Virtual YouTuber Model

A virtual YouTuber model, or vtuber model for short, is a virtual avatar through which a person publishes their content online and presents themselves to viewers as a fictional character. The identity of the person behind the virtual model is anonymous, which means that viewers know the person through the virtual fictional character in whose name they publish. Through research of various articles and gathering different information, she will present the history of virtual YouTubers, and through the use of surveys and interviews, she will present the virtual YouTuber industry, the challenges YouTubers face, and the general mental health in the industry. Whilst writing the diploma thesis and working through the project processes, she discovered that the programme, which is considered demanding, is actually not so demanding to use once you work out how to use it.

Problem

A virtual YouTuber model, or vtuber model for short, is a virtual avatar through which a person publishes their content online and presents themselves to viewers as a fictional character. The identity of the person behind the virtual model is anonymous, which means that viewers know the person through the virtual fictional character in whose name they publish. For her diploma thesis, she decided to design her own AshieWolfe brand mascot as a virtual YouTuber model and present the world of virtual YouTubers.

The first part of the diploma thesis is theoretical, in which she will present who virtual YouTubers are, what they do, and how to become a virtual YouTuber. She will present different types of virtual models and the equipment needed for their design and use.

Solution and Method

Through research of various articles and gathering different information, she will present the history of virtual YouTubers, and through the use of surveys and interviews, she will present the virtual YouTuber industry, the challenges YouTubers face, and the general mental health in the industry. The second part of the diploma thesis is practical, in which she will present the entire process of designing a virtual YouTuber model. She will present how the AshieWolfe brand mascot was created and what decisions were made regarding its appearance.

She had to decide which software to use for designing, animating, and testing the model. The programmes she used for the work were Adobe Photoshop, Live2D Cubism, and VTube Studio. She began the design process by choosing the style in which the virtual model would be designed, followed by a sketch.

She drew this sketch in Adobe Photoshop and appropriately cut up all the body parts that would move. After designing the model, its animation in Live2D Cubism followed, which she did not know whether she would succeed in. After completing the animation, the model was ready for testing.

She carried out testing in the popular VTube Studio programme, designed specifically for such models. In this programme, she further adjusted the final details of the model's movements, and the project was completed.

Results

Whilst writing the diploma thesis and working through the project processes, she discovered that the programme, which is considered demanding, is actually not so demanding to use once you work out how to use it. She also discovered how a seemingly fun industry and people's criticism can greatly affect the mental health of a person engaged in the creative work of content creation.