BlogVTubing: where it came from, and how to run it in Studio
VTubing: where it came from, and how to run it in Studio
A short history of virtual YouTubers, then how to get a Live2D or PNG avatar onto a StreamChum Studio scene and go live to Twitch, YouTube, and Kick.
Takeaway
A VTuber is a person on camera, with a drawn or 3D avatar instead of their face. StreamChum Studio does not rig or track that model. You run an avatar app (VTube Studio is the common one), capture its window or virtual camera in Studio, chroma out the green or blue, then go live to Twitch, YouTube, and Kick in one click. Chat and mods stay in Live Center.
| Kind of avatar | What you run | What Studio captures |
|---|---|---|
| Live2D (most 2D VTubers) | VTube Studio or similar, with your .moc3 model | That window, or its virtual camera |
| PNGTuber | A talking/silent PNG switcher | The same: window or camera |
| 3D / VRM | VSeeFace, Warudo, or another 3D tracker | That window |
What people mean by VTuber
You are still the host. A webcam (or a phone) watches your face. Software moves a model: blinks, mouth, head tilt. Viewers see the character. The person talking is you. That is the whole trick.
A short history
People put avatars on YouTube before the word existed. Ami Yamato was posting 3D vlogs there by 2011. The name that stuck is Virtual YouTuber. Kizuna AI used it when she started posting on A.I.Channel in late November 2016. The character was a 3D host who talked like a YouTuber. Japan ran with it.
| When | What changed |
|---|---|
| 2016 | Kizuna AI popularizes Virtual YouTuber on YouTube |
| 2017 to 2018 | Agencies (Hololive, Nijisanji) sign talent and ship a lot of models |
| Around 2020 | English VTubers take off on Twitch as well as YouTube |
| 2021 | VTube Studio hits Steam, so indies can track a Live2D model on a PC without a studio |
Live2D (the Cubism tool) is why so many models look like anime stills that move. A rigger wires the art to your face. PNGTubers skip that: two or three drawings swap when you talk. 3D models (often VRM) are a different pile of software. Agencies still exist. Plenty of people run independent. The encoder does not care which you are.
Put the avatar on the Studio canvas
In Studio, add a Display or window source and pick the avatar app's window. Set that app's background to green or blue. Open the source, add a chroma filter, pick the same color. Place the result like a facecam: corner of the canvas, not full screen unless the whole show is just chatting.
- Window capture is the usual path. You see the model, you key the backdrop.
- If the avatar app exposes a virtual camera, add a Camera source and pick it instead.
- Studio's chroma filter is green or blue. Magenta backgrounds will not key cleanly. Change the avatar app to green or blue.
Ask Studio to place it, then go live
Once the window is on the PC, the Studio AI pane can lay the scene out: game full frame, avatar bottom-right, chat on the left. It will not invent a Live2D model. It places sources you already have, and it can create StreamChum overlays to match. Brand chat and alerts in Elements so the character and the widgets look like one show.
The avatar app stays running the whole stream. Studio encodes. Live Center is still the mod desk. Setup for the Windows app is in the Studio guide.
Studio is Windows. Tracking, models, and VTube Studio itself are a separate install. Studio does not ship Live2D.
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