Soulty's Yapping Corner

Hey guys! I hope you’re all doing great!

I’m back with a huge update on my isopod-themed VTuber model. I haven’t posted in a while and this post has been in my drafts for months, but I’ve made a lot of progress while I’ve been busy behind the scenes.

Base Live2D Model

I’ve finished the base of the model, focusing only on the parts that will be visible. It took me less than a month (41h 23m according to Clip Studio Paint) to complete, not counting the days I didn’t work on it.

I normally draw Live2D models with a completely SFW nude base for possible outfit changes, but this method usually takes much longer to finish since I need to carefully layer the parts to prevent the base from showing through the clothing. It can take 4+ months to complete a model with a nude base, and even longer if the model has many features and toggles.

I’m honestly starting to prefer just drawing the necessary parts now that my rigging style is more polished and prepped for possible outfits and additional parts.

Hoodie

I created the hoodie separately instead of drawing it in the same Clip Studio Paint file as my model to avoid bloating the file, especially since I was also recording a timelapse for it. It also makes it less overwhelming when you’re browsing through the layers.

The hoodie is made opaque in the file, but it’s meant to have around 80-84% opacity, with an option to keep it fully opaque inside Live2D if ever I want to set it as a toggle.

To set up the semi-transparency, I decided to use Live2D’s new 5.3 features since I use nizima LIVE as my main VTubing app. Unfortunately, VTube Studio still doesn’t support these features, so I don’t recommend using them for now, especially for commissions.

Setting it up inside Live2D

These are the final results after fully setting up the parts in Live2D. I achieved the intended look for the hoodie: a solid silhouette of the model is visible underneath, rather than the base model’s colors showing through.

I had a lot of fun seeing the results using the new features!

Live2D Rigging Preview

I honestly forgot to mention that I’ve also finished the overall rigging for the model! It’s been THAT long, I know;;;

Here’s a preview of the rigging! I’m also using a version of the model without the hoodie on stream for the meantime as a pre-debut model, but I’m planning on doing a small debut stream for it once I’ve done some new overlays or graphics that fit this model’s theme.

There are some things I want to add in the future though, like arm toggles, additional expressions, and body lean. I want to add an arm toggle where the model is hugging a brown rectangular pillow, resembling isopod poop or “frass.”

Making this model has been a lot of fun. I originally put it together last October–November while waiting for Live2D 5.3 to officially release, which I needed for my 5.0 model.

Not gonna lie though, I’m starting to feel a bit detached from my 5.0 model in favor of my isopod-themed one, since the coloring and blending style I used there is the same approach I’d normally use for my personal illustrations. The 5.0 model has been using a base body I’ve made since 2023, so it’s pretty outdated in terms of parts separation, and rigging style.

I hope you enjoyed reading through this post!! I’ll probably talk more about future additions to the model next time.

For now, catch me on Twitch or YouTube whenever I stream commissioned works if you want to see how VTuber models are rigged!