Becoming a VTuber takes three things: an avatar, face tracking, and software to composite and broadcast it. Your avatar app handles the first two — free SplitCam does the rest: AI background removal, scene switching, beauty effects, multistreaming and a virtual camera. No watermark, no subscription.
From "I have an idea for a character" to live on stream in about 10 minutes — assuming you already have an avatar. The avatar app does the rigging; SplitCam does the broadcast.
Start with the character. For a 2D Live2D avatar, VTube Studio is the standard — it rigs the model and tracks your face through any webcam. For a 3D model, use VSeeFace, Warudo or Animaze. Don't have a model yet? Each app ships with free starter avatars so you can test the whole pipeline before commissioning art.
Open SplitCam and add your avatar app as a source — window capture, game capture or Spout, whichever your tracker exposes. Then drop the background: use AI background removal for a one-click cut with no green screen, or chromakey if your avatar app outputs a solid colour behind the model.
Now make it a show. Layer game capture, a Browser Source for alerts and chat, lower-thirds and overlay images around the avatar. Save a few named scenes — Starting Soon, Main, Just Chatting, BRB — and bind each to a hotkey so you can cut between them without leaving the camera.
Stack extras on top of the avatar: 3D masks, Streamfog lenses and face masking for stylised looks, plus a Timer with hotkey actions for in-stream events. Run your microphone through the VST 2/3 audio chain — de-noise, EQ, compression — so the voice behind the avatar sounds broadcast-clean.
Two ways out. To stream: open Stream Settings, paste your Twitch and/or YouTube keys, tick both for multistreaming, and click Go Live once — the avatar broadcasts to every platform at the same time. To take a call: in Zoom, Discord, Meet or Teams pick SplitCam Camera as your webcam, and your avatar shows up instead of your face.
SplitCam doubles as a virtual webcam, so your avatar isn't locked to Twitch and YouTube. Pick SplitCam Camera in Zoom, Discord, Google Meet or Teams and you join the call as your character — chromakey and AI background already applied. Great for VTuber collabs, agency meetings, or just staying in character off-stream. Works in browsers too.
See how the virtual camera worksSmall things that separate a twitchy first stream from a polished debut.
Face tracking reads contrast on your features. A soft front key light keeps the avatar's expressions stable — far more than any tracker setting.
No green screen, no colour spill on your hair, no re-keying when the light shifts. AI removal just follows the avatar — turn it on once and forget it.
Drop the cut-out avatar in a corner over full-screen game capture for reaction streams. One scene, hotkey to resize the avatar between "facecam" and "full".
A noise gate plus light compression on the VST chain means viewers hear your character, not your keyboard or room hum. Set it once, save the project.
Hotkey the last 5–10 seconds back onto the screen — perfect for re-showing a clutch play or a funny avatar reaction without leaving the stream.
Avatar app + game + encoder is a lot at once. A wired connection and a test stream to "Unlisted" first catches dropped frames before your audience does.
Your avatar app rigs the model — that part doesn't change. The difference is the broadcast layer on top. Here's where free SplitCam saves plugins and setup time.
| For VTubers | SplitCam (free) | VTube Studio alone | OBS + plugins |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rigs & tracks the avatar | Uses your tracker | ✓ Yes | Uses your tracker |
| AI background (no green screen) | ✓ Built-in | ✗ | Plugin |
| Multistream to Twitch + YouTube | ✓ Built-in | ✗ | Plugin |
| Avatar as a virtual camera | ✓ Built-in | ✗ | ✓ |
| Price | Free | Free | Free |
Already built scenes in OBS? SplitCam imports an OBS scene collection in one click. Want the full breakdown? See SplitCam vs OBS →
You need an avatar, face tracking and software to composite and broadcast it. A free avatar app (VTube Studio for 2D, VSeeFace for 3D) handles the rig and tracking; free SplitCam composites the avatar, removes the background with AI and sends it to Twitch, YouTube or any meeting app. No green screen, no subscription.
Two layers: an avatar app that rigs and tracks the model (VTube Studio, VSeeFace, Warudo, Animaze), and a broadcast app that composites the scene and streams it. SplitCam is the free broadcast layer — it adds AI background removal, scene switching, multistreaming and a virtual camera on top of whatever avatar app you use.
No. SplitCam's AI background removal detects your avatar app's output in real time and cuts the background without chromakey. A green screen still gives the cleanest edge for fast 3D models, but it's optional — AI copes with uneven lighting that would break a chromakey.
Yes. Run VTube Studio as usual, then add its window as a source in SplitCam (window capture, game capture or Spout). Apply chromakey or AI background so only the avatar shows, then layer your scene and stream. The same works for VSeeFace, Warudo and Animaze.
Yes — SplitCam exposes your composed avatar scene as a virtual webcam. In Zoom, Discord, Google Meet or Teams, pick "SplitCam Camera" and your character replaces your real camera feed — no plugin needed, including browser-based video apps. See virtual camera details.
For a 2D Live2D avatar, a modest machine (Intel i5 / Ryzen 5, 8 GB RAM, integrated graphics) is fine. 3D models and game capture at 1080p60 want a dedicated GPU. SplitCam uses your GPU's hardware encoder (NVENC / QuickSync / AMF), so streaming itself adds little CPU load.
Yes — SplitCam has built-in multistreaming. Add your Twitch and YouTube stream keys, click Go Live once, and both platforms receive the avatar stream simultaneously, peer-to-peer, with no monthly fee. See multistreaming details.
Yes — free for personal and commercial use, no watermark, no time limit, no paid tier. AI background, beauty effects, 3D masks, scene switching, multistreaming and the virtual camera are all included from the first launch.
Free download. No card, no signup, no watermark. AI background, beauty effects and multistreaming are all unlocked from the first launch.
⬇ Free Download