To become a VTuber, you need a rigged avatar, either a 2D Live2D model or a 3D VRM model, software that animates it from your webcam or phone, a way to bring it into OBS with a transparent background, and written permission to use that character on a channel that earns money. The first three are technical and well documented by the software makers. The fourth decides whether you still control your character after a dispute with an artist, a change of rigger or a sponsor deal, so this guide gives it equal weight.
The sections follow the order the decisions depend on each other and finish with a commission checklist to send before you pay a deposit, plus a launch checklist. The copyright sections are general information, not legal advice.
Step one: choose a 2D or 3D model
The model type decides your software, your tracking and the files you receive, so settle it before you brief anyone. VTube Studio supports Live2D models only: its introduction and requirements page says VRoid/VRM and other 3D models are not supported and points 3D users to VSeeFace. Its page on getting models describes the usual 2D route as two commissions: an artist draws the character, then a Live2D rigger turns that art into a moving model.
For 3D, VSeeFace animates VRM avatars on 64-bit Windows and reads the older VRM0 standard, not VRM 1.0, so choose the VRM0 export when saving from VRoid Studio. VRoid Studio is pixiv's 3D character maker, and its guidelines allow exported models in live streams and paid appearances unless an item carries its own licence terms.
| Question | 2D Live2D model | 3D VRM model |
|---|---|---|
| App covered here | VTube Studio on Windows or macOS, with phone apps for tracking | VSeeFace, which runs on Windows only |
| How creators usually get one | Commission layered character art, then a separate rigger | Build it in VRoid Studio or commission a 3D artist |
| What the app actually loads | A runtime export folder: model3.json, .moc3, physics and texture files | A single VRM file, exported as VRM0 for VSeeFace |
| Where usage terms are recorded | Your agreement with the artist and rigger, or the seller's terms for a ready-made model | In your agreement and in licence fields inside the VRM file |
Tracking: webcam, iPhone or Android
VTube Studio's tracking comparison rates iOS as the smoothest option, says webcam tracking adds CPU load that a connected phone would otherwise carry, and notes some features are missing on Android. Its requirements page supports iPhones and iPads with Face ID or an A12 chip or newer, and for webcams recommends 1280x720 or above for eye and blink tracking, with 15 to 30 frames per second described as enough. VSeeFace tracks your face through an ordinary webcam and needs a Leap Motion device only for hand tracking. Two points from its FAQ are worth acting on:
- Light your face, not only your desk. Tracking can freeze when your screen is the main light source and the game on it is dark.
- Know where the camera image goes. Face tracking runs in a separate process, so the camera picture never appears in the VSeeFace window, and no tracking or camera data is sent online.
Pick your tracking source before commissioning, since the expressions a rigger builds should match what your tracker can detect. Testing the webcam and microphone themselves is covered in our streaming equipment guide for beginners.
Bring the avatar into OBS without a green screen
VTube Studio's recording and streaming page says never to use a green screen, because the app supports transparency directly. On Windows it recommends Spout2, which needs the Spout2 plugin built for your OBS version and keeps the app interface out of the capture; the fallback is an OBS Game Capture with the app's Transparent in capture option on. Mac users need a normal capture with a chroma key filter, or NDI.
VSeeFace has no chroma key mode. Add a Game Capture with Allow transparency ticked, then hide the interface with the small button in the lower-right corner, or use Spout2 or its virtual camera. OBS's Game Capture documentation describes Allow Transparency as the setting that stops a 3D program showing an opaque black background.
After capture, the rest is ordinary streaming: an account, a stream key, encoder settings and a test broadcast. Our guide on how to become a streamer covers that launch sequence, and the Twitch vs YouTube comparison for live streaming helps you decide where to debut.
Licences that apply once you start earning
The VTube Studio FAQ treats YouTube Super Chats and monetised Twitch as commercial use and says commercial use needs at least one paid version, a requirement it attributes to Live2D licensing. If you plan paid chat or memberships from day one, our guide to monetising YouTube live streams shows which features are involved. Check each tool and asset on your stream against its own terms:
| Tool or asset | What its terms say | Before a monetised stream | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| VTube Studio app | Commercial use needs a paid version; bigger companies need additional licensing under the EULA | Buy the Steam watermark add-on for webcam tracking, or PRO in the phone app | VTube Studio FAQ |
| VTube Studio mascot model | Test streams only, never commercial use, and no VTuber identity or channel built around her | Swap in your own model before the channel launches | VTube Studio licensing |
| Live2D sample models | Original Characters are usable commercially by individuals and small businesses under a sales threshold; Collaboration Characters are limited to non-commercial use | Read the terms on each character's download page first | Live2D Free Material License Agreement |
| VSeeFace app | Free to stream with, commercially too, if you do not modify the app or claim you made it | Nothing to buy; leave its credits and version information intact | VSeeFace |
| VRoid Studio exports | Usable for streams and paid appearances; items with special clauses and bought textures keep their own terms | Check every preset item and purchased texture for extra conditions | VRoid Studio Guidelines |
VRM files carry their own licence settings
A 3D model has a layer of terms a 2D model lacks: VRM stores licence settings inside the file. The VRM 1.0 meta specification sets defaults for empty fields: only the author may act as the avatar, only personal non-profit use is allowed, credit is required, and modification and redistribution are not permitted. The older VRM 0.x specification, which VSeeFace reads, has its own fields for who may perform with the avatar, commercial use and licence type. Before your debut, check each setting:
- Who may perform as the avatar. A file limited to the author, with the artist listed as author, does not license you to stream as that character.
- Commercial use. VRM 1.0 needs personal profit, or corporate use if you stream through a company; VRM 0.x needs Allow.
- Credit notation. Where credit is required, place it where your agreement says, such as your channel About section.
- Modification. New outfits or a second artist need a file that permits modification and an agreement that says the same.
- Redistribution. Keep it off unless you mean to share the model, so the file does not invite others to pass around a character built for one channel.
If the file and the agreement disagree, ask the artist to re-export with matching settings before launch.
Who owns a commissioned model
Paying for a model does not, on its own, make you the copyright owner. The US Copyright Office's Circular 30 on works made for hire says a commissioned work only counts as made for hire if it falls within one of nine listed categories, such as part of an audiovisual work, and both parties sign a written agreement saying so. A freelance character illustration may not fit those categories neatly, and section 204 of the US Copyright Act says a transfer of copyright is not valid unless it is in writing and signed by the owner. To own the model outright, ask for a signed assignment.
Australia starts from a similar place. Copyright Agency's ownership guide says the creator is generally the first owner unless they assigned copyright in advance, with exceptions for employees and for clients who commission a portrait, a private photograph, or a video or audio recording. The Arts Law Centre of Australia adds that an assignment only works in writing, signed by the copyright owner, and that the employment exception does not cover freelancers. Whether a stylised character counts as a portrait is a question for a lawyer, so put ownership in writing either way.
Australian creators also hold moral rights: to be credited, not to be falsely credited, and to object to derogatory treatment of their work. Arts Law explains these cannot be given away, though the creator can consent to acts that would otherwise infringe them, so get written consent to future edits if another artist may one day redraw an outfit.
Two more points shape the agreement. A 2D model is usually two works by two people, the illustration and the rig, and each needs its own rights clause. Your VTuber name is separate again: Arts Law lists names and titles among things copyright does not protect, and IP Australia explains that a trade mark can protect a business name or parts of a brand, with registration generally giving stronger protection.
Model commission checklist
Send these points to your artist and rigger before you pay a deposit, and keep the agreed version with your invoices. Most artists publish their own terms of service, so the aim is to compare both before work starts.
| Term | Agree in writing | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Deliverables | Layered artwork, the editable rig project, and the runtime export your app loads | Without source files, a different rigger cannot update the model later |
| Ownership or licence | A signed copyright assignment, or an exclusive licence listing every use you need | US and Australian rules generally leave copyright with a freelance creator unless a signed document moves it |
| Uses covered | Streams, clips, thumbnails, emotes, channel art, sponsored streams, merchandise and any later 3D version | A licence that only mentions streaming can block merch or a brand deal down the track |
| Edits by other artists | Permission for others to add outfits, expressions or toggles, plus moral rights consent | Australian integrity rights cover derogatory treatment, so written consent to edits avoids disputes |
| Credit | Exact wording and placement, and whether artist and rigger are credited separately | Attribution is a legal right for Australian creators and the default in VRM files |
| Portfolio and reveal | When the artist may post the finished model, and what stays confidential until debut | An early portfolio post can give away a debut you have been planning |
| Revisions | Rounds included at the sketch, colour and rigging stages, and what counts as a new request | Signed-off stages stop arguments about extra fees later |
| Payment | Deposit, milestones, currency, and what happens to money paid if either side cancels | Cancellation terms protect both sides if the project stalls |
| Platform attire rules | The default outfit meets the attire rules of every platform you plan to use | Twitch's Community Guidelines apply its attire policy to VTuber models and flag hip coverage as often forgotten |
| File licence settings | For VRM, the commercial use, avatar permission, credit and modification fields match the agreement | The licence stored in the file travels with every copy of it |
| Transfer of the character | Whether you may sell the character or let a company or agency operate it | An assignment and a licence leave you very different things to pass on |
VTuber setup checklist, in dependency order
- Pick 2D or 3D and the app that runs it, and confirm your computer suits it: VSeeFace needs Windows, VTube Studio runs on Windows or macOS.
- Choose a webcam, iPhone or Android as your tracking source before you brief a rigger.
- Brief the artist on your platforms' attire rules and the uses you need, then sign before any work begins.
- On delivery, tick off each deliverable from the checklist above, and for a VRM model read its licence fields.
- Load the model in your tracking app and run its auto-setup or calibration with your face evenly lit.
- Add the avatar to OBS through Spout2 or a Game Capture with transparency on.
- Test lip sync, blinking and expression hotkeys with the microphone and keyboard you will stream with.
- Buy any licence or watermark removal your app requires before the first monetised stream.
- Do a privacy pass: no webcam source in any scene, window captures locked to one app, nothing personal on screen.
- Add the agreed artist and rigger credits to your channel description and stream panels.
- Run a private or unlisted test broadcast, record it, and watch it back for tracking glitches.
- Back up the model folder, source files and signed agreement in two separate places.
Limits of this guide
This guide covers US and Australian copyright starting points only, as general information. Other countries set different defaults, and your own agreement can override any default described here. Software terms change too, so reread the current VTube Studio, Live2D, VSeeFace and VRoid Studio terms before you sign a commission or turn on monetisation. Nothing here can tell you whether a specific clause is enforceable: for an agreement involving significant money, a company or an agency, speak to a lawyer who works with copyright. Australian creators can start with the Arts Law Centre of Australia.