Live2D is an

animation software Computer animation is the process used for digitally generating animations. The more general term computer-generated imagery (CGI) encompasses both static scenes (still images) and dynamic images (moving images), while computer animation refer ...

developed by Live2D Ltd. It can be used to generate real-time 2D animations, usually

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

-style characters, using layered, continuous parts based on an illustration, without the need of frame-by-frame animation or a

3D model In 3D computer graphics, 3D modeling is the process of developing a mathematical coordinate-based representation of any surface of an object (inanimate or living) in three dimensions via specialized software by manipulating edges, vertices, an ...

. This enables characters to move while maintaining the original illustration at low-cost. It can be considered as the balance of cost and effect of an animation. Live2D characters consist of layered parts. Parts are separately moved to show the whole animation and expression of the character, such as tilting head. Parts can be as simple as face, hair, and body, or it can be detailed to eyebrows, eyelashes, and even different parts of hair which you wish to have different movements. The number of layers depends on how you wish the Live2D character present movements. The layers are rigged to a

skeleton A skeleton is the structural frame that supports the body of an animal. There are several types of skeletons, including the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside ...

to form a whole animated character in real-time. Live2D can be used with real-time

motion capture Motion capture (sometimes referred as mo-cap or mocap, for short) is the process of recording the movement of objects or people. It is used in military, entertainment, sports, medical applications, and for validation of computer vision and robo ...

to track movements and perform

lip sync Lip sync or lip synch (pronounced , the same as the word ''sink'', short for lip synchronization) is a technical term for matching a speaking or singing person's lip movements with sung or spoken vocals. Audio for lip syncing is generated thr ...

ing for real-time applications such as vtubing. The downside of the technology is that currently there is no official setting for 360° rotation. It is also difficult to do large angle turns for complex images or characters. Live2D has been used in a wide variety of

video games Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to gener ...

visual novel A , often abbreviated as VN, is a form of digital semi-interactive fiction. Visual novels are often associated with and used in the medium of video games, but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine a textual narrative with sta ...

virtual YouTuber A , or , is an online entertainer who uses a virtual avatar generated using computer graphics. Real-time motion capture software or technology are often—but not always—used to capture movement. The digital trend originated in Japan in the mi ...

channels, and other media. Well-known examples of Live2D media and software include FaceRig,

VTube Studio A , or , is an online entertainer who uses a virtual avatar generated using computer graphics. Real-time motion capture software or technology are often—but not always—used to capture movement. The digital trend originated in Japan in the mid- ...

, ''

Nekopara , taglined ''Cats Paradise'', is a series of adult visual novels developed by NEKO WORKs and published by Sekai Project. The first game in the series, ''Nekopara Vol. 1'', was released in December 2014. Taking place in a world where humans ...

'', ''

Azur Lane ''Azur Lane'' () is a side-scrolling shoot 'em up video game created by Chinese developers Shanghai Manjuu and Xiamen Yongshi, released in 2017 for the iOS and Android operating systems. Set in an alternate timeline of World War II, pl ...

'', and virtual YouTubers (as popularized by

Nijisanji Nijisanji (Japanese: にじさんじ) is a virtual YouTuber agency owned by AnyColor Inc. (formerly Ichikara Inc., changed 17 May 2021) The agency was founded in 2018 with the purpose of promoting the use of Live2D models and streaming as oppo ...

and

Hololive is a virtual YouTuber agency owned by Japanese tech entertainment company Cover Corporation. In addition to acting as a multi-channel network, Hololive Production also handles merchandising especially in music production and concert organizati ...

History

Live2D was first introduced in 2008 for the need of interactive media. Since then, the technology has also changed how games enhance user experience through lively characters and expressions. In 2009, Cubism (now Live2D) released their very first Live2D application, Live2D vector. The application transforms vector graphic to make flat character image achieve three-dimensional head turning and moving effects. Although such character can only perform limited activities, it performs much better than static pictures or slideshows. User can also customize their own 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. Another disadvantage is that it cannot present certain styles of paintings, such as oil painting and gouache styles. The first application of 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" that talks and moves. 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. Characters moved expressively on the screen and seamlessly like an anime, which surprised players and triggered the popularity of Live2D.

Software

Live2D Ltd.

Software developer Tetsuya Nakashiro had been independently developing Live2D software, and founded the company Cyber Noise (or Cybernoids,

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

:てサイバーノイズ) 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 A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...

for Android and

iOS iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...

. Following this success, in 2014 Cyber Noise subsequently renamed itself to Live2D Ltd., unifying with its product name. Sales of Live2D has significant growth since then. In 2021, 70% of Live2D Cubism Pro users is

Vtuber A , or , is an online entertainer who uses a virtual avatar generated using computer graphics. Real-time motion capture software or technology are often—but not always—used to capture movement. The digital trend originated in Japan in the mid- ...

, followed by games / apps (videos) and animation / video works. Live2D Ltd. provides its software and SDKs under both commercial licenses and as

freeware Freeware is software, most often proprietary, that is distributed at no monetary cost to the end user. There is no agreed-upon set of rights, license, or EULA that defines ''freeware'' unambiguously; every publisher defines its own rules for the f ...

Software

* Live2D Cubism * Live2D Euclid (released in April 2017, no longer available from October 16, 2018) * Live2D CubismM

Official marketplace

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 provide Live2D preview for users to see and move the model before purchasing.

Third-party

Avatar software

Some software programs are able to create animated

avatars Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearance ...

by combining the Live2D system with real-time

character animation Character animation is a specialized area of the animation process, which involves bringing animated s to life. The role of a character animator is analogous to that of a film or stage actor and character animators are often said to be "actors wit ...

and

computer-generated imagery Computer-generated imagery (CGI) is the use of computer graphics to create or contribute to images in art, printed media, video games, simulators, and visual effects in films, television programs, shorts, commercials, and videos. The images may ...

, including: * FaceRig (

Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...

) *

Adobe Character Animator Adobe Character Animator is an Emmy Award-winning desktop application software product that combines real-time live motion-capture with a multi-track recording system to control layered 2D puppets based on an illustration drawn in Photoshop or Il ...

(

MacOS macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac computers. Within the market of desktop and lapt ...

) * CrazyTalk (

) *

( Android,

) *

( Android,

) *

(iOS) * MocapX (iOS) * Live2DViewerEX (

, Android) * REALITY ( Android,

)

Works using Live2D

Visual novels

* ''

Mashiroiro Symphony is a Japanese adult visual novel developed by Palette, and it was released in Japan on October 30, 2009 for Microsoft Windows PCs. ''Mashiroiro Symphony'' is Palette's ninth title. The gameplay in ''Mashiroiro Symphony'' follows a linea ...

'' (2009; Windows, PSP) * ''

Ensemble Girls! is a series of Japanese social network games developed by Happy Elements K.K. The games are all collectible card games with visual novel elements, mainly written by Japanese novelist Akira. It was first launched as a GREE game in November 2012, a ...

'' (2012; Android, iOS) * ''Tokimeki Restaurant'' (2013; Android, iOS) * ''

'' (2014; Windows, macOS) * ''City of Love: Paris'' (2017; Android, iOS) * '' Date A Live: Rio Reincarnation'' (2017; Windows, PS4) * ''Crystalline'' (2018; Android, iOS) * ''Kaori After Story'' (2018; Android, iOS) * ''Ethereal Enigma'' (2020; Android, iOS) * ''Sophistry'' (2021; Windows, Linux, macOS)

Mobile games

* ''

Battle Girl High School was a Japanese science fantasy social network game developed and published by COLOPL. It was released in Japan on April 16, 2015. An anime adaptation was green-lit to celebrate the one year anniversary of the game. The anime adaptation, whic ...

'' (2015; Android, iOS) * ''BraveSword×BlazeSoul'' (2015; Android, iOS) * ''

Ensemble Stars! is a Japanese game franchise developed by Cacalia Studio and published by Happy Elements K.K., the Japanese division of the Chinese company Happy Elements. It is a spin-off of the 2012 game ''Ensemble Girls!'' It was first released as a lif ...

'' (2015; Android, iOS) * ''Potion Maker'' (2015; Android, iOS) * ''YUMEIRO CAST'' (2015; Android, iOS) * ''Moe Girl Cafe 2'' (2016; Android, iOS) * ''Destiny Child'' (2016; Android, iOS) * ''

Girls' Frontline ''Girls Frontline'' () is a mobile strategy role-playing game for Android and iOS developed by China-based studio MICA Team, where players control echelons of android characters, known in-universe as T-Dolls, each carrying a distinctive ...

'' (2016; Android, iOS) * ''

'' (2017; Android, iOS) * ''

BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! also known as ''Garupa'' or ''Bandori'', is a mobile rhythm game developed by Craft Egg and published by Bushiroad for the Android and iOS platforms. Part of Bushiroad's ''BanG Dream!'' music franchise, it was released in Japan in March 2017, a ...

'' (2017; Android, iOS) * '' Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story'' (2017; Android, iOS) * ''Neptunia & Friends'' (2017; Android, iOS) * ''Dream Girlfriend'' (2017; Android, iOS) * ''Project Tokyo Dolls'' (2017; Android, iOS) * ''Raramagi'' (2017; Android, iOS) * '' Uta no Prince-sama: Shining Live'' (2017; Android, iOS) * ''Epic Seven'' (2018; Android, iOS) * '' Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight-Re LIVE'' (2018; Android, iOS) * ''Mashiro Witch: Marchen of Midnight'' (2018; Android, iOS) * ''Ayakashi: Romance Reborn'' (2018; Android, iOS) * ' (2019; Android, iOS) * ''Girl Cafe Gun'' (2019; Android, iOS) * ''Counter:Side'' (2019; Android, iOS) * ''Mirage Memorial'' (2019; Android, iOS) * ''Palette Parade'' (2019; Android, iOS) * ''My Stella Knights'' (2020; Android, iOS) * '' Disney: Twisted-Wonderland'' (2020; Android, iOS) * ''

Arknights ''Arknights'' () is a free-to-play tactical RPG/tower defense mobile game developed by Chinese developer Hypergryph. It was released in China on 1 May 2019, in other countries on 16 January 2020 and in Taiwan on 29 June 2020. ''Arknights'' ...

'' (2020; Android, iOS) * ''Goddess Kiss: OVE Generation'' (2020; Android, iOS) * '' Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage!'' (2020; Android, iOS) * '' D4DJ Groovy Mix'' (2020; Android, iOS) * ''Illusion Connect'' (2020; Android, iOS) * ''

SINoALICE is a role-playing video game developed by Pokelabo for Android and iOS. The game is directed by Yoko Taro, better known for his work in the ''NieR'' and ''Drakengard'' series. The game was released in Japan by Square Enix in June 2017, and worl ...

'' (2020; Android, iOS) * ''Zgirls3'' (2020; Android, iOS) * '' Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World: Lost in Memories'' (2020; Android, iOS) * '' Assault Lily: Last Bullet'' (2021; Android, iOS) * '' KonoSuba: Fantastic Days'' (2021; Android, iOS) * ''Artery Gear: Fusion'' (2021; Android, iOS) * ''Metal Waltz'' (2021; Android, iOS) * ''

Alchemy Stars ''Alchemy Stars'' (白夜極光, "White Night Aurora") is a free-to-play tactical role-playing mobile game developed by Tourdog Studio and published by Tencent Games. It was released globally on 17 June 2021 for Android and iOS devices. Gamepl ...

'' (2021; Android, iOS) * '' B-PROJECT Ryūsei*Fantasia'' (2021; Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch) * ''

Blue Archive ''Blue Archive'' ( ja, ブルーアーカイブ; ) is a role-playing game developed by Nexon Games (formerly NAT Games), a subsidiary of Nexon. It was released in 2021 for Android and iOS, first in Japan by Yostar and worldwide later that year ...

'' (2021; Android, iOS) * ''Revived Witch'' (2021; Android, iOS) * ''Destiny Girl'' (2022; Android, iOS) * ''Dynasty Heroes: Romance Samkok '' (2022; Android, iOS) * ''Idle Princess'' (2022; Android, iOS) * ''Girls Academy'' (2022; Android, iOS) * ''Clover Theater'' (2022; Android, iOS) * '' Date A Live: Spirit Pledge HD'' (2022; Android, iOS) * ''Echocalypse'' (2022; Android, iOS) * ''MementoMori'' (2022; Android, iOS) * '' Goddess of Victory: Nikke'' (2022; Android, iOS) * ''Cherry Tale'' (2022; Android, iOS)

Console games

* ''Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai (Haganai)'' (2012; PSP) * ''

Fire Emblem Fates ''Fire Emblem Fates'' is a tactical role-playing video game for the Nintendo 3DS handheld video game console, developed by Intelligent Systems and Nintendo SPD and published by Nintendo. It was released in June 2015 in Japan, then released inter ...

'' (2015; 3DS) * '' Kancolle Kai'' (2016; PS Vita) * ''

Akiba's Beat ''Akiba's Beat'' is an action role-playing video game for the PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 4 video game consoles. It is the third entry in the ''Akiba'' series, after the Japan-only ''Akiba's Trip'' for PlayStation Portable and the worldwide re ...

'' (2016; PS4, PS Vita) * '' Dark Rose Valkyrie'' (2016; PS4) * '' Sword Art Online: Alicization Lycoris'' (2020; PS4, Xbox One)

PC games

* '' Herald: An Interactive Period Drama'' (2017) * ''Namu Amida Butsu! -UTENA-'' (2019)

References

External links

Live2D homepage
{{Authority control Animation software Computer animation 2D animation software Motion capture Animation techniques Japanese inventions

History

Software

Live2D Ltd.

Software

Official marketplace

Third-party

Avatar software

Works using Live2D

Visual novels

Mobile games

Console games

PC games

See also

References

External links