A softcam is essentially a software-based camera. It is a piece of computer software that isn't actually a replacement to a regular webcam but software that allows you to stream or broadcast media files such as BMP, GIF, AVI, WAV and other video formats over video conferencing applications like MSN Messenger, Netmeeting, etc.

Some softcam software allows the user to apply graphics and effects to the video as well. In effect, softcam software allows the user to project media files as though it were live over a webcam.

softcam can also refer to a software CAM emulator