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Live2D is an animation technique used to animate static images—usually anime-style characters—that involves separating an image into parts and animating each part accordingly, without the need of frame-by-frame animation or a 3D model.[1][2][3][4][5][6] This enables characters to move using 2.5D movement while maintaining the original illustration.
There is a common misconception that Live2D refers to the software used to create Live2D animation.[7][8] Due to the popularity of Live2D Cubism, people often equate Live2D (the animation technique) with Live2D Cubism (the software). However, Live2D is an animation technique, not the software used to create Live2D animation. There are other software options used to create Live2D animation, such as Inochi2D or E-mote (which is used in Tokyo School Life).[9]
Live2D models consist of layered parts saved as a Photoshop file (.psd format). Layers are separately moved to show the whole animation and expression of the character, such as tilting the head. Parts can be as simple as face, hair, and body, or they can be detailed to eyebrows, eyelashes, and even effects like glinting metal.
The number of layers depends on how you wish the Live2D character to move and how three-dimensional you wish the result to appear, with a simplified model having 50 layers and large complex projects reaching 750 layers. There is no limit to how detailed you can be, with some even modelling the sides of the teeth for full effect.[10] Unlike a 3D model there isn't a traditional skeleton, but instead the flat layers are warped and rotated.
Live2D can be used with real-time motion capture to track movements such as head movements, eye movements, and perform lip syncing for real-time applications such as vtubing. The downside of the technology is that there is little capability for 360° rotation of complex objects and body tracking.
Live2D has been used in a wide variety of video games, visual novels, virtual YouTuber channels, and other media. Well-known examples of Live2D media and software include FaceRig,[11][12] VTube Studio, VTuber Legend,[13] Nekopara,[14] Azur Lane,[15] and virtual YouTubers (as popularized by Hololive, Nijisanji,[16] and VShojo).
History
Background
Live2D was first introduced in 2008 to resolve the need for interactive media.[17] Since then, the technology has also changed how games enhance user experience through lively characters and expressions.[18]
In 2009, Cybernoids Co. Ltd. (now Live2D Ltd.) released their very first Live2D application, Live2D Vector.[19] The application transforms vector graphics to make flat character images achieve three-dimensional head turning and moving effects. Although such characters can only perform limited activities, they perform much better than static pictures or slideshows. Users can also customize their moving character by adjusting parameters through software or collecting materials such as images of different angles of a character. Of course, vector graphics still have many limitations. Although the occupied capacity resources are reduced, the rendering of complex images consumes a lot of CPU and RAM. Also, while it can be difficult to work with more traditional art styles such as oil painting or gouache styles, VTuber creators have been experimenting with these styles with success.[20]
The first application of the Live2D technique is HibikiDokei released by sandwichproject (株式会社レジストプランニング), an alarm app released in 2010. The alarm app has a girl character named "Hibiki" who talks and moves.[21]
In 2011, Live2D adopted PSP game Ore no Imōto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai Portable released by NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc became the first game the O.I.U system derived from Live2D technology was applied in a game, where the character moves and changes positions and expression while talking to the player.[22] Characters moved expressively on the screen and seamlessly like an anime, which surprised players and triggered the popularity of Live2D.[23]
Software
Live2D Ltd.
 | |
| Developer(s) | Tetsuya Nakajo |
|---|---|
| Platform | Microsoft Windows, macOS |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | www |
Software developer Tetsuya Nakashiro had been independently developing Live2D software and founded the company Cyber Noise (or Cybernoids, Japanese:サイバーノイズ) in 2006 with support from the Exploratory IT Human Resources Project of the Japanese Information Technology Promotion Agency (IPA). Because of its novelty and lack of uptake, Cyber Noise was unsuccessful.
In 2011, Live2D software received attention after its use in the PSP game Ore no Imōto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai Portable. It subsequently received interest as a library for Android and iOS. Following this success, in 2014 Cyber Noise subsequently renamed itself to Live2D Ltd.,[24] unifying with its product name. Sales of Live2D have had significant growth since then. In 2021, 70% of Live2D Cubism Pro users are or create Vtubers, followed by games/app developers and animation/video creators.[25]
Live2D Ltd. provides its software and SDKs under both commercial licenses and as freeware.
Software
- Live2D Cubism
- Live2D Cubism Editor
- Live2D Euclid (released in April 2017, no longer available from October 16, 2018)
- Live2D CubismM
Official marketplace
- nizima: nizima is a platform where users can buy and sell illustrations, Live2D data, or make-to-order transactions. Illustrators and Live2D creators are able to work together on a character and share sales on the platform. The platform also provides a Live2D preview for users to see and move the model before purchasing.[26]
- nizima LIVE: nizima LIVE is a PC application that allows anyone to easily move a Live2D model by recognizing and tracking facial expressions. From beginners who are new to the tracking app to intermediate and above who are already familiar with Live2D, you can enjoy it for various purposes such as VTuber activities, and avatars for calls and meetings.
Other Live2D Animation Software
Animation software is able to combine with the Live2D system to create real-time animated avatars through motion capture, character animation and computer-generated imagery, including:
Animation software
Face-tracking software
| Title | Platform |
|---|---|
| VTube Studio | Windows, Android, iOS |
| Prprlive | Windows, iOS |
| Live2DViewerEX | Windows, Android, iOS |
| VUP | Windows, Android |
| Animaze | Windows, Android, iOS |
| Hololive | iOS |
| Nijisanji | Android, iOS |
| VBridger | Windows |
Works using Live2D
Visual novels
| Title | Platform | Original release date |
|---|---|---|
| Mashiroiro Symphony | Windows, PSP | 2009 |
| Ensemble Girls! | Android, iOS | 2012 |
| Tokimeki Restaurant | Android, iOS | 2013 |
| Nekopara | Windows, macOS | 2014 |
| City of Love: Paris | Android, iOS | 2017 |
| Date A Live: Rio Reincarnation | Windows, PS4 | 2017 |
| Crystalline | Android, iOS | 2018 |
| Kaori After Story | Android, iOS | 2018 |
| Runa's School Story | Windows, macOS | 2019 |
| Ethereal Enigma | Android, iOS | 2020 |
| Sophistry | Windows, Linux, macOS | 2021 |
| Heartbeat! -After the Summer- | Windows, macOS | 2022 |
| Anonymous;Code | Nintendo Switch, PS4, Windows | 2022 |
| OPPAI Ero App Academy Bigger, Better, Electric Boobaloo! | Windows | 2023 |
Mobile games
| Title | Platform | Original release date |
|---|---|---|
| Battle Girl High School | Android, iOS | 2015 |
| BraveSword×BlazeSoul | Android, iOS | 2015 |
| Ensemble Stars! | Android, iOS | 2015 |
| Potion Maker | Android, iOS | 2015 |
| YUMEIRO CAST | Android, iOS | 2015 |
| Moe Girl Cafe 2 | Android, iOS | 2016 |
| Destiny Child | Android, iOS | 2016 |
| Girls' Frontline | Android, iOS | 2016 |
| Azur Lane | Android, iOS | 2017 |
| Brave Nine | Android, iOS | 2017 |
| BanG Dream! Girls Band Party![27] | Android, iOS | 2017 |
| Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story[28] | Android, iOS | 2017 |
| Neptunia & Friends | Android, iOS | 2017 |
| Dream Girlfriend | Android, iOS | 2017 |
| Project Tokyo Dolls | Android, iOS | 2017 |
| Raramagi | Android, iOS | 2017 |
| Uta no Prince-sama: Shining Live | Android, iOS | 2017 |
| Epic Seven | Android, iOS | 2018 |
| Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight-Re LIVE | Android, iOS | 2018 |
| Mashiro Witch: Marchen of Midnight | Android, iOS | 2018 |
| Ayakashi: Romance Reborn | Android, iOS | 2018 |
| Promise of Wizard | Android, iOS | 2019 |
| Girl Cafe Gun | Android, iOS | 2019 |
| Counter:Side | Android, iOS | 2019 |
| Mirage Memorial | Android, iOS | 2019 |
| Palette Parade | Android, iOS | 2019 |
| My Stella Knights | Android, iOS | 2020 |
| Disney: Twisted-Wonderland | Android, iOS | 2020 |
| Arknights | Android, iOS | 2020 |
| Goddess Kiss: OVE Generation | Android, iOS | 2020 |
| Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage![29] | Android, iOS | 2020 |
| D4DJ Groovy Mix | Android, iOS | 2020 |
| Illusion Connect | Android, iOS | 2020 |
| SINoALICE | Android, iOS | 2020 |
| Zgirls3 | Android, iOS | 2020 |
| Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World: Lost in Memories | Android, iOS | 2020 |
| Assault Lily: Last Bullet | Android, iOS | 2021 |
| KonoSuba: Fantastic Days | Android, iOS | 2021 |
| Artery Gear: Fusion | Android, iOS | 2021 |
| Metal Waltz | Android, iOS | 2021 |
| Alchemy Stars | Android, iOS | 2021 |
| B-PROJECT Ryūsei*Fantasia | Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch | 2021 |
| Blue Archive | Android, iOS | 2021 |
| Revived Witch[30] | Android, iOS | 2021 |
| Destiny Girl | Android, iOS | 2022 |
| Dynasty Heroes: Romance Samkok | Android, iOS | 2022 |
| Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel | Android, iOS | 2022 |
| Idle Princess | Android, iOS | 2022 |
| Girls Academy | Android, iOS | 2022 |
| Clover Theater | Android, iOS | 2022 |
| Date A Live: Spirit Pledge HD | Android, iOS | 2022 |
| Echocalypse | Android, iOS | 2022 |
| MementoMori | Android, iOS | 2022 |
| Goddess of Victory: Nikke[31] | Android, iOS | 2022 |
| Counter:Side | Android, iOS | 2022 |
| Path to Nowhere | Android, iOS | 2022 |
| Cherry Tale | Android, iOS | 2022 |
| The Tale of Food | Android, iOS | 2023 |
| Takt Op. Symphony | Android, iOS | 2023 |
| Love Live! School Idol Festival 2: Miracle Live! | Android, iOS | 2023 |
| Crazy Ones | Android, iOS | 2023 |
| Reverse: 1999 | Android, iOS | 2023 |
| Trickal Revive | Android, iOS | 2023 |
| Phantom of the Kill -Alternative Imitation- | Android, iOS | 2024 |
Console games
| Title | Platform | Original release date |
|---|---|---|
| Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai (Haganai) | PSP | 2012 |
| Fire Emblem Fates | 3DS | 2015 |
| Kancolle Kai[32] | PS Vita | 2016 |
| Akiba's Beat | PS4, PS Vita | 2016 |
| Dark Rose Valkyrie | PS4, PS Vita | 2016 |
| Sword Art Online: Alicization Lycoris | PS4, Xbox One | 2020 |
PC games
| Title | Original release date |
|---|---|
| Herald: An Interactive Period Drama | 2017 |
| Namu Amida Butsu! -UTENA-[33] | 2019 |
See also
References
- ^ "Live2D Cubism Editor". Live2D. 23 July 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
- ^ "Company Profile | Live2D Inc". 株式会社Live2D. 31 July 2019. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
- ^ Beck, Jerry (28 August 2012). ""Live2D" by Cybernoids". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
- ^ "Live2D Rigging Tutorials - For Beginner & Pro | ShiraLive2D". www.shiralive2d.com. 3 December 2023. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
- ^ "live 2D技术：让2D角色动起来的障眼法". 知乎专栏 (in Chinese). Retrieved 18 February 2024.
- ^ "Live2D 神奇的动画渲染工具 – 宇宙盒子0123" (in Chinese (China)). 22 June 2013. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
- ^ [LIVE2D UPDATE] Cubism 5 New Feature Highlights!, 28 September 2023, retrieved 18 February 2024
- ^ "Live2D Rigging Tutorials - For Beginner & Pro | ShiraLive2D". www.shiralive2d.com. 3 December 2023. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
- ^ "Tokyo School Life Featuring Character Animation Tool E-mote".
- ^ "https://twitter.com/TheArtGun/status/1485742049714270209". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 6 December 2023.
{{cite web}}: External link in|title= - ^ "FaceRig Live2D Module on Steam". store.steampowered.com. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
- ^ "FaceRig + Live2D Module | Live2D". Live2D. Archived from the original on 20 May 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
- ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (14 October 2023). "VTuber Legend Anime Reveals 4 More Cast Members, 2024 Debut". Anime News Network. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
- ^ "Meet The Catgirls Of Sekai Project's Visual Novel NEKOPARA Vol. 1 - Siliconera". Siliconera. 29 December 2014. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
- ^ Siegal, Jacob (25 August 2018). "The 8 best free iPhone games of the week". BGR. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
- ^ "バーチャルYouTuber「月ノ美兎」サブカル女子高生委員長が人気急上昇中 | Mogura VR". MoguraVR (in Japanese). 27 February 2018. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
- ^ "What is Live2D?". Live2D Cubism. 23 July 2019. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
- ^ "Creator Interviews". Live2D Cubism. 9 April 2020. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
- ^ "live2D history". Live2D. 31 July 2019.
- ^ "https://twitter.com/FaeriSami/status/1729257776009154584". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 6 December 2023.
{{cite web}}: External link in|title= - ^ "HibikiDokei". sandwichproject.com. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
- ^ "【週刊 俺の妹P】俺の妹がLive2Dでこんなに動く!! ＆5人の妹ができる特典って!?".
- ^ "【特集】「Live2D」を救ったのは『俺妹』！？誕生のきっかけや話題の「FaceRig」に迫る". インサイド (in Japanese). 8 February 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
- ^ "会社消滅寸前だったとあるベンチャーが、世界初の2D立体表現技術を完成できたワケ - エンジニアtype". Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
- ^ "Live2D社が目論む未来の「Live2D」とは？―ソフトウェアから共創のプラットフォーム＆マーケット市場へ【alive2021 レポート】". インサイド (in Japanese). 30 December 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
- ^ "Live2D official market "secondary ma" was renamed to "nizima" and the design and UI / UX were renewed | Live2D Co., Ltd". 株式会社Live2D. 1 October 2019. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
- ^ "(日本語) バンドリ！ ガールズバンドパーティ！ | Live2D". Live2D. Archived from the original on 20 May 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
- ^ "MAGIA RECORD | Live2D". Live2D. Archived from the original on 28 June 2019. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
- ^ "プロジェクトセカイ カラフルステージ！ feat.初音ミク | 導入実績". 株式会社Live2D (in Japanese). 29 September 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- ^ "Revived Witch - Creator Interviews". Live2D. 28 August 2023. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- ^ Fujiwaki, Minamo (26 September 2022). "工数を度外視してでも"差別化"を…『勝利の女神：NIKKE』の飽くなき挑戦". PickUPs! (in Japanese). Retrieved 27 July 2024.
弊社にはLive2Dで培ってきたノウハウがありますが、実は『勝利の女神：NIKKE』ではツールを変えSpineを採用しています。
- ^ zozi. "Studio Sleipnir PSvitaのソフト 「艦これ改」が発売になりました。". studiosleipnir.blog15.fc2.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 7 September 2018.
- ^ "system｜なむあみだ仏っ！-蓮台 UTENA- 公式サイト". なむあみだ仏っ！-蓮台 UTENA- 公式サイト (in Japanese). Retrieved 22 June 2020.
External links
