What is live2d? Introduction to the program
Do you want to be a vtuber or are you already? Do you want to create fluid animations or your own animated characters? Live2D is your great option!
At present, many characters or mostly known as Vtubers have come to light, but we do not know the process behind them when designing them, because today I am going to tell you a little about the program that is used to create them.
Contents
What is Live2D?
Live2D Cubism is a new drawing and rendering technology used for video games, animations and now for characters or Vtubers. This technology is developed by Cybernoids, Japan. Where you can generate a 2D image similar to a 3D model through a series of continuous images and character modeling.
This technology is often compared to 3D animation. However, with 3D animation, a completely new model is built based on the original illustration, while Live2D uses the original illustration directly. This allows you to provide dynamic expressions while directly harnessing the charm of your character or animation.
Using Live2D software technology allows you to bring your character to life and generate a much greater effect from static art. This will help your audience develop a stronger emotional bond with your character.
Creating your own model
To start creating your own 2D avatar, you will need the Live2D Cubism editor. You can download the Live2D Cubism editor for free from here. Live2D offers a 42-day free trial of the PRO version to everyone who installs its editor. Once the 42 days are up, the PRO version automatically switches to the FREE version, unless you decide to upgrade (at which point you’ll need to enter your credit card information).
As mentioned there are two versions of Live2d, the free and the pro, even if it is a free version it will not let you use some tools, so I will add below what you get with the free version compared to the pro.
behind the layers
For your character you will have to separate by layers, by this I mean you will have to create a layer for anything that is going to be animated, for example for the eyes, you will have to make a layer for the iris, another for the pupil, another for the tabs and thus separating each thing, I know it will sound tedious but in the end you will see the results it can give you.
The Cubism editor requires files in .psd format, so you must create your model in software that can export this format (Photoshop, Krita, Gimp, Clip Studio Paint, etc.).
Here you can find a list of very useful mini-tutorials that will guide you when working on this program. There is also a written manual for it here. The guides will be very useful for you to create your own character.
How much does the license cost?
Like any good program, there are 3 types of licenses that they provide, below you can see the Monthly, Annual and 3-year Plan and their costs in Yen and Dollars.
