Returning as Neoneko Project Lead: A Fresh Start

I'm Back

After stepping down earlier this year due to burnout, harassment, and mental health concerns, I'm officially returning as Project Lead for Neoneko. I'm in a much better headspace now, and I'm ready to get our projects back on track.

When I stepped away, I made a difficult choice to hand over the Project Lead role to someone who, while incredibly talented, wasn't fully prepared for everything the position entailed. That's on me. I want to thank 989onan for taking on that responsibility during my absence. Your contributions to Avatar Toolkit have been invaluable, and I genuinely appreciate everything you've done to keep things moving.

Why I'm Stepping Back Up

The reality is simple: things weren't getting done. Blender 5.0 was around the corner, and our projects needed significant updates to remain compatible. Cats Blender Plugin desperately needed a UI overhaul, and Avatar Toolkit required a complete rework to meet the standards I originally envisioned.

I stepped back up because I care deeply about these projects and the community that relies on them. I couldn't watch them stagnate when I knew I had the capacity and mindset to push them forward again.

What's Been Accomplished

It's only been a week since I officially resumed the Project Lead role, but we've already made significant progress:

• Avatar Toolkit: Upgraded to Blender 5.0 compatibility and started a comprehensive rework to address long-standing issues
• Cats Blender Plugin: Updated for Blender 5.0 and received a complete UI redesign
• New Websites: Launched dedicated websites for Cats, Neoneko, Avatar Toolkit, Tuxedo, Material Combiner, and Immersive Scaler
• Documentation: Created a comprehensive Wiki for Cats Blender Plugin
• Project Expansion: Officially took over maintenance of Material Combiner and Immersive Scaler

I'm honestly surprised by how much we've accomplished in such a short time. It feels good to be productive again.

Organizational Changes

Neoneko is undergoing a complete reorganization to ensure sustainability and clarity going forward:

Team Structure

989onan has decided to step down as a full-time Developer and will be contributing to projects on a more casual basis. I've also created a new role for contributors who help semi-regularly, ensuring everyone's contributions are recognized appropriately.

Website Redesigns

As mentioned, we've launched new dedicated websites for all our major projects. Each tool now has its own home with proper documentation, download links, and support resources. This separation makes it easier for users to find what they need and for us to maintain clear project identities.

Discord Server Overhaul

Our Discord server has become messy over time, and it needs a complete restructure. I'll be overhauling it within the next week or two, with advance notice before changes begin. Expect clearer channels, better organization, and dedicated sections for each project including Tuxedo, which will finally get proper recognition as a full Neoneko project.

The Funding Situation

I don't like talking about money, but it's a reality we need to address. Hosting costs for our websites, domains, SSL certificates, and DDoS protection are significant. Over the past two years, 989onan and I have personally spent approximately $620 covering these expenses. In the early days, costs were even higher due to increased traffic and the need for stronger DDoS protection (thanks to certain individuals who thought attacking our infrastructure was a good idea).

Currently, we use pally.gg for donations. In two years, we've received a total of $100 from two generous donors. While I'm grateful for those contributions, it's clear this system isn't working. We need to rethink our approach.

Once the restructuring is complete, the new websites are stable, and the Blender 5.0 releases for Cats and Avatar Toolkit are finished, I'll start planning a new donation system. I'm not a fan of Patreon because it requires manually splitting funds between volunteers, and I appreciated pally.gg's automatic distribution feature. However, we clearly need something different.

If anyone has suggestions or ideas for funding platforms that work well for open-source collaborative projects, I'm open to hearing them.

Project Direction and Priorities

Avatar Toolkit

My primary focus is getting Avatar Toolkit into a state I can genuinely be proud of. I'm not happy with its current condition, particularly the Armature Validation system.

Armature Validation was implemented with good intentions, encouraging consistency and helping users avoid common mistakes. However, it's currently forced on users unless they manually disable it, and there are simply too many avatar formats and edge cases for a one-size-fits-all approach to work well. The plugin needs to prioritize user-friendliness above all else.

Changes coming to Avatar Toolkit:

• Armature Validation will become opt-in rather than opt-out
• Major feature overhauls to improve reliability and performance
• Complete UI redesign for better usability
• Improved error handling and user feedback

Not all of these changes will land in time for the Blender 5.0 release, but they're all in progress and will roll out as they're ready.

Tuxedo Blender Plugin

Tuxedo is going to receive proper attention as a full Neoneko project. I'll be improving it where possible, giving it a dedicated section in our Discord, and treating it with the same care as our other tools. It deserves better than being a side project.

Material Combiner and Immersive Scaler

Neoneko has officially taken over maintenance of these projects. They'll receive the same level of support, documentation, and development attention as our other tools.

Cats Blender Plugin: End of Life Plans (Or Lack Thereof)

A lot of people have been asking about Cats' End of Life (EOL) timeline, especially given that Avatar Toolkit isn't ready yet. I need to address this directly because I made a mistake in my previous communications.

My original hope was that Avatar Toolkit would be ready early next year, making it safe to sunset Cats. That's still the goal. However, I'm not making the same mistake again: Cats will not receive an official EOL date until Avatar Toolkit is genuinely ready for users to switch over smoothly.

Until I'm fully confident that Avatar Toolkit can serve as a complete replacement, Cats will continue to be maintained. However, going forward, Cats will only support the latest version of Blender. When a new Blender release comes out, support for the previous version will be dropped. This keeps maintenance manageable while ensuring users on current Blender versions have a working tool.

Dropping the "Unofficial" Label

Let's be honest: the original "official" versions of Cats and Tuxedo have been abandoned for years. Calling our actively maintained, updated, and supported versions "unofficial" simply doesn't make sense anymore.

We've been the ones keeping these tools alive, fixing bugs, adding features, and supporting the community. At this point, our versions are the official ones in every practical sense. So I'm dropping the "Unofficial" designation from both projects. They're just Cats Blender Plugin and Tuxedo Blender Plugin now.

Looking Forward

I'm genuinely excited about where Neoneko is headed. Yes, I have a lot on my plate. Yes, there's a tremendous amount of work ahead. But I'm in a better mental space than I was earlier this year, and I'm surrounded by a community that continues to support what we're building.

To everyone who has donated, contributed code, answered questions in Discord, reported bugs, or simply used our tools and shared them with others: thank you. You're the reason this project continues to exist.

I stepped away when I needed to for my mental health and personal safety. Now I'm back because I'm ready, and because these projects deserve leadership that can push them forward. Let's build something great together.

- Rina

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