UPDATE AUGUST
Cutting it a tad close this time round.
For a quick tl;dr on the state of things going forward:
-The most recent post regarding the face model/textures will be the one used hereon.
-4 Shots remain, with varying stages of completion/complexity
-The start has been rehauled ever so slightly, with a key pose being reframed to better work in continuity.
Best we rip this band-aid off nice and quick; as mentioned, I will be going ahead with the face change using the most recent upload's iteration. I spent far far too long trying to find some sort of middle ground that pleases everyone to some degree, but I just can't do it. At risk of halting any and all progress on actual animation, I'm opting to take that hit and proceed onward. I believe I'll still be able to capture the essence that has previously been depicted, with a more expressive and animated means of doing so, but I won't argue with anyone that feels disappointed by the change.
---Excessively long tangent on particle hair below, by all means feel free to skip straight to project updates.
On a somewhat technical side of things, the issues with the face prior (i.e. exaggerated proportions) were something I had unknowingly done as a way to counterbalance the particle hair.
The hair model used in game and by some other animators is mesh based, and has a very clearly defined shape with segmented bangs, although for the purpose of animation it is very limited and doesn't achieve that smooth flowing movement when animated. Particles, on the other hand, typically require individual strands to be created. Due to the time and computational power it would take to manually create and simulate every single strand, most animators will use child particles, which are effectively a way to create artificial density in hair, while only simulating one strand of hair.
The issue here is that you can only control the shape of that initial strand, meaning as density is added through child particles, the clear silhouette of the initial hair design is lost more and more. This is evident in Tifa's hair up to this point, which only vaguely emulates the shape and structure of the original bangs, and has a great deal more volume. Because of that, the facial features looked dwarfed and off proportion, so I made the changes I felt necessary in order to amend that.
Ultimately, the solution to that issue was to either revert to the mesh hair, and have inferior physics/collisions, or model each and every strand of hair to create a particle system that could be controlled and manipulated to an immense degree. As for which choice I opted to take; Tifa's hair has approximately 1800 strands
---
Beyond that, I've finally been able to get back to the animation. Progress was halted due to some issues I had with what had been the first shot of this part. I'll be the first to admit I'm not all that great with POV shots, and trying to find that balance in exaggerating features without having others completely obscured has been tricky.
The first half of that shot is complete, I'm currently working my way through the second part, which will include the shot posted on the 23rd (which has since been reworked since I wasn't happy with it ultimately - feel free to drop a comment if you're interested in seeing the alternate version).
Once that is complete, there are two short interim sequences needing animation, and one final loop to conclude the part. All three are previously unseen shots, and I'm hoping they won't give me as much trouble as the one I'm working on now.
Fingers crossed.
Cutting it a tad close this time round.
For a quick tl;dr on the state of things going forward:
-The most recent post regarding the face model/textures will be the one used hereon.
-4 Shots remain, with varying stages of completion/complexity
-The start has been rehauled ever so slightly, with a key pose being reframed to better work in continuity.
Best we rip this band-aid off nice and quick; as mentioned, I will be going ahead with the face change using the most recent upload's iteration. I spent far far too long trying to find some sort of middle ground that pleases everyone to some degree, but I just can't do it. At risk of halting any and all progress on actual animation, I'm opting to take that hit and proceed onward. I believe I'll still be able to capture the essence that has previously been depicted, with a more expressive and animated means of doing so, but I won't argue with anyone that feels disappointed by the change.
---Excessively long tangent on particle hair below, by all means feel free to skip straight to project updates.
On a somewhat technical side of things, the issues with the face prior (i.e. exaggerated proportions) were something I had unknowingly done as a way to counterbalance the particle hair.
The hair model used in game and by some other animators is mesh based, and has a very clearly defined shape with segmented bangs, although for the purpose of animation it is very limited and doesn't achieve that smooth flowing movement when animated. Particles, on the other hand, typically require individual strands to be created. Due to the time and computational power it would take to manually create and simulate every single strand, most animators will use child particles, which are effectively a way to create artificial density in hair, while only simulating one strand of hair.
The issue here is that you can only control the shape of that initial strand, meaning as density is added through child particles, the clear silhouette of the initial hair design is lost more and more. This is evident in Tifa's hair up to this point, which only vaguely emulates the shape and structure of the original bangs, and has a great deal more volume. Because of that, the facial features looked dwarfed and off proportion, so I made the changes I felt necessary in order to amend that.
Ultimately, the solution to that issue was to either revert to the mesh hair, and have inferior physics/collisions, or model each and every strand of hair to create a particle system that could be controlled and manipulated to an immense degree. As for which choice I opted to take; Tifa's hair has approximately 1800 strands
---
Beyond that, I've finally been able to get back to the animation. Progress was halted due to some issues I had with what had been the first shot of this part. I'll be the first to admit I'm not all that great with POV shots, and trying to find that balance in exaggerating features without having others completely obscured has been tricky.
The first half of that shot is complete, I'm currently working my way through the second part, which will include the shot posted on the 23rd (which has since been reworked since I wasn't happy with it ultimately - feel free to drop a comment if you're interested in seeing the alternate version).
Once that is complete, there are two short interim sequences needing animation, and one final loop to conclude the part. All three are previously unseen shots, and I'm hoping they won't give me as much trouble as the one I'm working on now.
Fingers crossed.
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UPDATE SEPTEMBER
First and foremost, my apologies for the lack of posts so far this month. I've been hammering on with the first shot for the upcoming release, and am finally nearing the tail end of work on that.
For the sake of visual clarity, I added an intermediary shot, which grew in complexity as it progressed. Given the amount of additions made to the initial board, my earlier hopes of having the release complete (excluding face animation) by the end of this month is null.
With that in mind, my plan for the rest of this month is to complete this current shot, with the new face implemented to get that long overdue demonstration of the rig in action. It'll be about 10 seconds give or take, though I hope post reveal the complexity required to have the sequence flow smoothly will somewhat justify the shorter length.
From there onward, there will be two transition shots, each a little over 5 seconds in length (potentially longer, but definitely no less) to complete, then one slightly longer sequence at the end, which lasts about 15 seconds or so.
Once that is complete, it'll be a process of applying variance to the looping sequences, such that they dont appear mechanical or rigid. At this point, I'll have a final length drawn for this part, and will be able to begin collaborating with VAs to begin the audio process.
As a very conservative estimate, all animation should be concluded by the early November for this part's release, at which point it'll be a case of liasing for audio+post production. When that time comes, I can put it up for a vote whether people would prefer to wait for audio or have an earlier release while audio is pending.
I'll be announcing the release publicly closer to the time, so do not by any means feel obligated to stay subbed for that. Furthermore, the video will be available for anyone that's been subbed at any point post 2024, regardless of duration. Patreon is a dreadful platform and doesnt have a specific way to do this, so just dm me when that time comes and I'll send a link direct.
Thank you again for your continued patience.
First and foremost, my apologies for the lack of posts so far this month. I've been hammering on with the first shot for the upcoming release, and am finally nearing the tail end of work on that.
For the sake of visual clarity, I added an intermediary shot, which grew in complexity as it progressed. Given the amount of additions made to the initial board, my earlier hopes of having the release complete (excluding face animation) by the end of this month is null.
With that in mind, my plan for the rest of this month is to complete this current shot, with the new face implemented to get that long overdue demonstration of the rig in action. It'll be about 10 seconds give or take, though I hope post reveal the complexity required to have the sequence flow smoothly will somewhat justify the shorter length.
From there onward, there will be two transition shots, each a little over 5 seconds in length (potentially longer, but definitely no less) to complete, then one slightly longer sequence at the end, which lasts about 15 seconds or so.
Once that is complete, it'll be a process of applying variance to the looping sequences, such that they dont appear mechanical or rigid. At this point, I'll have a final length drawn for this part, and will be able to begin collaborating with VAs to begin the audio process.
As a very conservative estimate, all animation should be concluded by the early November for this part's release, at which point it'll be a case of liasing for audio+post production. When that time comes, I can put it up for a vote whether people would prefer to wait for audio or have an earlier release while audio is pending.
I'll be announcing the release publicly closer to the time, so do not by any means feel obligated to stay subbed for that. Furthermore, the video will be available for anyone that's been subbed at any point post 2024, regardless of duration. Patreon is a dreadful platform and doesnt have a specific way to do this, so just dm me when that time comes and I'll send a link direct.
Thank you again for your continued patience.