HMC#20: Expressions - Akane Tendo

#22

Thanks a lot Rasmus. I’m doing my best to keep it going. :slight_smile:

  As a small update here's a speedy test-render of the MBL2 mesh in Maya with a few basic Blinns applied to different objects and faces:
            
            [img]http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc280/Tuxedoknek/HMC%2020%20Akane/akaneTest2.jpg[/img]
            
           It may not look like much has happend, but I spent quite some time on the sculpting, which was a real bitch due to the inconsistencies in perspective of the various angles of 2D references. The eyes are a genuine headache, not for sculpting, but for making them part of a functional rig as well. 
      Right now she still doesnt have any mouth interior, eye-brows and -lashes. The latter two will add a lot, since she still looks a bit weird as the eyelids currently dont have the stylistic shape accentuation. I'll also add some clothes and will definitely use a sss shader on the skin for a softer look later on. I have to spend some more sculpting time on the ears as well. 
            
            Let me know what you think so far and if you have any suggestions for improvements.
            
            Cheers!:arteest:
#23

Oh man, I can imagine how hard it is. I think you did a great job on the geometry.

Cheers :smiley:

#24

Thanks a lot menthol!

Here’s another small update. Since I’m not sure when I’ll be able to put some more solid time into this project, I’ll be going in baby-steps. :wink:

Again, it may seem that not a lot has happened, but aside from adding geometry for the upper eyelashes, an MR approximation and a basic SSS-shader, I made tons of very subtle edits to the face. I am still not entirely happy with the current result though and will continue tweaking and fussing over it.

Cheers!

#25

3/4 view has the right anime feel, but front view needs more tweaks.

IMHO, i find that its almost impossible to match most anime characters to their front and side views, need to find the right balance of what to sacrifice and what to keep, but if you can capture the eyes correctly, you are good to go!

good job so far, looking forward to more :smiley:

#26

Thanks a lot for the comment and crit! It’s much appreciated.

       Yeah, I know what you mean. I have been fussing over the front for what seems like an eternity, constantly working in circles and it still doesnt come out quite right. Editing the front in the wrong places changes the 3/4 etc! Its a huge mess. 
       You are also absolutely right about the eyes being key to getting it to look right. Isn't that the case on almost any creature and style?!

menthol was kind enough to send me some overpaint-suggestions via PM on how I might deal with the weird eyeball shape and I am trying to incorporate them. They work out well technically, but I am finding that I am introducing style-specific emotional output via the iris/pupil with the changes, as well as loosing quite a bit of the stylistic feel in the process, but I really want to try and retain that Ranma-feel.
Any specific suggestions on either of the problem areas from your end?

        Yeah, profile and front are a classic impossible match on most anime/mange characters. It just doesnt work in most case and needs to be compromised quite a bit. lol Well, that keeps it interesting and us on our toes, doesnt it!?
        
        Cheers and many thanks again! :)
#27

Nice update Felix. It is hard for me to give crits because Cartoon characters in general seem to be an impossiblity for me. Even the most basic Characters. Looks good, though, and I’m sure others will have great crits for you (as menthol and omnilight have).

-Rage

#28

oh i like this :slight_smile:
Actually Ranma 1/2 is one of my favorite anime, and i like Akane.
My advice would be : keep the shapes simple. Like for the nose and chin.

I can’t wait to see how you’re going to deal with the eyes, reflection and all, without loosing the anime-look. Must be tricky…

Good job so far, i like it ^^

#29

hey felix!

great render. no real crits, exept maybe you could help the look by making a “harder” light from above to make a better shadow under the nose… just a thought.

-r

#30

Haha. really cool. You’ve achieved an anime in 3d. Thats a tough job all its own. congrats. I will say though. I have no idea who it is that your making :).

#31

What Brett said. :slight_smile:
Can’t wait to see this brought to life with expressions.

#32

Thanks a lot for the comments and suggestions, guys! It’s much appreciated. :slight_smile:

   Hm, I am surprised how little-known this show apparently is in CG circles! As far as my world-view is concerned, "Ranma 1/2" is one of the most successful and widely distributed anime/manga ever to come out of Japan short of Dragonball and Sailor Moon! Anyways, it doesnt really matter.
   
   I was majorly unhappy with the overall silhouette/contour and am still fussing around with it whenever I have the time. There really is no use getting into expressions until I have that settled halfway satisfactorily. She needs to look somewhat like Akane at the very least and not just like a run-of-the-mill-half-ass-cg-anime-character before I move on.
   
   Here's another update for the face with some base-geo added for costume:
   
   [img]http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc280/Tuxedoknek/HMC%2020%20Akane/akaneTest10sss.jpg[/img]
   
   It's still not quite there yet, but I think I am getting closer. As simple as it may look in regards to shapes etc, this is a[b] real [/b]pain to get right. lol
   
   Let me know what you think.
   
   Cheers!
#33

Looks great. I’m not an anime expert so I can’t make definitive judgments on what’s right or wrong but I’ve had a look at some images and the only thing I see is the overall proportion of the head. The cartoon version seems to be wider and more squashed + her eyes are wider and slightly more square than oval in the neutral position. Those are minor points though… I think you got her down very well :slight_smile:

#34

Thanks a lot for the comment and crit. Yeah, you are right about the overall proportions of the head. The problem I have been having with that is that they actually change from screengrab to screengrab. Some are wider, some slimmer and I’ve quite honestly had a hard time deciding which way to go. I’ll take a lattice to the whole thing though and see where it gets me, since I do like the more squashed proportions better than the one I currently have. They seem to suit her character better. Thanks a lot again. :slight_smile:

Salute!:arteest:

#35

Hi all!

Unfortunately it’s very unlikely that I’ll be able to finish in time, but to show that I’ve been working on this a little whenever I could squeeze in the time, here’s another small update.

 [img]http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc280/Tuxedoknek/HMC%2020%20Akane/akaneTest21sss.jpg[/img]
 
 Pretty much everything except the eyes (still need an eyelight for the typical Anime-cornea-reflection) and face (no texture yet) is completely temp. Let me know what you think so far.
 
 Cheers!
#36

Looking great pal, I really liked it. Hope you find time to create a few expressions :smiley:

Have fun :smiley:

#37

Exactly what I would like to say as well.

-Rage

#38

Thanks a lot for the comments and encouragements, guys!

Since I am building a complete facial rig, its more a matter of “all-or-no” expressions, over “a few”, since, once the component shapes are sculpted and connected, getting the expressions is just a matter of pulling the sliders into appropriate percentages. So unfortunately, you’ll either see all expressions or none. But as the deadline is close and my spare time rather limited, I doubt that I’ll have enough time to build the shapes, connect the animated textures and additional objects for brows etc and hook them up in time. I’ll try to stay on top of it though and will see how far I can get until Friday.

Salute!

#39

Best of luck Felix. I hope you can find the time.

-Rage

#40

Am not sure about the deadline, but hope you got some time.

The last shots are beautifull :thumbsup: hope we can see some more.

#41

Sorry, guys! Akane’s not gonna make it to the final thread today. I didnt have any time to spend on her at all since I posted the last image. Anyways, it was still lotsa fun and well worth it.

Cheers and best of luck to everybody else!:arteest:

Edit: Ooops, just saw the deadline extension. Maybe, if I can make this a priority for the next week… :wink: