Weekly WIP #42

Weekly WIP #17

• That's right; progress on three projects listed in order of how much progress (top = the most).

• Hostile Takeover is currently a lot of fun to work on, thus it being the most progressed this week. I just pulled an all-night session on it, which is why I'm posting this so early. Hell, in just a few days it's become one of my best animations to date. I intend on creating a release trailer for it, something I've not gotten around to before; I've only created posters so far. That's still a ways off though. I had to completely remake the texture edits 3 times on Scarlet; around 14 textures each time. Something somewhere kept throwing off the coloring and seams along the torso were very visible. All is sorted now though.

• Christmas 2022 has another full angle set and more camera corrections. I scrapped the idea of something extra going on in the background. In the end it just didn't jive. I'm going to focus more on it until it's finished.

• Crossing the Line was mostly camera fixes and fighting with the animations on the chains, so not a lot overall with it, but some progress all the same.

• I've always listed a 'main' project, but I'm going to stop doing that. Instead, it will just be a list of current projects being worked on. Being able to shift projects helps me not tire on one or get so frustrated with something like animating a chain that I just wanna scrap the whole thing.

• To clarify, since I've had a few people ask, I don't set timeframes/tables for anything other than holiday themed ones, since they should be finished by the holiday date. I didn't get this year's Halloween ready, so I didn't release one. I've rushed a few projects, feeling I was slacking or just not making enough general progress, and they suffered for it. Other ones, like Marvel Misadventures, just never clicked, so it's on hold. Some minor ideas, like Hostile Takeover, suddenly becomes the thing to work on and explode into much larger things.

• That pretty much sums up this week's SFMing. I've not hunted for music in a while, so that might be something to do soonish. Eventually I'll post another poll too. Maybe a 'which song?' one.

Weekly WIP #11

•  Constraints are so useful if you can sort how to use them well. The chain, for example, in Samara preview isn't animated. No keyframes. It's all locks and constraints. Several other bones are like that. I've used constraints before, but not to this extent or effect. It's much better now than before.

•  Still working on a blush for her. I keep getting it too long on the sides and it wraps around and into her ears, or too short and it never goes off the nose. Not sure if I can get one on the chest or not. The shape of the texture, before it gets wrapped around the model, is one I'm not familiar with. Daz3D ones? Got it covered. This one? Gonna take a bit to get correct.

•  Decided that some window background for this was in order. Miranda had it; Ships flying around. A sun coming into view from behind a planet.

"If it's not in the camera view, it doesn't matter."

• I keep telling myself this and I still spent 2 hours working on something that well...wasn't in view anyways. Have to rein myself in more on things like that.

• The preview video of Samara was crated a bit earlier this week. Her movements as of right now are far, far better. Even still, the ones there are pretty good, I think. Certainly gave me a good baseline to go off. And...

• Yes this will have sex sounds. Maybe not moans or groans, unless I find some that sound close enough to Samara. Game grunts, like when they get shot or smacked, usually sound like shit. Not always though. Mostly due to them being recorded in some way as the game is played rather than the game file itself.

Weekly WIP #10

•  Samara. I wonder how many people guessed correctly. People on Discord might have thought Kelly, as I've mentioned her several times on there since Sancus Program: Miranda release or Tali because she's one of my favorite characters. Surprised? Excited? I hope so.

• Model ported/created by the wonderful Stealth2111, who also created the Shiala and Aria T'loak from The Mirage animation.

• The machine (bottom left picture and not finished) has more pieces to it than any previous, even the 'Ramma' Jam', and is going to end up with the most moving parts as well. I've been working more with constraints, like the chains on Ashley Graham Black Menagerie. Source Filmmaker likes to crash when you screw those up though, so it's been a battle. Am I winning the battle? Maybe. I'd like to think so.

• The 'Viewers Area' (bottom right picture) I'm not sure exactly how I want to set it up. A bar? Club? Some penthouse living room? Leaning towards club; shocking I know since I like club themes. The two Asari are there for height/size reference. I thought that statue was bigger...

• All the same it's taking a bit to get together, but they usually do; Get the idea for the machine stuck in my head, then hunt through thousands of models for pieces to use, even if that means hiding 90% of a model for that one little part, then sorting how they go, then editing textures to match, and then seeing if all that will even look/move/respond at all how I imagine. Thankfully they usually do for the most part.

• Samara's movements are certainly the most realistic I've managed, and I am proud of how well she moves already. Next week I should have a small clip of some of that to show. I don't want to spoil everything all at once. Small doses.

• Oh, and the music is still cooperating.