What is Live2D? – How to Make＆Use a Live2D Model
Live2D is a software technology
that allows you to create dynamic expressions
that breathe life into an original 2D illustration.
Live2D is a software technology
that allows you to create dynamic expressions
that breathe life into an original 2D illustration.
Feature 1
This technology is often compared to 3D animation. However with 3D animation, an entirely new model is constructed based on the original illustration, while Live2D utilizes the original illustration directly. This allows you to provide dynamic expressions while directly harnessing the charm of the drawn character.
The use of Live2D software technology breathes life into your drawn character and generates a much greater effect from the static art. This will help your audience develop a stronger emotional attachment to the character.
Feature 2
Many of the works created using Live2D have their origins in traditional 2D, whether a visual novel or famous illustration. This demonstrates that 2D artists and fans value Live2D’s advantage in preserving the authenticity and rich graphics of the original 2D art rendered in modern applications.
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Strength 1
Today, a character may be featured in different ways on different media platforms. This results in a lack of visual consistency and quality.
Live2D enables the original 2D art to be applied in various media forms with consistent quality.
Strength 2
Live2D has been utilized for a wide range of applications since it was first introduced in 2008. To cover the growing need in interactive media, Live2D supports a wide spectrum of applications and environments, such as apps for mobile platforms (iOS, Android), game consoles, game engines (Unity, Cocos2d-x), and other communication tools for events and live streaming video.
01
Every Live2D model is made directly from an original static 2D character. Therefore a minimum of 1 original illustration is required. Draw it in layers to make it easy to separate into the parts you want to move.
By saving a layer for each part in the PSD data for the original illustration, it will be possible to load the data into Cubism Editor while maintaining the layer names and display sequence.
Original illustration data that is the source for processing
Separated into each of the parts you want to move
02
Once your character is prepared, use the powerful Cubism Editor editing tools like Deformer to deform the character for different angles, emotions, and all the expressions you want it to have, and use Motion Parameter to register complex deformations.
Cubism Editor includes many convenient features that allow you to easily and efficiently perform Live2D modeling. Please be sure to utilize them.
03
Once your character is modeled, direct the character and create the animations. Simply specify the key frames in the timeline to create uniquely detailed Live2D animation.
Other features allow you to add hair movement based on physics calculations, automatically generate lip-sync movement from an audio file, and create a rich array of animated expressions.
04
The animation you created can be exported as a video file, animated GIF, or image sequence. Using the Cubism AE Plugin allows Live2D files to be loaded into Adobe® After Effects® software. This can help improve the quality of your video work.
You can also export files to be used in app/game development and a wide range of applications in any area.
"Check to learn more how to use Live2D Cubism, and how to create Live2D models.
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Click here for more information on how Live2D creators make models.