Create your own 2D avatar
To start creating your own 2D avatar you will need the Live2D Cubism editor. You can download the Live2D Cubism editor for free from here. Live2D offers a 42 day free trial of the PRO version to everyone who installs their editor. After the 42 days ends, the PRO version automatically switches to the FREE version, unless you decide to upgrade (at which point you will need to enter in your credit card information).
Live2D is an external partner. Learn more about their software and products here and learn more about the differences between the basic and PRO licenses here.
The Cubism editor requires .psd format files, so you need to create your model in a software that is able to export this format (Photoshop, Krita, Gimp etc).
Here you can find a list of very useful mini-tutorials that will guide you when working in Cubism. There is also a written manual for it here. We find the guides very useful and often refer to them ourselves!
Start with this tutorial to prepare the files needed for Cubism. Read the rules for creating PSD for import.
Most important rule:
For example, an eye needs to have multiple layers: upper eyelid, lower eyelid, iris, pupil, etc. It is easier to animate each part independently, so you can isolate issues to a single part if they occur, without affecting the whole geometry all at once.
All the textures of the model are on the Texture Atlas and they can be edited/replaced within Cubism. See more about it here.
Once your model is complete in Cubism, you will export the files in the *.moc3 format for the Animaze Editor.
In Cubism editor go to File, choose Export For Runtime and select Export as moc3 file.
This action will generate the files needed to import your model in Animaze Editor.
Tip: To create the normal map and specular you need to modify the initial 2D elements created in Photoshop and re-import them in Cubism, overwriting the diffuse texture, but saving it as a different file. This way you keep the animations and change only the source 2D elements.
