrils, and width. The same granularity applies to the eyes, mouth, jawline, and forehead.
Both modes use the same click-and-drag interaction. The difference is purely in how many nodes are available and how localized each adjustment is. Most experienced creators use both modes together: Basic Editing for large structural changes and Detailed Editing for subtle refinements.
Feature | Basic Editing | Detailed Editing |
|---|---|---|
Nodes visible | Fewer, region-based | Many, feature-specific |
Adjustment scope | Broad (moves entire feature) | Narrow (moves sub-parts) |
Eye rotation | Yes (half-circle guide) | Yes (half-circle guide) |
Nose control | Single node (whole nose) | Separate nodes for bridge, tip, nostrils |
Jaw/chin control | General jaw shape | Individual jaw, chin, and cheek nodes |
Best for | Roughing out shape | Fine-tuning details |
When Detailed Editing is enabled, draggable nodes appear across the face. Each node can be pulled in multiple directions to reshape the underlying geometry. The following table lists the major facial regions and what you can adjust within each one.
Region | Adjustable Elements | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Forehead | Height, width, slope | Controls how prominent or recessed the forehead appears |
Brow | Position, arch, thickness | Affects brow bone prominence and the gap between brows and eyes |
Eyes | Spacing, width, tilt, depth | Each eye has its own set of nodes; rotation uses a half-circle guide |
Nose | Bridge width, tip height, nostril flare, overall length | One of the most node-dense regions in Detailed Editing |
Cheeks | Fullness, height, width | Impacts the mid-face profile significantly |
Mouth | Width, lip thickness (upper and lower), corner position | Lip nodes are separate from the jaw nodes below them |
Chin | Length, width, projection, cleft depth | Chin cleft is also adjustable via the Face Characteristics sliders |
Jaw | Width, angle, definition | Controls the lower-face silhouette from ear to chin |
Ears | Size, position, angle | Limited compared to other regions but still adjustable |
Not all regions are available in Basic Editing. The forehead, individual cheek nodes, and separate nostril controls only appear in Detailed Editing mode.
Symmetry Mode is enabled by default. When active, any change you make on one side of the face is automatically mirrored on the other side. Moving the left eye node inward, for instance, also moves the right eye node inward by the same amount.
You can disable Symmetry Mode by unchecking the toggle in the face editor. With symmetry off, each node can be adjusted independently. This is useful for creating natural-looking asymmetry, since real human faces are never perfectly symmetrical. Small differences between the left and right sides of the face (slightly different eye heights, a jaw that is a fraction wider on one side) make characters feel more lifelike and reduce the "uncanny valley" effect that perfectly mirrored faces can produce.
Many experienced creators start with Symmetry Mode on to establish the base shape, then turn it off near the end to introduce subtle imperfections.
In addition to the draggable nodes, the face editor includes a set of slider-based Face Characteristics that control surface-level details. These sliders are accessed through the skin color picker icon and affect features that sit on top of the bone structure rather than reshaping it.
Characteristic | Description |
|---|---|
Brow Crease | Controls the depth of the horizontal crease across the brow area |
Eye Bags | Adjusts the prominence of bags or puffiness under the eyes |
Smile Lines | Sets the depth of the nasolabial folds running from the nose to the corners of the mouth |
Lip Line | Defines the sharpness and visibility of the lip contour |
Chin Cleft | Controls the depth of a vertical crease or dimple on the chin |
Cheeks | Adjusts cheek hollowness or fullness at the surface level |
Nasal Bridge | Fine-tunes the bridge prominence via slider rather than node dragging |
Jawline | Sharpens or softens the jawline definition |
Skin Glow | Controls how much natural sheen or glow the skin surface has |
These sliders work alongside the structural nodes. You might use nodes to set the jaw shape and then use the Jawline characteristic slider to sharpen or soften its surface definition. The age group you selected during the Profile step also influences how these characteristics render: older age groups show more pronounced crease and line effects.
Skin tone can be set using a full color wheel or by selecting from a row of preset swatches. The color wheel allows any tone, including unconventional colors for stylized characters. Skin presets go beyond simple color: selecting a preset can also change the skin's texture and the way shadows fall across the face, which affects how realistic or stylized the character appears.
The age group chosen during profile setup influences skin texture as well. Older age groups (Middle-Aged, Senior) automatically add more visible wrinkles, age spots, and texture variation. Younger age groups produce smoother skin with fewer surface details.
Eyes receive some of the most detailed customization in the face editor. Beyond positioning and size (handled by the structural nodes described above), players can customize the iris, pupil, and surrounding features independently.
The iris and pupil each have their own color wheel and size slider. You can set the iris color to anything on the spectrum, from natural browns and blues to vivid reds or purples. The pupil size slider controls how large the dark center of the eye appears. The iris size slider adjusts how much of the eye the colored ring occupies. Together, these two sliders let you create anything from large, expressive anime-style eyes to narrow, intense gazes.
Both eyes share the same color settings. As of the current version, the game does not support heterochromia (different colors for each eye).
Eyebrow and eyelash styles are selected from a library of presets. Eyebrow color can be set independently of hair color using its own color picker. Eyelash options include different lengths and densities. The brow nodes in Detailed Editing control the position and arch of the eyebrows on the face, while the style preset controls their visual appearance (shape, thickness, texture).
Eye Feature | Customization Options |
|---|---|
Iris color | Full color wheel with preset swatches |
Iris size | Slider (small to large) |
Pupil size | Slider (small to large) |
Eye position | Drag nodes for spacing, height, tilt, depth |
Eye rotation | Half-circle guide around each eye (Basic and Detailed modes) |
Eyebrow style | Preset library with color picker |
Eyebrow position | Drag nodes for arch, height, spacing (Detailed mode) |
Eyelash style | Preset library with length and density options |
The face editor includes a range of surface markings and overlays that add character and detail to a Zoi's skin. These are separate from the Face Characteristics sliders and are found in their own section of the face editing panel.
Category | Description | Details |
|---|---|---|
Moles | Birthmarks and beauty marks placed on the skin | Multiple placement options ranging from small beauty marks to larger birthmarks |
Freckles | Clusters of small spots across the face | Wide variety of patterns, from subtle light dustings to full-face coverage |
Scars | Visible scars, plasters, bandages, and pimple patches | Includes adhesive bandages (plasters) and acne patches alongside traditional scar marks. Only one option can be active at a time |
Face Paint | Decorative paint patterns on the face and neck | Includes neck tattoo designs in addition to traditional face paint patterns |
Freckles and moles can be combined with other skin features, though scars are limited to one active selection at a time.
inZOI includes a Facial Capture feature that maps your real facial expressions onto your Zoi in real-time. This uses the Live Link Face app by Epic Games, which is free on the Apple App Store. The feature requires an iPhone or iPad with a TrueDepth front-facing camera (iPhone X or later, iPad Pro 2018 or later) running iOS 16.0 or later. Your iOS device and your PC must be connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
To set it up, open the Facial Capture option in the face editor, scan the QR code displayed on screen to download the Live Link Face app, then configure the app's streaming settings by entering your PC's IP address. Once connected, any expression you make (smiling, frowning, raising eyebrows, opening your mouth) is mirrored on the Zoi model in real-time.
Important: Facial Capture tracks expressions only. It does not scan your face to generate a lookalike Zoi. Your physical facial structure is not transferred to the character. The feature works during both character creation and live gameplay, making it useful for expressive screenshots and photo mode sessions.
Face Presets provide a quick starting point for facial customization. When you enter the face section of Create a Zoi, a selection of pre-made face templates is immediately available. Selecting a preset loads a complete facial structure that you can then modify freely. Face Presets change only the facial features; they do not affect body shape, hair, or clothing.
Additional face presets can be downloaded from Canvas, inZOI's community sharing platform. To browse Canvas creations, click the Canvas icon (marked with a "C") in the upper-right corner of the screen. Downloaded presets appear in your preset library with a purple Canvas icon. You can also upload your own face presets to Canvas by selecting Upload to Canvas from the face editing menu. When uploading, you choose whether to share just the face, the current outfit, or the complete Zoi.
As of the current version, there are no presets for individual facial features (such as noses, lips, or eyes in isolation). Presets apply to the entire face as a single package.
Creating a natural-looking Zoi takes some practice. The following tips are drawn from community experience and can help you avoid common pitfalls.
Choose your preset carefully. The base preset determines features like eye shape (hooded vs. open), nose rotation, and face depth. These broad structural elements are easier to preserve from a preset than to rebuild from scratch.
Use both editing modes. Start with Basic Editing to set the overall face proportions, then switch to Detailed Editing for specific adjustments. Jumping straight into Detailed Editing can lead to localized distortions that are hard to fix.
Turn off Symmetry Mode for the final pass. After establishing the face shape with symmetry on, disable it and make small, subtle differences between each side. Slightly different eyebrow heights, a barely noticeable tilt to the jaw, or one eye sitting a fraction higher than the other all contribute to a natural look.
Add Face Characteristics sparingly. Features like eye bags, smile lines, and brow creases add realism, but pushing them too high can age the face quickly. For younger Zois, keep these values low and rely on the age group's built-in skin texture instead.
Use freckles and moles for texture. Even subtle freckle patterns or a single mole break up the smoothness of digital skin and make the face feel more grounded.
Match eyebrow color to hair. Eyebrow color is set independently of hair color. Mismatched brows and hair can look unnatural unless that is the intended style.
Zoom in and rotate frequently. The face can look very different from the front versus a three-quarter or profile view. Rotate the camera regularly while making adjustments to catch issues that only appear from certain angles.
Check the profile view for nose and chin. The nose and chin profile have a strong impact on how a face reads from the side. Some preset traits like nose rotation and face depth are difficult to change after the fact, so verify the profile early.
While the face editor is extensive, there are some restrictions worth noting:
Facial structure and bone-level changes (anything controlled by nodes) cannot be edited after a Zoi is finalized. This is locked in the same way as the profile and traits.
Heterochromia (different eye colors per eye) is not supported.
Individual feature presets (nose-only, eyes-only) are not available. Face presets always apply to the full face.
Scars, plasters, and pimple patches are limited to one active selection at a time.
Facial Capture requires an iOS device with a TrueDepth camera; Android devices are not supported.
Facial piercings (nose rings, lip studs, eyebrow bars) are not available in the base game.
Create a Zoi - Full overview of the character creation system
Body Type Customization - Body shape, sliders, and physique options
Facial Capture - Detailed setup guide for Live Link Face
Canvas - Community sharing platform for presets and creations
Clothing - Outfit customization and wardrobe options
