MikuMikuDance
Encyclopedia
, commonly abbreviated to MMD, is a freeware animation program that lets users animate and create 3D animation movies, originally produced for the movies of Vocaloid
Hatsune Miku
. The MikuMikuDance program itself was programmed by Yu Higuchi (HiguchiM) and has gone through significant upgrades since its creation. Its production was made as part of the VOCALOID Promotion Video Project (VPVP).
and users can make adjustments to any object within the virtual space provided by the software. Users can also use Microsoft's Kinect for motion capturing. Map shadowing, screenshot rendering and full movie rendering is also possible.
All content, including the 3D models, is distributed freely by the users and most of its additional content is produced by users with new models made by 3D modeling software. The software itself comes with a number of models based on the mascots of Crypton Future Media
Vocaloids. The software was originally only released in Japanese, however an English version was released at a later date. Videos using the software are regularly seen on sites such as Nico Nico Douga
and YouTube
and is popular among Vocaloid fans and users alike. A magazine which hands out exclusive models with every issue was also produced owing to this popularity. Some models for Vocaloid may also be used for Vocaloid music, going on to be used by studios working with the Vocaloid software.
Many people also buy Windows 100% magazines which give models exclusive to the public. These come out once every month and due to popularity, model creators are giving out secret models, as well as the models people have paid for. Most of these tend to be Vocaloid
or models that do not have a particular owner.
In May 2011, continual updating of the software came to an end and the last version was released. In a closing statement, the creator left the software in the hands of the fans to continue building upon.
All MMD users are expected to follow some basic guidelines;
Vocaloid
is a singing synthesizer application, with its signal processing part developed through a joint research project between the Pompeu Fabra University in Spain and Japan's Yamaha Corporation, who backed the development financially—and later developed the software into the commercial product...
Hatsune Miku
Hatsune Miku
is a singing synthesizer application with a female persona, developed by Crypton Future Media. It uses Yamaha Corporation's Vocaloid 2 synthesizing technology. The name of the character comes from a fusion of the Japanese for , and future , referring to her position as the first of Crypton's...
. The MikuMikuDance program itself was programmed by Yu Higuchi (HiguchiM) and has gone through significant upgrades since its creation. Its production was made as part of the VOCALOID Promotion Video Project (VPVP).
Overview
The software allows users to import 3D models into a virtual space that can be moved and animated accordingly. The expressions of the 3D figures can be easily altered and sound can be further added to create music videos. The 'motion data', created by animating the models can be exported and imported into other music videos made with the software and allows users to share the data with other users. The software also has its own physics enginePhysics engine
A physics engine is computer software that provides an approximate simulation of certain physical systems, such as rigid body dynamics , soft body dynamics, and fluid dynamics, of use in the domains of computer graphics, video games and film. Their main uses are in video games , in which case the...
and users can make adjustments to any object within the virtual space provided by the software. Users can also use Microsoft's Kinect for motion capturing. Map shadowing, screenshot rendering and full movie rendering is also possible.
All content, including the 3D models, is distributed freely by the users and most of its additional content is produced by users with new models made by 3D modeling software. The software itself comes with a number of models based on the mascots of Crypton Future Media
Crypton Future Media
, or Crypton, is a media company based in Sapporo, Japan. It develops, imports, and sells products for music, such as sound generator software, sampling CDs and DVDs, and sound effect and background music libraries...
Vocaloids. The software was originally only released in Japanese, however an English version was released at a later date. Videos using the software are regularly seen on sites such as Nico Nico Douga
Nico Nico Douga
is a popular video sharing website in Japan managed by Niwango, a subsidiary of Dwango. Its nickname is "Niconico" or "Nico-dō", where "nikoniko" is the Japanese ideophone for smiling. Nico Nico Douga is the thirteenth most visited website in Japan...
and YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
and is popular among Vocaloid fans and users alike. A magazine which hands out exclusive models with every issue was also produced owing to this popularity. Some models for Vocaloid may also be used for Vocaloid music, going on to be used by studios working with the Vocaloid software.
Many people also buy Windows 100% magazines which give models exclusive to the public. These come out once every month and due to popularity, model creators are giving out secret models, as well as the models people have paid for. Most of these tend to be Vocaloid
Vocaloid
is a singing synthesizer application, with its signal processing part developed through a joint research project between the Pompeu Fabra University in Spain and Japan's Yamaha Corporation, who backed the development financially—and later developed the software into the commercial product...
or models that do not have a particular owner.
In May 2011, continual updating of the software came to an end and the last version was released. In a closing statement, the creator left the software in the hands of the fans to continue building upon.
Copyright
The software was released as freeware. The models of the Vocaloid mascot series provided with the software are subject to each Vocaloid distributor's copyright agreement and are not allowed to be used without permission for commercial reasons. Although the software is distributed freely, models released independently of the software may not be — original produced models, motion data, and landscapes are subject to their owner's own terms of use. The program does not include all of the Vocaloid characters, but it includes Hatsune Miku, Kagamine Rin, Kagamine Len, Kaito, Meiko, Yowane Haku, and Akita Neru.Model Distributions and Concerns
The editing and distribution of models has been the most controversial when it comes to MikuMikuDance. Though the software is freeware, MMD models are not allowed to be freely distributed without permission of their owners, who impose some restrictions on the use and release of their models outside of their control. Some model producers only release via a "invitation-only" communities where access is restricted. Others are not part of a community but allow download from a blog or account, but will pull any model when users do not abide on the restrictions.All MMD users are expected to follow some basic guidelines;
- HiguchiM, the MMD platform author, does not own any MMD models.
- The default models except for Meiko Sakine and Akita Neru were created by Animasa. The default Meiko Sakine model was created by Kio. Both creators permit the edit and redistribution explicitly.
- HiguchiM does not guarantee the use of fanmade models. Only the default ones are guaranteed.
- The tacit rule among MMD creators is this. If a model author announces that he/she approves the edit and redistribution, you can do; if he/she does not announce, you may not do. In other words, if an author says nothing about the secondary processing, it means NO. You can do only what a creator says yes.