# average_m — Canonical Clothing Reference Body

`average_m` is the **reference body type** for clothing authoring (D-159).

All clothing items are authored on `average_m` first. The resulting mesh is
saved as `clothing/<item_id>/reference.glb`. From there, the Surface Deform
batch pipeline fits it to the remaining 10 body types automatically, producing
`thin_m.glb`, `thin_f.glb`, `average_f.glb`, etc.

This means:
- Every clothing item's `reference.glb` was sculpted/modelled for this body
- `clothing/<item_id>/average_m.glb` is a direct copy of `reference.glb`
- Do not modify `average_m` body segments without re-running the clothing fit

See `docs/architecture/character-asset-organization.md` Section 5 (Surface Deform
Batch Output) for the full pipeline.