Soulty's Yapping Corner

While waiting for Live2D Cubism 5.3 to officially come out, I’m creating a simple model for myself from scratch.

I’ve been meaning to design an outfit or theme related to isopods and space for a while now, but I didn’t have the time to make it happen. Add to that the fact that I haven’t done much designing for a while as it does take time for me to cook something up.

During my free time while working on a commission, I tried designing it in Krita.

Design Attempt #1

At first, the initial design felt “too much” and out of character, and I’ve completely forgot about the simplicity. I thought it would be a cool idea to use the isopod legs as hair that wraps around the body.

I didn’t even get around to designing the outfit because the hair was already so overwhelming. Not my brightest idea, considering how I’m going to separate and rig it in Live2D…

Design Attempt #2

I took a step back and let my ideas sit for a week or so, trying to revisit the concept of keeping the model simple.

By “simple,” I mean something that’s easy to make as a Live2D model, simple to rig, and also fanart-friendly. Nothing that would involve more than 300 layers. That kind of simple.

I went for a comfier vibe to contrast with my 5.0 model. I also think it’s a pretty clever idea, since isopods are nocturnal, which is totally me, for real.

Instead of attaching a separate antenna to the head like in the first attempt, I incorporated the antennas into the model’s bangs. My 5.0 model already has curtain bangs that flare outward, which gave me the idea to extend some strands to resemble isopod antennas.

Here’s what the work-in-progress looks like so far!

For rigging, I’ll be adding animations to the antenna-bangs to mimic how isopod antennas move in real life — from fast, wiggly motions to slow wiggles, and even lowering down when the model plays a sleeping idle animation. Certain animations can also be triggered by specific expressions, like when I get angry!

I’ve only finished rendering and separating the head parts, which usually have the most components in a Live2D model, but at least that part is done!

I’ll slowly start working on the body next, but I won’t be adding a nude base to the model, so it won’t be too complicated.

Other Plans

I’m planning to release a paid, low-res PSD file of my Live2D model for anyone who wants to study and learn from it. It’ll include PSDs with both simple and advanced separation methods, and will follow Live2D’s naming convention so people can see how things are made by someone who is both an artist and a rigger.

I think it’s a fun and helpful way for Live2D artists to learn from someone who actually draws and rigs these models. Hopefully it’ll make the process feel a little less intimidating!

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Thanks for reading through this little progress log! I’m excited to keep working on this model and share more updates as I go. Stay tuned for more!