Live2D Cubism
Industry standard software for rigging 2D VTuber avatars.
About
Live2D Cubism is the industry standard editor for rigging 2D illustrations into animatable avatars. Artists import layered Photoshop artwork and add deformers, meshes, and physics so flat characters can blink, talk, turn their heads with parallax, and sway with secondary motion.
Almost every professional 2D VTuber model is rigged in Cubism and then performed live in VTube Studio. Version 5.1 added AI assisted tools including automatic deformer generation and AI generated sway motion for hair and clothing. The editor runs on Windows and macOS with a free tier for learning and Pro plans for commercial production.
What it can do
- Deformer and mesh rigging for expressive 2D characters
- AI assisted deformer generation and sway motion
- Physics simulation for hair, clothing, and accessories
Setup
Download the Live2D Cubism Editor for Windows or macOS and import layered PSD artwork.
Prerequisites
Layered character artwork and basic familiarity with rigging concepts.
Use cases
Works with
Trust score — 8/10
Scored 8/10 (verified tier, metrics-v1). Evidence: Verified via vendor site/docs/GitHub and reputable coverage, wave 110; Trending score 78/100 from researcher assessment.
Sources
Every fact above was checked against these sources. Where a claim comes from the provider and couldn't be independently verified, the text says so.