“Can I just paste the code in?” depends entirely on which code you mean. Several different things get called a character code, and they are not interchangeable. Here is what each one actually is.
A site character code
What this site produces, and what most browser creators produce. It is a list of that site's own settings — part numbers, colour indices, position offsets — packed into a short string. It only means anything to the tool that made it, because part number 7 is defined by that tool's own artwork.
These codes are small, they paste into a chat message without breaking, and they contain nothing but the settings: no name, no account, no identifier. Ours starts with a schema version so old codes keep working when new parts are added.
Console save data
A binary record inside a console's protected storage, with fields defined by that system. It is what a game reads when it shows your character. Web pages cannot read or write it — the sandbox exists precisely to stop that — and file layouts differ between systems, so even having the bytes does not make them portable.
QR codes
A QR code is a container, not a format. It holds bytes, and what those bytes mean depends entirely on who wrote them. A QR code produced by a console holds that console's own record, in its own layout, sometimes signed so that a modified copy is rejected. A QR code produced by a website usually just holds a URL.
So “scan this QR code to import my character” works only when the thing scanning it already understands that exact format. This is the single most common source of disappointment in this area, and it is worth knowing before you go looking for a converter.
Rendering data versus owning artwork
There are open-source libraries that parse console character formats and draw the result. Parsing is one thing; drawing is another, because drawing needs models and textures — and those usually come from the games themselves. Code being open source says nothing about whether the artwork alongside it can be reused.
That distinction is why this site draws everything from original vector parts. It is more work up front, and it means our codes are not console codes. It also means every export here is unambiguously ours to give you.
What actually travels between systems
The settings, written down. A face shape, a hairstyle, a colour, an offset — described in words as well as numbers, so it survives the jump to a tool with a different parts library. It is lower-tech than a file transfer and it works everywhere, which is why the instructions generator exists.
Summary
- Site code — portable between people, meaningless to a console.
- Save data — meaningful to a console, unreachable from a browser.
- QR code — a container; ask what is inside before assuming it will import.
- Recipe — slowest to apply, works absolutely everywhere.