DEVLOG 2 - Deciding on what to model

 

link to our game: https://hearthvalley.itch.io/slip-repainted

My main goals for the future lie within the tabletop games industry, i would love to illustrate TTRPGs and i think looking into how 3D printed models are made for the tabletop industry would be potentially beneficial to give myself an extra set of skills. For this project, and to kind of work towards that industry goal in specific, i have decided to model one of the characters from the roleplaying game myself and my partner made over the summer, by the name of Slip. The game itself is quite stylized, with the characters having quite bold outfits with a variety of textures. I had a lot of trouble last year with 3D modelling, and i didn't really get to experiment with clothing due to the issues that arose, i am going to have another go with this project, as i don't have to worry about topology too much. 

The character i am hoping to 3D print is my character Stagkafkat, I would like to model her in her more cartoony style as seen in her reference sheet above, i think the bolder shapes will be easier to print than the more detailed look of the cover art. Looking at a lot of minis for tabletop games, features tend to be somewhat overexaggerated [you can see this a lot in the facial regions] as small details often can't be printed that accurately. With that being said though, there are also some elements of her design that will most certainly be more of a challenge to print, that being her cloak, especially if i want to pose it in an interesting manner. I will have to explore the use of supports as well as sculpting the material well in Zbrush. Referring back to my research on how tall my models should be, Stag is of average height so likely will be 14-20mm tall with a base of 1". I think i will aim towards 18-20mm just to retain some detail in her facial region [though as she does not possess eyes or a nose, this might not be necessary and i can print at 14mm]. Pose wise, she is most similar to a spellcaster class mixed with a monk, i would like to place her in an action pose that reflects this. The pose on the right is her casting her main ability within the game, however i think i would have to really look into how to properly balance her so she wouldnt fall over, whilst also keeping her base at 1". So when thumbnailing for what pose to put her in, i will consider where the centre of gravity will be to ensure she doesnt fall over.

I noticed a lot of the models had some kind of prop, my character does have a weapon that is described in the book as simply an "apparatus".

I will draw up some designs to what i think this could be and do some iterations with this prop in the pose.

Trello progress:

https://trello.com/b/r2pzodtd/my-trello-board

After i have completed some thumbnails and have solidified what i would like to model, i will move on to making some orthographics and references to help me when it comes to sculpting my model. Looking at my gantt chart for the whole year, I am on track with my tasks for this project, I want to give myself as much time as possible for this project so that I am not in a situation like i was last year with my 3D modelling project. I want to allow myself to make mistakes and have enough time to solve them and make a good end product.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1lyVIS_NshvRylOgd_6-bwRMivVc21LjAZF4kZR9UgfI/edit?usp=sharing