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Tekki 3D Update!
🕑 Added 2021-08-12 14:01:03 +0000 UTCAlright so I think I'm at a pretty good point where things are taking shape but changes, even bigger ones, can easily be made!
I'm going to share this link, https://imgur.com/a/abbS8XV it's a compilation of game screenshots of Tekki as well as art I've made of Asura. This is so even if you're not very familiar with GW2, [or even if you are but wanna compare something more specific] you can get an idea of what she looks like in game and also compare how I tend to stylize them in my art.
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First I'm showing you a few pictures so you can see the progress so far! I hope these are interseting! The first 7 pics are an overall progress. The last 4 are better look at how the face changed.
Pic #1 - I forgot to save a version with just the base meshes. But you can get a good idea of what it looked like just by seeing the arm, shoulder, hand and ear!
Pic #2 - Jumping ahead quite a bit! Her face is at the latest point, I've worked on her ears and started to put some hair for better reference.
Her body is also taking form, I start with the arms down because it's easier to work on the fingers and also easier for me to better get a feel for her body proportions. I'm not very happy with the feet but from previous attempts I know they are a pain so I'm leaving them for later.
Pic #3 - Defining things a lot more! Her torso has a much better shape, looks better from all angles. I've added abs [which won't be quite as noticeable in the model itself after retopology] I'm adjusting some proportions. Finally brought the arms up. I've also started to pay a lot more attention to the hair, I've tried a few times already to do the back hair and I think I've found a method I like that's easy to adjust! I also have a few options for the hair on the sides of her face.
Pic #4 - Polishing! I'm making adjustments here and there to all her body. Finally worked on her hands and feet. The feet don't look super in-game asura but I think they'll work well! I I think the other big change here is the whole neck and shoulders area, I was just waiting for the arms to be in place to better define that whole area.
Pic #5 - Just moved her arms to a [hopefully] better position. Tbh I'm not sure if it's really better, but I went with something closer to 45 degree angle! The last Asura model I attempted I struggled immensely with the arms so.. I'm trying to be closer to other models I'm seeing.
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Feedback Comparison.
Pic #6 is the same as #5 [just w/o boobs] and Pic #7 is a version applying a lot of the feedback I received. [the next 4 pics are a closeup of how the face changed, and the last 2 pics are again 6 and 7 but without text so it's easier to compare.]
I asked for some feedback on 2 places. [One a 3D nsfw artists server, another an asura server] What I was told by different people was mostly:
- Torso or legs need to be shortened. [mostly legs, but torso could be shortened a bit too]
- Breasts need some work.
- Head could be a little bigger.
- Shoulders could be a little less broad.
- Area around the hips could be reworked in comparison to the lower legs, maybe reduce the thickness near the butt/legs transition.
- Don't hesitate to add more volume inside the ear.
What I did: Shortened the legs a bit, narrower shoulders & upper torso. Hips/leg transition more subtle. Changed the "shape" of the legs a bit, both upper and lower. Made ears a bit thicker.
I think the legs could be a bit shorter, but I worry about it making her hard to pose.
I didn't make the head bigger [in fact I kinda want to make it a bit smaller again;;;] It is a persona preference thing, in game I always make the head smaller too. [I just don't like when Asura have HUGE heads next to humans/sylvari, it's a dumb nitpick]
I didn't make the torso shorter but I think it would benefit from it, even if just slightly, something there seems off... but it could also be the abs being too defined and throwing me off? I dunno but there's something weird going on there.
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And that's where I'm at!
I'm a bit conflicted, I feel like she's getting close but is still missing some charm/appeal and I'm not sure if that's because of the sculpt itself or just because she needs some color, eyelashes and better hair??
But I don't think it's just that... I think she's missing both the charm of the in-game model as well as the touch of my own style. She's at a strange place where she's got a bit of both, but maybe not in the right places or at the right amounts?
If you guys have some feedback and can see something that's not working/seems off or could be improved.. please let me know! I think you guys seeing this with fresh eyes might be able to spot things that seem quite obvious but are hard to see for me. Even if you feel like it's just personal preference I would really appreciate if you shared your thoughts!
[Note: I'm not trying to be super faithful to the in-game models, just want something that reads as Asura, but can deviate, so if you think something could look better but is not exactly following the in-game mode, feel free to bring it up!]
Feel free to make any comments through: Message, Comments under this post, or anonymously here: https://forms.gle/VRo88ZsT2MhJ1qXHA
Whichever you prefer! :D I'll keep everything in mind and probably put to practice any feedback starting September [just to wait enough time for everyone to comment on it if they'd like!]
Comments
Gammler thank you so much!! I think your observations are excellent! There's a few things that I'm deviating from as a conscious choice and others that I just missed, I'm glad you brought everything up because I can double check things at this stage. For example with the Neck and Legs. I am very aware of just how long those necks are and I LOVE THEM like that! But I did struggle to get a lot of poses with my previous model attempt because of it, so I'm trying to keep it shorter and see how that feels. But If I think I can get away with a longer neck, I will absolutely make adjustments! The legs I wanted to make a bit more human like because I think it's more appealing and sexy, however by #7 I lost that curvy shape in the upper leg, so at this point, after seeing your comment and looking at the model next to the game screenshots.. I kinda want to try making a version that's more game accurate! I think you're on point bringing it up, it should really help with making the whole model feel more Asura. [Same with the thicker wrists/forearms!!] For the ears I'm just guessing but I think keeping them straight and neutral will help with deformation when flopping or posed upwards and downwards. [however if I can't make them look like in-game with the rig, I'll absolutely come back and modify them so they look closer to the game from the start!] About the feet do you mean have the toes more spread? or the feet themselves being more separate? [if it's the feet themselves, that's more to make the rigging easier, but yeah they look so weird, since Asura have such a wide stance, where even the legs and feet are rotated outwards] [also that's such good advice to measure body parts and proportions! I didn't do that but I'll try it out and keep it in mind moving forward!]
OTL Thank you so much Pyriax!! That is a really good catch about the wrists being too slender, now that you mention it I agree and I'll try to fix that!! But honestly I also think you're onto something with feeling the arms should be longer! It's not something I had considered but now that you pointed it out... yeah I see it to! There's something that feels off and I think it's not juuust the wrists. [though that definitely contributes to it] I wonder.. do you think they feel too short in relation to the torso? Like maybe if they were longer the torso wouldn't feel too long, and if the torso was shorter they might not feel too short?... hmm.. maybe that second example wouldn't work, maybe they do need to be a little longer! ahhh Thank you so much Pyriax!!
Pyriax nailed a few points, but I'll list a few others I noticed. Note that these aren't bad, as you're free to deviate from the standard in-game Asura model per your artistic style/taste. So Asura arms are not exactly like human arms. The forearms are kinda meaty compared to their bicep. The forearm is also a bit longer than the bicep. There's also quite a bit of difference in the pelvis. In-game, Asura have wide hips and a very wide thigh gap (most noticeable in the no-armor underwear). The legs and feet feel more pachyderm-like and lack human proportions. Asura necks are also very long (again, not always easy to notice in armor). The ears in Pic 7 are closer to Tekki's in-game ears, but they also curve both downward and back. I think if you use those images in the Imgur album and put some lines on cutoffs of certain body parts or joints, you can use the pixel count to get a rough % comparison (like how much of the total body above the shoulder is just neck). Again, you're free to change things to your artistic preference. As for my personal suggestion, the feet could be a bit more splayed out.
Pyriax
It's a lovely model so far! You've done an excellent job with it. As for general advice on things you could consider, I can certainly share things that I've had trouble with in past. The length of certain body parts is always tricky to get right. Your Tekki has a shorter neck and arms than the Asura model, for sure, and whilst I think the neck is a stylistic choice as I make it shorter too, the arms might need to be a few percent longer? Actually on that note, I think the thing that's throwing me off more is the thickness of the wrists. Yours has very slender wrists, whereas the Asura have forearms that are almost a uniform width between the elbow and wrist. Aside from that, the legs are also a little long, but again I think that's a fair choice to make.
