How to Get Started With MMD

I've been using MMD (MikuMikuDance) since 2015. I initially just wanted to see if I was able to get an Akatsuki member to dance a few times, but it was addictive and I continue to use it to express my fan appreciation for Naruto! My latest video is here:

My username on YouTube is Saiyan Shinobi, this is an homage to how I love both Dragonball and Naruto, while showing off that both animes are very similar to each other. I've grown to 70,000+ subscribers over the course of 7 years, without ever asking for people to subscribe! Choosing an anime is bound to draw in people to your new channel. This subniche of the internet is where anime watchers end up from time to time. So, welcome if you're reading my goblin blog.

Today, I just want to go over some super basics that I don't see ANYONE teaching new users.

Download & Install MikuMikuDance to your computer This is simple, MMD is a freeware based out of Japan. The download and program are all in English. It is not available on mobile phones. Not the way I use it anyways. You need a laptop at the very least for this program. Click here to download in new tab Here are the specs of my current laptop, which is a Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5. It's a little extra, but as am I over the years of loving 3d animation and modeling. I got mine customized at a local store, so I have more RAM and a different processor than the standard Intel & 4GB RAM.

I have a x64 bit system so that's the version I have. It will say 32-bit if you have a different OS than I do. MMD will work well with any laptop, really, I started with a Toshiba Satellite laptop that was already 7 years old when I first started rendering. It only had 2GB of RAM as well, so how it lasted until 2020 is beyond me. Once you've extracted your zip to either your desktop or the hard drive you want to use, you can install the program. You'll want the additional software too, as once it's installed, you can run MMD from your hard drive directly.

Additional Software To Consider Installing The biggest mistake I made as a beginner was thinking I needed fancy video tools and programs. So I subscribed to Vegas Pro, Adobe and Canva Pro. That cost me $120 a month, and I don't even get paid as a YouTuber. So I'll give you my best free alternatives that are actually better for MMD use anyways. Video Editing: OpenShot Video Editor This tool renders 4K videos with lightening speed! Vegas would take upwards of 8hrs sometimes, for a 2-3 minute video. It's absolutely free, and doesn't leave a watermark on your projects. I wish I found this in 2017, but such is life. Downloading mp3: Free YouTube Converter The cool thing about MMD is if you find a dance motion you like, but don't like the song, you can just use a different song over it. So with this website, you can download audio directly from YouTube using the video link. It doesn't always work, but this is my favourite. Tip: when you're on a video you want to download, type in pp before the .com in the web address bar, then press enter. You will be taken to the same converter, but ready to download the video you were just watching. It's a timesaver and you can copy the short link from the site itself too. Audio Editing: Audacity or Wavacity I feel like my channel is best known for both Akatsuki Fun, and the Akatsuki dancing to girl groups in a boys voice or pitch. Audacity is a tool helps me pitch songs down without losing tempo, while also converting the mp3 being edited to a usable wave file for MMD. Wavacity is basically just Audacity that is available through a web browser on any device. It's handy because you don't need to install anything to convert a song to wav format. SEO Tool: TubeBuddy This tool helps you pick tags for your videos, but don't lose sight on descriptions and SEO too much. Tags are mostly just there to misspell the words in your titles and descriptions, so people making a spelling error are still likely to see your thumbnails as an impression. Organizing Files & Projects

This is one key subject that literally no one talks about. I have almost 2TB of data for my MMD projects and renderings. So the first question you need to answer is "How will I organize my files as my content grows?".

No one taught me how to do this, so when I started transferring the data to a portable hard drive, I felt so much relief organizing these files into a place I can find it. So I hope that these tips will help you get started on the right foot to make sure your work goes smoothly, whether you're just starting to use MMD or already a seasoned pro that will be needing another hard drive soon.

When you install your MMD program, there will be a file named:

MikuMikuDanceE_v932 or MikuMikuDanceE_v932x64

The "_v###" represents the version number you have downloaded.

Inside this folder, you'll see 3 folders

Data, MMD Instructions - LearnMMD, User File.

The only folder that will interest you is the UserFile which contain the following subfolders:

Accessory, BackGround, Model, Motion, Pose, Vsq, Wave

I know it seems like a lot, but getting to know these folders will save you headaches down the road.

In Accessory, you can store Effects, Stages and other accessories your scenes might need.

Background will house any picture files that you may need if you wish to not use a stage for certain projects.

Model is where you can save all your ZIP files for your projects. I organize by Anime, then each character gets it's own file name. This is because I have literally dozens of versions of each character model. It builds up fast, and if all your characters texture files aren't in the same folder, it will load white in your MMD project space. This will make sense as I go on.

Motion works the same way that Model does, it will be the home of all your data that moves your models around. MMD is very flexible in it's uses: you can create skits, scenes to take pictures, or dancing music videos.

The way I have my data organized shows by each Kpop group I have data for. Motion data files have VMD attached to their filetype. Each file has subfolders by project name.

I don't use MMD for it's primary Vocaloids. I know there are additional files, but I honestly never use them. I find it much easier to keep any relevant music in the same project file as the motion. This applies to poses and any vocaloid files if I have any. It's your discretion if you want to organize your data differently.

Store ALL your links in Google Keep

This way you can refer to one place for all your materials that need to be credited in descriptions. People don't always read those, but you still have to keep the faith in MMD. Real people spent their real time making the tools you'll download for free, so at least credit them as asked.

I organize my notes by project name, if I have a new project idea, it gets a new note. These notes follow this format:

[MMD] Title [Main Character Focus]

Models: Creator Name (DeviantArt Link) Stages: Creator Name (DeviantArt Link) Effects: Effect Names at the very least Song - Artist (link) Motion Data by: (link) | Camera by: (link)

Once you're projects are completed, you don't have to go back and figure out where you downloaded what items, effects, dance, stages, models or cameras as it will already be there to just copy and paste into a video description.

Install MME Downloading MME Effects Where to Find Models Using Dance & Camera Motion Data

Rendering Your First Video

Once you're happy with how the video looks on camera mode, you are ready to render your video file. Here is a brief overview on the steps I've developed over the years. You will find a system that works for you, but this is a great base to start with.

Decide on the resolution your video should be. I use 4K regularly now, so the dimensions I use are 3840 x 2160 in the Screen Size (O) option of MMD. 1920 x 1080 is the standard definition for HD on YouTube, but rendering in 4K at 30 frames per second (FPS) makes sure my pictures are as clear as possible for YouTube. You can do 60fps if you wish, but I keep it at 30 for simplicity and faster rendering times.

Make sure you know the last framerate needed to render. I record in multiple parts, using multiple project files in the same motion file. Then I put each scene into OpenShot over an audio file. I use Keep to note down the frame numbers with a little note beside each time stamp. This method is handy to avoid models clothes and hair going wonky from invisible models on one 'scene'.

Once you know these two factors, you can go into file of your MMD project and choose Render to AVI.

[image of menu and popup]

You will need to name your project, with multiple parts, I suggest using the framerates being recorded as the file name and saving it to your project file directly. Then you can click OK, a second popup will show after naming your file.

Enter the frames you need recorded, uncheck the WAVE box so there isn't sound when it's not needed. This is handy for music videos that have multiple parts. If your video is all in one take, then you can leave it checked so the sound is included in your final render.

You'll also need to choose an encoder. I use MJPEG Compressor, because it creates a much smaller files size than the raw AVI compressor gets. Press OK after you've entered the frames, decided on sound inclusion and what compressor you need.

Your video will render in the screen size you requested, so it may not fit on screen. It will use a good chunk of your computer processing speed too, so if your laptop has less RAM, expect slower running times on your laptop. I just watch Netflix until it's done rendering.

Once you're done, technically, you can just post it to YouTube as is, but I like adding my own watermark. I made my channel watermark in Canva. I used a canvas the same size as my 4K video, created the text in the corner of the screen, and lowered the transparency to 50%. Then I downloaded it with a transparent background on my Pro Account.

You can make your own channel watermark doing the same thing I did, but use remove.bg to create a png for free. This picture file is what goes on top of your video in OpenShot Video Editor.

In OpenShot, drag and drop your AVI files, the song or audio you need, and your watermark png into the project area. By default, 5 tracks show up in a blank project.

In track 1, drag & drop your PNG watermark. In track 2, drop your AVI files in the order you need to see them, make sure all the clips are touching so your audio doesn't try go out of sync. In track 3, drag & drop the audio you need playing. If you rendered in one take with the audio, you don't need to do this step.

Delete any unused tracks. Press the red dot at the top of OpenShot. This will begin the export process.

Resources and where I learned EVERYTHING I know:

LearnMMD.com - Reggie Dentmore is awesome, so learn from him too!