What Live2D Cubism is
Live2D is a 2D real-time expression technology from Japan’s Live2D Inc., and Live2D Cubism is its companion software for animating original two-dimensional artwork. The vendor describes Cubism as “software that directly animates your original drawings”: the artwork is modeled and rigged with parameters, and combinations of those parameters drive a character’s motions and expressions without frame-by-frame drawing. The company calls the technology an industry standard for 2D real-time expression, used in mobile and console games, VTuber streaming, and animation — a vendor characterization. The official site is live2d.com.
Usage and boundaries
The core tool is Cubism Editor, in FREE and PRO versions: PRO can be tried for 42 days, after which it continues as the FREE version, with the feature differences laid out on the official comparison page. For developers, the official Cubism SDK ships for Unity, Native, Web, Java, Unreal Engine, and Cocos Creator, embedding Live2D models in apps and games. Around the software, the company operates nizima (a model marketplace), nizima LIVE (face tracking for VTubers), and Live2D JUKU (a learning subscription).
As a boundary, Live2D drives 2D characters in real time: it does not generate the artwork itself, and rigging quality depends on how the source art is layered and parameterized. Using a model in commercial work also requires the respective rights from the illustrator and the rigger.
Discussion in the show
In Weekly #003’s chapter ““没有幻觉”不等于判断正确” (“‘No hallucination’ is not the same as being correct”), Orange explained the idea of Live2D while describing a demo built on Jev: he described Live2D as parameters that define a character’s motions and expressions, and said the model in the demo could generate a set of parameters from a single sentence — “smile” — to animate the Live2D character immediately. There, Live2D appears as the demo target for Jev’s parameter generation, not as a review of Cubism itself.
Frequently asked questions
What is Live2D?
Live2D is a technology and software system that brings original 2D artwork to life in real time: the art is modeled and rigged with parameters, and parameter combinations drive motions and expressions, commonly seen in games, VTuber streaming, and animation. The companion software is Live2D Cubism.
Is Live2D Cubism free?
Cubism Editor comes in FREE and PRO versions: PRO can be tried for 42 days, after which it continues as the FREE version; PRO adds more features, as detailed in the official version comparison.
Where do I download Live2D Cubism?
The official download page is live2d.com/en/cubism/download/editor/, which covers the FREE/PRO editor; SDKs are distributed through the official developer pages.
What is Live2D used for?
Officially listed scenarios include mobile and console games, VTuber streaming, and animation production; embedding models in apps uses the official SDKs (Unity, Web, Unreal Engine, and more).
Where can Live2D models be obtained or sold?
nizima, operated by Live2D Inc., is the official marketplace for Live2D models; the rights between illustrators and riggers need to be confirmed under the platform’s rules.