VIVI - TALES OF THE 8TH DESIGN (PART 2 - THE MODEL)

Welcome back to the crack den known as my blog on modelling Vivi. If you have not read the previous part, here's the link to that. To recap: I gave a recap on the V6 & V7 phase, and made a reference sheet, showing off some of the design changes, which includes a new haircut, updated color palette, and a thicker body shape.

V8 design (not drawn: shoes).

Now all that's set and done, I begin with the second phase of the project: Model the damn thing, and this is going to be a doozy. Fair warning, there is some nudity, but no genitals are modelled... Only nipples you could barely see. Then again, I don't think anyone is gonna read this, unless you are under 18... Why are you even here?

PHASE TWO: THE MODEL

To begin, I normally fire up Blender 2.79 to do my work (since that the one I'm most familiar with). To change things up a bit, I decide to use Blender 4.2.1, much to my own dismay. Yeah, when I tried Blender 2.8 (the first version with the UI changes), it felt very alien to me. They changed the controls I mainly used, rearranged a lot of bells & whistles, it's disorientating. I eventually get used to it.

Anyways, I started modelling with the same kind of method I used, which is the mannequin method (aka: blocking from what I seen). I slapped some shapes to make a rough blueprint on the model and I start to realize the problem...

First attempt to model Vivi

Feels like I'm about to hit the same brick wall where I gave up on previous attempts. Guessing my worries on polycount is kicking in again, despite having a more powerful PC that makes the laptop look like a Windows 95 machine. So I looked up some Blender vids and decided to ditch the blocking method with something else I'm familiar with... 

Modelled the face and ears. I only add one earring to her left side.

I restart the whole thing, began with some finesse, and just like the ref sheet: Start with the face. The face part isn't that bad, although the hair would be a problem later, but for now my priority is the whole body. I also downloaded someone's fanmade Shantae model as a reference point.

Shantae model by ultim8-nik on DeviantArt (only body). I used this as more of a topology reference.

I started subdividing the rough body to shape things up a little. So even if I did use the blocking method, I may have stumble upon some snags like the part where I split the torso from the legs and all that. But alas, I went through as planned.

Incomplete body, but with a custom matcap I made just for fun.

Blender 2.8+ does have some neat features on displaying models. For starters, you can import your own matcaps instead of one of the presets or make a custom material piece based on that. The matcap I made is a quickie I've done using Inkscape. Back to the body, I wanted to have the option of subdivision surface to make it look smoother, even though Vivi had some sharp corners that'll hinder that look.

Near-complete body, toon shading, and hair implemented.

I got the hair down to a fault. It took me a while, but in the end, I think it looks like shit, so I eventually ditch the hair used in the ref sheet. Also, you may notice that I was doing some toon shading on the model, consisting of harsh shading & highlights. Yeah, that would soon to come around and bite my ass, soon. Oh BTW, the pics above only had one texture, which is nothing more than the eyes.

Full rough body without material shading.

I did model them hands, but my eventual issue is how these look when subdivided, which ends up them looking like sausages. I soon linked those hands with arms and what's next for me is something else entirely. As far as any amateur modelers know, subdivision HATES sharp objects. Give a cube subsurf, and it will soon become a sphere. One way to mitigate this is to edge split (or inset) and set them near the edge, but the downside is the cost of resources. I discovered a way not only save me resources, but it's made for the subsurf modifier in mind: Edge Creases.

Top pic: Subsurf, before edge creases.

Bottom pic: Subsurf, after edge creases.

Edge creases IMO is the Blender God's gift, because you have no idea how much of a game changer these things are. Since these are a lot more flexible, I apply them in a lot of places.

New hair model.

After fiddling with the edge creases, shape up the topology a little, and experiment on some Hellboy styled shading, I ditched the hair based off the ref sheet and freeball a little on my own design... Which is harder than it looks. You see, the hair is actually all flat with the Solidify modifier applied, hence you see this weird shading from the hair bangs that just cuts off. Also note the hair sprout I put there for fun. I may have to update that hair when I get to Phase 3.

More progress: Eyelashes, eye rig, and shape keys.

One more thing is that I not only added shape keys, but also a rudimentary rigging system for her eyes. This is done by applying a UVWarp modifier on her eye model (in this case: models) and attach it to the rig so I could move the individual bones to move her pupils instead of her literal eyeballs (which are not spherical btw).

Shape keys on the other hand is a different story. Shape keys is like individual frames in 2D animation where you have to redraw the whole character but in a different pose, and then draw the in-betweens, but the in-betweens are done automatically... Hard to explain, but easy to show. The video above where Vivi blinks only has one shape key, which is the blink pose. I also applied them keys to the mouth as well.

:3

So that's all for now. Tune in next time where I get to the more egregious part of the model: Rigging the whole body (+update the hair & rig that too).