VTuber
Setup Guide
beginner's tutorial
The Quick Setup will get you ready in just a few minutes, but I highly recommend reading through every section of this page to get more comfortable with the functions of VTube Studio! This guide will help you improve the quality of your face tracking, and give you the know-how to set up whatever fun props and interactions you can think of.
For more detail, find the official VTube Studio documentation here.
Newbie glossary
VTube Studio: The tracking software that captures your face and turns it into character motion
Model/Rig/Avatar: The character you pilot
Plugin: 3rd party software that connects with VTube Studio, allowing you to interact with your rig in new ways.
Physics: Indirect movement that is tied to a specific action, or catalyst. Hair only bounces when the model’s head moves a certain way, etc. You don’t have direct control over physics, it just happens as a result of your movement.
Expression: An on/off toggle for your model that overrides the facial tracking, triggered by a hotkey. This could be a facial expression, an outfit swap, or even a full body pose. Any static change that relies on you pressing a button to switch it on and off.
Animation: An animated sequence that overrides the facial tracking, triggered by a hotkey. It does not need to be switched off; when it ends, the model goes back to normal and tracking resumes.
Animated Expression: An animation triggered by a hotkey, but stays on the final frame, like an expression. It must be switched off by the pilot.
Idle: A constant looping animation that plays the entire time your model is active (even if it’s tied to a prop or expression that isn’t always visible).
Prop: A term I specifically use for items baked into the rig. These objects are attached to the model, and may be rigged so that the model can interact with them in direct, unique ways.
Item: A static object that is added to the character in VTube Studio. They can be detailed and animated, but can’t interact with the rig directly.
Quick 5 Step Setup
-
Download files and software.
-
Download your Character.zip file from Bilvy.
-
Install the free VTube Studio (VTS) app through Steam.
-
-
Import your model into VTS.
-
Extract the Character.zip file to get your /Character root folder.
-
Locate the /Live2DModels data folder and place your /Character folder inside.
-
Select your character from the VTS model menu (may require refreshing)
-
-
Set up camera and tracking settings.
-
If you're using a webcam, configure your camera in the Camera settings submenu.
-
Be sure to click “CAMERA ON” to start tracking, and enable the “Autostart” toggle so it runs automatically.
-
Scroll further down to set your tracking sensitivity. The default 50% works well most of the time, so try playing around with your model before making any changes. These sliders are the only adjustments you should make to your model, unless you are very familiar with VTS and Live2D parameters.
NOTE: If you intend on using an iOS camera for better tracking and mouth forms, you can skip this step and scroll down to the iPhone Setup Guide instead.
-
-
Configure your expression hotkeys.
-
Select the clapper board to find the Hotkey settings submenu. Your expressions have been set up for you, but you’ll need to assign keystrokes for them here.
NOTE: If you’re using an Elgato Stream Deck, this step is optional. Simply install the VTube Studio plugin and you can select your hotkeys from a drop down list instead of relying on keystroke combinations.
See the Plugins chapter for more information about connecting plugins to VTS.
-
- Capture in OBS.
- METHOD 1: Background colour
-
Windows Setup:
- From the main menu, open the Backgrounds menu (green picture frame) and select the ColorPicker option.
-
Choose a background colour which is similar to the outline of your model (a thin edge may be visible around your model), and enable Transparent In Capture.
-
In OBS, create a new Game Capture source and select the VTube Studio window. Enable Transparency in the source properties and you’re ready to capture!
-
Mac Setup:
-
From the main menu, open the Backgrounds menu (green picture frame) and select the ColorPicker option.
-
Since SyphonInject is still broken in Mac OBS, we need to green screen the VTS window. Choose a vibrant background colour not present on your model.
-
In OBS, create a new Window Capture source and select the VTube Studio window.
-
Right click on your new source and select the Filters menu. Under the Effect section, click the + sign to add a new Chroma Key filter.
-
For best results, select the Custom colour option and copy over the hex code from the colour you chose in VTS.
-
Adjust the Smoothness and Similarity sliders to fine tune the key selection.
-
-
- METHOD 2: NDI Plugin
- The NDI (Network Device Interface) plugin makes it possible to capture the VTS window transparency on both Windows and Mac, and even removes the app menus from capture. See the VTS Documentation on how to set up NDI.
- The NDI (Network Device Interface) plugin makes it possible to capture the VTS window transparency on both Windows and Mac, and even removes the app menus from capture. See the VTS Documentation on how to set up NDI.
- METHOD 1: Background colour
(Hover over images to zoom)
enjoy streaming!
keep reading to learn more about vtube studio and customising your setup
VTube studio - menus
Main Menu:
👤Model Selection
↗️Take screenshot
🖼Background Selection
⭐️Items
✨Item scenes
🔒Lock model position
⭐️Lock item positions
⚙️Settings
🔧Browse Steam Workshop (in VTS)
📝Show session logs
Settings Menu:
⚙️VTube Studio Settings
📷Camera Settings
👤Model Settings
🎬Hotkeys
VTube studio - settings
⚙️ General Settings
-
General app configuration
-
Open Data Folder
-
This is where you’ll import custom models and assets to use in VTS.
-
-
Connection Settings (WiFi/USB)
-
This allows you to connect to the VTS mobile app, so you can use your phone camera instead of a webcam.
-
-
Plugins
-
Enable “Start API” to be able to run plugins (like the Stream Deck plugin). You can also view any custom parameters created by a plugin here.
-
-
Mouse Input
-
Adjust the screen bounds to accurately track your cursor. Used for parameters that are controlled by your mouse position (i.e. model hand movements and drawing arms)
-
-
Twitch Settings
-
Connect your Twitch account so emotes used in chat will bounce onto your model.
-
📷 Camera Settings
-
Webcam setup and config
-
Tracking settings
-
Quality and Effects (Resolution and Framerate)
-
Display Lighting
-
Give your model custom lighting, or let them be lit according to your screen colours (learn more about lighting here)
-
-
Virtual Webcam
-
Record Live2D Animation
-
Used by riggers to create animations within VTS.
-
👤Model Settings
-
Model Profile
-
Edit name, icon, set idle animation.
-
-
Auto Setup
-
A handy “reset all” button in case we fuck up the parameter settings and want to get everything back to default.
-
-
Send Model To Phone
-
An easy way to transfer your model files to your phone if you want to play with the VTS mobile app.
-
-
Movement Config
-
Enabling this will move your whole model around the screen depending on the position (not angle) of your face in the camera view. I always switch this off because it doesn’t feel natural to have the model float around.
-
-
Physics Settings
-
Adjust the intensity of your model’s bounciness, as well as wind (idle physics) and drag (when you move them around the screen) physics.
-
-
Parameter List
-
It’s not recommended you touch these unless you are very familiar with your model’s Live2D parameters and how these inputs work.
-
Input: Select the IRL movement to track (eye movement, face angle, mouse input, etc)
-
Output: Select the model’s parameter that will be affected by the above input
-
Auto-Blinking: Overrides the Input to trigger the Output on a frequent, random basis.
-
Auto-Breathing: Overrides the Input and animates the Output at a constant pace.
-
IN: The sensitivity of the Input tracking.
-
OUT: The sensitivity of the Output range.
-
-
To learn how to fine tune these details for optimal tracking, see the official Documentation for a detailed guide.
-
🎬Hotkeys
-
Hotkey Settings
-
Use Keyboard Hotkeys: Allows you to use keystrokes to trigger hotkeys
-
Use Screen Buttons: Displays up to 9 hotkeys as a circle on the right side of the VTS screen.
-
Send hotkeys to PC: Allows the PC to recognise your hotkey keystrokes even when VTS is minimised.
-
-
Expression Editor
-
A super fun screen where you can make your own toggles!! This opens an editor window where you can see all of your model’s parameters (FaceX, MouthOpen, EyeOpen, BrowForm etc) and adjust the sliders to create expressions.
-
Note: Expressions override tracking. If you create a toggle where your model’s head is down, it will remain in that position while that toggle is active, regardless of where you look IRL. This can be a great way to set “angry” or “laughing” etc expressions, to keep your model looking a certain way even when your face does not.
-
-
Hotkeys
-
Scroll to the very bottom of the page (fast travel by clicking the down arrow) to find the (+) to add a new hotkey.
-
Be sure to name your hotkeys to stay organised.
-
Hotkey Action: Choose what you want to trigger. This can be as simple as an expression toggle, playing an animation, or completely swapping out models and changing the background style.
-
Animation: This button will change depending on the above selection. If you choose animation, it will give you a list of all the animation files found in your /Character root folder. If something is not showing up, you may need to update this folder in the /Live2DModels data folder.
-
Key Combination: Set a keystroke that will trigger this hotkey.
-
Gesture Trigger: If you have Hand Tracking enabled (Webcams only), choose a hand gesture that will trigger this hotkey.
-
Fade For Sec: Default is 0.5 secs. Decrease this number to make the hotkey trigger faster, and increase it to make the hotkey fade in more slowly. A faster fade can be helpful to avoid clipping issues when switching poses, while a slower fade can make a toggle feel more animated.
-
Stop After Sec: Set the hotkey to automatically switch off after x seconds.
-
Stop On Last Frame: Enabling this will hold animations on the final frame instead of reverting back to the default pose, creating an animated expression.
-
Screen Button Hotkey: If Screen Buttons are enabled, this is where you select the number and colour of the button.
-
-
improved facial tracking
Webcam vs iPhone Tracking
Webcam:
-
Accessible
-
Easy and fast to set up
-
Reads hand tracking
-
3x3 Mouth forms
iOS (iPhones and iPads with FaceID):
-
Smoother, more responsive tracking
-
Better winking and blinking
-
Reads puffed cheeks
-
Reads Mouth X (side to side pout)
-
Reads Tongue Out
-
5x5 Mouth forms
It’s no secret that I’m a slut for iOS tracking, but the coolest part is that you can have BOTH!
If you want the superior tracking of an iPhone camera, but you want to be able to trigger hotkeys with hand movements or even have a model that tracks hands (not by meeee lmaooooooooo that shit looks so difficult💀), you can set up a webcam to ONLY read your Hands, while your iPhone does the rest of the work. Read on for the iphone setup guide!
iPhone Setup Guide
* Tracking with your phone will drain the battery considerably, even if you have Streaming Mode enabled. Be sure to keep your phone connected while you use it.
* Tracking only works while the app is open, so checking messages or even opening the notification centre will disrupt the feed and pause your model.
* Indefinite iOS tracking costs $20 (once-off) for a licence of VTS Pro. The free version has a time limit of 5 minutes before the feed is disrupted, but this means you can still test it out and see if you like how it works with your setup before purchasing. An amazing deal imo.
* Any changes made in the “Camera Settings” submenu will not cross over between phone and PC. You will need to readjust the Tracking sensitivity sliders on your iPhone as needed.
Onto the setup!
-
Download VTube Studio for free on the app store.
-
Connect your PC and mobile over WiFi or USB.
-
WiFi:
-
Both devices must be on the same wifi network!
-
On both devices, open the General Settings and find the WiFi settings (“Connection Settings” on PC and “Stream To PC” on mobile)
-
On PC, click “Show IP List” and copy the IPv4 number into the IP field on mobile. Ensure the Port number also matches.
-
Enable “Start server” on PC then “Connect to PC” on mobile.
-
-
USB:
-
Connect your Phone to your PC via USB cable. Ensure your phone “trusts” the computer.
-
On both devices, open the General Settings and find the USB settings.
-
Enable the “Connect USB” toggle on mobile, then the same toggle on PC.
-
A window should pop up and you can select your phone from the list.
-
-
-
Use an iPhone stand or gooseneck mount to position your phone squarely in front of your face. I use a gooseneck so I can reposition it easily around my desk, but any kind of stand/mount will do.
Already obsessed with the improved mouth forms and facial tracking of an iPhone and want to take it even further? Click here to learn about the VBridger plugin.
VTube Studio Items
VTube Studio has a large range of items built into the app, plus a Steam Workshop page for browsing user made items. Some creators also share their custom items on Twitter, Itch, and Kofi.
Items can be PNGs, GIFs, or Live2D files that sit either behind or in front of your model. They can pin to your model, or float freely in the scene.
Using Items
-
Open the Items menu to browse the list and pick an item.
-
In the following pop up, use the slider to position the item either above or behind your model.
-
ITEM PINNING:
-
Enable “Pin item to Live2D model” to make the item stick to your character.
-
Click and drag the item around the screen to move it. It will pin to wherever your cursor lands over the model, with your cursor as the anchor point.
-
Reposition an item as needed by clicking and dragging it again. If you want to avoid accidentally moving it, double click the item to lock it in place.
-
-
NAVIGATION:
-
Resize items by hovering over them and scrolling the mouse wheel.
-
Rotate items by hovering over them, holding CTRL, and scrolling the mouse wheel.
-
Remove an item by clicking and dragging it to the bottom right corner of the screen until a trash can appears. To remove locked items, open the Items menu and select “Remove all items from scene”
-
Adding Custom Items
To import your own items or add ones you’ve downloaded online, open the general settings menu to easily access the VTS data folder. Simply move your PNG, GIF, or Folder into the Items folder, and it should instantly appear in VTube Studio.
NOTE: You can also add custom backgrounds by dragging a PNG, JPG, or MP4 into the Backgrounds folder!
Trigger Items with Hotkeys
We cannot hotkey individual items, but rather Item Scenes. You can add multiple items to an Item Scene, and Item Scenes work across all your models.
-
The item must be positioned correctly BEFORE you add it to an Item Scene.
-
Open the Item Scenes menu, create a new scene, and give it a name.
-
Any open items should appear in the list of Included Items.
-
Click an item to add/remove it.
-
A blue highlight means they are included, and will appear when this scene is triggered.
-
If your item is pinned to a model, it will only appear when that model is active. This way you can use the same “Blanket” etc Item Scene for all of your models, with items pinned accordingly to the different characters.
-
If your item is not pinned to a model, it will appear in that same screen position regardless of which model is active.
-
-
If you want to update the position of an item, you will need to open the Item Scene and disable it from the list, reposition it, then add it again.
Then, we can trigger your Item Scene like any other hotkey.
-
Open the hotkey menu in the settings page, and scroll down to the (+) to add a new hotkey.
-
In the “Hotkey Action” menu, scroll down to the “Toggle Item Scene” option.
-
In the “Animation” menu, select the desired Item Scene.
-
Add a key combination if you wish to manually trigger the hotkey.
-
There is now a “Random Item In Scene” button under the Hotkey Settings. Enabling this will only trigger ONE of the items in that Item Scene at random.
-
i.e. My “hydrate reminder” redemption on Twitch triggers my “Drinks” Item Scene, which randomly picks one of a dozen beverages to give my model.
-
twitch integration
Trigger Hotkeys with Twitch Chat
With our hotkeys set up, we can now let chat access them and wreak havoc on our model!! We’ll need a plugin to make this work, but there are plenty to choose from and it’s easy to set up.
-
Choose any VTube Studio plugin that lets you trigger hotkeys (view the list here). They all operate slightly differently, but the setup is mostly the same. For simplicity, I’ll be using VTS React.
-
Open VTube Studio’s general settings, find the Plugins section, and ensure “Start API” is enabled.
-
On the plugin webpage, connect your Twitch broadcaster account, then connect to VTube Studio. Some plugins connect automatically, while others require you to click a “Connect” button.
-
A window will pop up in VTube Studio, make sure you hit “Allow” to complete the connection.
-
The plugin will now be able to read your models and their available hotkeys! Each plugin operates differently here, and some give you more control than others. VTS React is very bare bones, but it connects reliably every time.
-
You’ll see a list of pre-made options like Follower, Subscriber, Raid etc. Choose a hotkey from the drop down menu and that hotkey will be triggered on the specified event, or select DISABLED for nothing to happen. My VTuber waves at new followers and blows a kiss to subscribers!
-
Click “Add Reaction” to create your own event.
-
Twitch Redeem will create a new channel points reward on your channel. After creating it here, you’ll need to go to your Twitch Dashboard > Viewer Rewards > Channel Points > Manage Rewards (conveniently linked in the pop up) to enable the reward and customise the description & icon.
You cannot change the Reward Name on Twitch or it will disconnect from VTS React.
-
You can also trigger hotkeys from bits, subscriptions, gift subs, followers, raids, and Streamlabs tips (requires Streamlabs account connection).
-
-
After adding a hotkey to your event, you’ll also have the option to revert the expression. For toggles like expressions and items, this means they’ll switch off automatically after a certain amount of time and you don’t have to worry about disabling them manually.
-
Remember “Stop After Sec” in the hotkey settings? It’s the same as that. If your hotkey has “Stop After Sec” enabled, you don’t need to worry about setting up “Revert Expression” through the plugin, as it’s already set up to turn itself off.
-
VTS React only reads the active model, and will require you to set up new events for each model that you might switch to. Other plugins like Cheers Bot allow you to trigger model swaps as well as hotkeys, and will remember the hotkeys across all your various models.
more interactive plugins
For all plugins, you will need to enable VTube Studio’s API, which can be found in the general settings menu. When connecting a plugin for the first time, be sure to accept the pop up which requests access to VTube Studio.
VNet - VTube Studio Collaboration DLC
Price: $20 USD
Platform: Windows and Mac
Download: Steam
VTube Studio has released official DLC for collaborating with other VTubers! Having this DLC allows you to display and interact with other people's models within your own VTS window, so you can capture up to four VTubers at once.
VTS P.O.G.
Price: $15 USD
Platform: Windows Only
Download: Itch.io
VTS P.O.G. lets you and chat trigger text-to-speech (TTS) in VTube Studio, using redemptions, bits, or a chat command. The TTS function cannot override your main mouth movement, so it requires a second character or “pet” in the scene.
See it in action (0:53)
Setup Tutorial
Twitch Integrated Throwing System (T.I.T.S.)
Price: $15 USD
Platform: Windows Only
Download: Itch.io
T.I.T.S. is the go-to system for chucking shit at your model. I’ve completely replaced my bitcup in place of T.I.T.S. for all its interactivity! You can throw PNGs, GIFs, as well as 3D objects (FBX) and set your own sound effects (MP3) for when things collide. There’s a great range of items already included, and plenty of throwable item creators on Twitter, Discord, and Kofi.
You can connect throwables to Channel point redemptions, chat messages, chat commands, followers, subscriptions, gifts, bits, raids, and even hotkeys, and customise the weight, size, behaviour, and throwing arc of individual objects.
See it in action
Setup Tutorial
Nyarupad Controller Tracking
Price: Free
Platform: Windows Only
Download: Itch.io
Nyarupad is an easy to use .exe that adds controller inputs to VTube Studio. If you’ve commissioned a game controller from me, I will have these inputs set up for you already, but it’s good to know how to change them if you ever want to customise the button presses.
To customise the inputs:
-
Ensure Nyarupad.exe is running and connected to VTube Studio
-
Open the Model Settings menu and filter the controller parameters by typing “NP” into the search bar.
-
Find the model’s controller motion you want to change (R Trigger, L Stick, etc) and open the INPUT options.
-
NOTE: Only change the “INPUT” section, which is the IRL button you will press on your controller to trigger the model’s movement.
-
NOTE: Left and right are labelled according to the character’s left and right.
-
-
Type “NP” in the search bar to filter out irrelevant parameters, and select the desired input using the Nyarupad window (pictured below) as a guide.
See it in action
VBridger Face Tracking Plugin
Price: $9.99 USD
Platform: Windows Only
Download: Steam
VBridger is a facial tracking plugin that tracks additional parameters to make better use of the iOS AR camera. The biggest benefit of VBridger are its new mouth forms: Jaw Open (allowing you to chew with your mouth closed, or bare your teeth with your lips apart), Mouth Pucker, Widen, Lip press, and Funnel.
Now, my current range of models don’t have VBridger forms included, but say the word and we can add it on!
See it in action
Spud Drawing Arm
Price: Free
Platform: Windows Only
Download: Itch.io
Spud is a totally customisable set of drawing hands that track to your cursor's position on the screen. It comes in two parts: The arm, which is kind of like a glorified full-screen cursor, and the Tablet, which has a smaller moving hand to make it look like your model is working the pen. You can use one or the other, or both at once!
Downloading the Spud drawing arm not only gives you ready-to-stream assets, but also a PSD template with guides on how to design your own custom arm and tablet.
The Arm
Credit: _ranituran
The Tablet
Credit: Kellodrawsalot
I hope this page was helpful and not too overwhelming!! If there's anything you're still left wondering about, or you encounter any issues and need some help, don't hesitate to reach out! I can always edit and add on to this page as needed 💫