This article is the 21st entry for the VTuber Tech #1 Advent Calendar 2018.
Introduction
If you are creating 3D avatars for VTuber or VRChat, you might be using VRoid Studio. I've started learning it myself and found this tutorial helpful: sleepfreaks Movie Site | How to Use VRoid Studio. They mention using Fluid Browser for image transparency on Mac, so I looked for a Windows alternative.
What is VRoid Studio?
VRoid Studio is a PC application for creating humanoid 3D character models. Even without artistic skill, I can make cute characters with it. It's offered for free by pixiv. Check it out here: pixiv | VRoid Studio. For detailed tutorials, this article might be helpful: Creating Characters with VRoid. The official site also provides many resources: VRoid Studio Tips and Techniques.
Making Windows Transparent
Suppose you want to model a face using reference images. Open a face image in Windows 10's Photos app.
Then open VRoid Studio in another window.
By setting the transparency of VRoid Studio to 50%, it looks like this:
With layered reference images, you can trace the model, making the task easier, a technique known as trace modeling.
Using Glass2k for Transparency
There are various ways to create transparent windows, but I'll introduce Glass2k, the only free software I found for Windows 10. On Mac, you could use Afloat.
Visit the official site: Glass2k : Chime Softwares (English site). Click Glass2k - Beta Version 0.9.2: 54 kb under the Download >> section to get Glass2k.exe.
Since it's an EXE file, run a virus scan to be safe. Double-click Glass2k.exe to open this window:
Ensure Transparency Popup: Right Click: is set to + Alt, save, and close.
Launch VRoid Studio. With its window active, press Alt + right-click.
You'll see this dialog:
Select a transparency level like 50%, and the Photos app behind becomes visible. You've successfully made the VRoid Studio window transparent!
Disabling Window Transparency
To disable, repeat Alt + right-click and select No Glass-Effect from the dialog.
Auto-Starting Glass2k
Closing Glass2k with a PC shutdown requires a startup entry for auto-start on next boot.
Copy Glass2k.exe to this folder for automatic startup:
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
Conclusion
After a few tweaks, here’s what I've achieved. I've aligned facial contours and eye positions more closely.
I plan to fine-tune the eye shapes and more.
Reference Sites
These sites were helpful:
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