Starting Presets

After reading this page, you can decide which of the five starting presets to use and know what applying one never changes.

A preset is a starting value

Starting Preset sits in the Quick Start card at the top of the component inspector. Its tooltip states the scope directly.

Seeds initial feature, profile, and budget values. Every item can be edited afterwards.

To apply one:

1. Select the avatar root in the Hierarchy to open the Ming Light Controller inspector.
2. Pick an entry in the Starting Preset dropdown of the Quick Start card.
3. Press Apply.
4. In the dialog that reads "Replace the current feature settings with the selected preset? You can undo this change.", press Apply.

This is correct. The menu tree is redrawn with that preset's layout, and the numbers in the Budget & Validation card are recalculated for the new configuration.

Every preset does the following:

• Clears all saved per-feature overrides.
• Replaces the whole menu layout. Empty leaves an empty menu; the others switch to the recommended structure.
• Resets both Target Synced Bits and Target Parameter Entries to 0 (auto).

Recommended

Uses the recommended menu structure with the default catalog untouched. The profile is Auto and Advanced Catalog is off.

This is the state of a component you have just attached. Start here if you are not sure what to pick.

Bit Saving

Same feature set as Recommended, but the profile is pinned to Compact.

It spends fewer synced bits and more parameter entries. Pick based on which of the two you can spare. → Profiles and the Parameter Budget

Photo Capture

Turns Advanced Catalog on and keeps only the items used for photography.

State	Items
On	The three photo look bits, Shared Color X and Y, Additive Light, Edge Rim, Shadow, Final Output
Off	The seven virtual light items (on/off, Replace Mode, Add Mode, Follow Character, yaw, pitch, intensity)
Off	The six performance items (Cast Shadows, Depth Effects, Outlines, Normal Maps, PBR / Reflections, performance distance scale)
Off	In the advanced catalog, the two brightness items, the four light response items, and the five color grade items

Advanced Catalog is on, but every item inside it starts off. Turn on only the ones you need, one at a time.

The profile is Auto.

Performance

Keeps only the switches that lower the in-game load.

State	Items
On	The six performance items and the command item
Off	The seven virtual light items
Off	Shared Color X and Y
Off	Additive Light, Edge Rim, Shadow, Final Output
Off	The three photo look bits

The profile is Auto and Advanced Catalog is off.

Empty

Empties the menu layout completely and puts every feature of the default catalog into this state:

• Feature off
• Animated off
• Fixed value = that feature's initial value

In other words, you start from a state that builds neither a menu nor a parameter. Use it when you want to raise only the items you need and keep the configuration minimal.

When the menu tree is empty, the tree shows this notice.

The menu is empty. Add items with '+ Item' or apply 'Recommended Menu'.

When it turns into Custom

Touch anything after applying a preset and Starting Preset switches to Custom. All of the following count:

• Renaming an item in the menu tree, moving it, changing its inclusion checkbox, or adding and removing items
• Changing a value such as Enabled, Animated, Saved, Synced, or Pin To Value in Selected Item Settings
• Pressing Reset All Overrides

Custom is only a mark saying "this has left the preset"; by itself it changes no behavior.

What a preset never touches

• The authored avatar. Applying a preset changes only the serialized values of the settings component. Authored FX, menus, parameters, and materials stay as they are.
• The actual photo look values. A preset only decides whether the photo look bits go into the menu; it does not change the looks themselves.
• Registered material groups. The registrations survive. The menu layout is replaced, though, so a group has to be placed in the menu again.
• Attachment, Play Mode Preview, Allow Build Clone Preparation, and Force Install With Unknown Budget. No preset touches them.

Undoing

What you want	How
Cancel the preset you just applied	Undo (Ctrl+Z). Applying a preset is undoable
Restore one feature only	Reset to Catalog Default in Selected Item Settings — clears the user overrides of that feature only
Delete every per-feature override	Reset All Overrides in Advanced Options — menu folder layout and authored materials are kept
Restore only the menu layout to the recommended structure	Apply Recommended Menu in the menu tree — per-feature settings are kept
Empty only the menu layout	Start With Empty Menu in the menu tree — feature settings and material group registrations are kept

Applying a preset and restoring the menu are different

Apply clears per-feature overrides too and replaces the menu layout. Apply Recommended Menu restores the menu layout only and leaves per-feature settings alone.