The present disclosure is directed to integrating external 3D models into a character creation system. In general, a character creation system imports an external 3D model by determining correspondence values for each vertex within the 3D model. Once imported, a user can customize the 3D character by adding texture to the character, adjusting character features, swapping out one or more character features, adding clothes and accessories to the character, automatically rigging the character, and/or animating the character.