Getting Started with MMD…
So … you saw some cool MMD videos on YouTube … you found your way to LearnMMD.com to download
MikuMikuDance comes with no instructions… you are on your own… THAT’s why we operate LearnMMD.com… to BE the instructions for MMD!
| Editors Note 10/26/2015: The VPVP page recommends that you download and install:Regular MikuMikuDance (32-Bit) If cannot move, please install following runtime package. ・Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Redistributable Package ・Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable Package ・DirectX End-User Runtime 64-Bit MikuMikuDance It is critically important to have those packages installed in your system. MMD will not run properly without them, and will not accept higher versions of the same as a proper replacement¹. The majority of comments asking for help about MMD acting wrong will be countered with “Have you DirectX and MS Visual C++ runtimes installed?” inquiry, and more likely than not, resolving these will resolve your problem as well. ¹ The above does not mean you have to rollback higher versions of these libraries (that you most probably have) in favor of more obsolete ones. Runtime packages are products specifically designed to be able for all versions to coexist on the same machine. |
Now what?
MikuMikuDance comes with no instructions; there is no “Help” menu… How do you get from that empty control panel (the GUI, graphic user interface) of MMD to a finished video on YouTube?
Let’s cover some basic info …
MikuMikuDance is a free 3D Animation software for the PC … a modern DirectX “game” … without the game! MMD is like a toolbox packed with modern digital equipment. It’s your job to learn to access the many tools … both visible and hidden … to create the animations and videos you can “see” in your mind’s eye.
MMD is free: “no charge” … and free: “the sky’s the limit” as to what you can create with it … you have complete freedom! …
Freedom Within Limits …
MikuMikuDance is an art program “given to us” by Yu Higuchi, one of the leading 3D program developers of Vocaloid characters on Nico Nico Douga. MMD was developed as a promotional tool to sell the Yamaha/Sony/Sega VOCALOID products. The MikuMikuDance program,
The characters (the dance models), and the props and accessories included with your download are free to use … copyright-free. No music is included with your MikuMikuDance download; you have to add your own tunes!
COPYRIGHT ownership is an issue. Everything included in your original download is yours to use. ANYTHING else you download for your use probably belongs to someone else. There are thousands of MMD models and tens of thousands of accessories available for download. You may find a few items “for sale” online … but 99.9% of everything is a free download. Each model or item is created by an artist who wants credit for what they have created. Most things you download will include a ReadMe.txt file in which the artist gives her permissions … lets you know if you can make changes to her model, if you have permission to redistribute her model, that kind of thing. Often, that ReadMe file is in Japanese. You are still responsible for the content of the ReadMe. Learn how to translate Japanese ReadMe.txt files into English.
MUSIC is generally copyright-protected …
… but you can usually get away with it!
There are tons of music files available for download … many were created by MMDers using
Getting Started with MMD…
Finally … here we go!
There are basically THREE WAYS to use MikuMikuDance:
- Create animations from scratch.
- Create animations by downloading motions and music files.
- Create comics, art images and pictures.
For “instant gratification” and to quickly see what MikuMikuDance can do, start with that second item, first:
Create animations by downloading motions and music files
LearnMMD.com has several articles written to help MMD newbies with doing MMD Memes
easy to do and stupid fun to watch. There are a ton of these on YouTube … just search YouTube for MMD Happy Hands.
I recently wrote another article about downloading files for an MMD music video. Making these videos is quick, easy, and fun. You get fast results!
Search LearnMMD for PROJECT to see many article featuring downloads and creative ideas. ALSO see our “The Making Of” articles.
Create animations from scratch
Now you are asking for it! The power of MikuMikuDance lies in its ability to create
Create comics, art images and pictures.
Use MMD as a tool for assembling 3D models to make pictures and comics! Load your
MikuMikuDance has a picture-taking function that captures your screen image and saves it any of several popular file formats. You can also automatically drop-out the black background of your picture to capture just the model against a transparent background.
I like to set MMD, using the View Menu, to “View Separate Window”, to show me my stage image as large as possible on my monitor, and then I use the keyboard key “Print Screen” to put that image into memory. I then open a New window in Photoshop, GIMP, or Paint and Paste the picture image into place. I can then crop, resize and adjust the picture as I wish … Fun!
It’s Fun, it’s Free, it sets your creativity free!
ASK QUESTIONS… Leave a comment below and ask your questions. LearnMMD checks for new comments every few hours! (Your question may not “show” for a few hours; we often hold new comments for manual approval as a way to cut down the spam.)
Enjoy MikuMikuDance …
– SEE BELOW for MORE MMD TUTORIALS…
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