Hello from the Chaos Bringer Development Team! :)
Building the Four Heroes · Part 3 of 6
There is a point in the whole character creation pipeline when we gotta take a step back from the one individual we're working on and take some time to look at the bigger picture. For us, that point came alongside our first solid-shading pass/trial for all four heroes collectively... Fun! ^^
At this stage, we had to objectively evaluate our models without any razzle or dazzle coming by way of finished textures. This is because (though not as cool-looking as a fully shaded model;;) solid shading makes it easier to read the fundamentals: silhouette, proportions, facial planes, hair volume, and the relationship between large and small shapes. Basically, it's A LOT less flattering than a polished material pass, which is exactly what made it useful, especially at this early-ish stage!
Seeing Melania, Daisy, Ysilune, and Joyton together immediately showed us where our cast was working well and where they was kinda lookin' too generic. This was a delicate balance to uphold, because for one thing, their faces needed to belong to the same world without feeling as if they had been produced from one cookie-cutter pan! For this, how the hair came out looking was *especially* important. We went through several modeling approaches because (as anime has taught us xD) a hairstyle NEEDS to communicate personality, remain legible at any gameplay distance or angle, deform cleanly, and not cause problems when it comes to handling equipment. We've all been there LOL
Seeing this "raw" lineup also helped us judge body language before we started playing around with the animations. A character's fundamental build changes how the same neutral pose is perceived, so handling proportions and working on poses absolutely need to go hand-in-hand! Even a simple 360-view via turntable can show us a hero's vibes: grounded, agile, guarded, imposing, or much of anything else, really! o:
The results of this initial solid-shading pass was by no means a finish line. It did, however, allow us to more clearly see the areas that still needed adjustment! Besides, we knew that afterwards, the addition of cool patterns and textures would later make the subtle differences in skin, features, and surface detail pop out even more so! Rather, the highlight of this pass is that it gave the team a shared visual checkpoint! We could now very easily see via side-by-side comparison that we had four distinct silhouettes, one technical foundation, and a more coherent sense of what the Chaos Bringer cast should look like together! (It felt like a mini-breakthrough! ^^)
The next step was to move beyond basic shapes and form, since we already got that down! Now, the challenge was in defining each hero through colour, surface textures, and smaller character details. Cus it's the details that truly bring a character to life, right?! (☆∀☆)
In conclusion, our first solid-shading pass/trial let us judge how our characters looked fundamentally in relation to each other without any distracting details (no matter how cool they may look)! Next up, we'll share the process that was adding the textures and smaller details that really make each character shine! We'll also be introducing our four heroes aesthetically as a collective group/lineup for the very first time! Exciting, right?!?? :DDDDD
Thanks for joining our shape + shader adventures this time around!
See you in next week's dev note! ;)
Sincerely,
The Chaos Bringer Development Team