News
Live 2D Euclid Animation Software Brings 2D Characters to 3D Environments
posted on by Karen Ressler
Japanese technology news source DigInfo News began streaming a video introduction to software developer Live2D's new system "Live 2D Euclid" last week. The software allows animators to render a model into a 3-dimensional space, but keep the distinct look of a 2D drawing.
The original Live 2D system was released in 2009 and has since been used in over 100 commercial products. However, the original versions could only move the drawings 30 degrees horizontally, while the new Euclid system allows for 360-degree rotation in 3D environments.
The model is a hybrid: the body is created using normal 3D animation technology, but the face is created in Live 2D and can be edited separately, allowing for details that can't normally be retained in regular 3D models. Live 2D Inc. CEO Tetsuya Nakajo says his goal is to make a software that animates drawings "that couldn't easily be done by hand or in 3D, like the ink-drawing touches in the manga Vagabond."
The Euclid is still in the prototype stage and no official release date has been announced, but Live 2D is in talks with companies now that the software can be used. The company is aiming to make the software compatible with a number of gaming engines, like Unreal Engine, and to refine the technology so the models can be viewed from above and below, not just horizontally.
The video also demonstrates the software combined with the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset to "make it feel as if you're in a virtual space" with the character.
Source: Siliconera
