Quick Status Update (Patreon)

Hello Guys,

I have been quite busy with work lately to dedicate enough time for VaM and Monster Girl creation, as work has been extremely demanding of me as of late which required quite a lot of time and dedication. I find it quite hard and frankly difficult to describe my situation in a public forum specially to wonderful people who look up to me for content creation by pledging their support all this time, in which I'm blessed to have such support that quite frankly always warms my heart and keeps me returning to create more awesome things. Your support made me happen, and I'm never thankful enough.

I was pondering this idea of releasing Normal Looks, as you can see in the picture above, I have amassed quite a bunch of em, now to explain this in further context, we have to understand the process of Monster Girl creation.

Monster Girl creation is kind of a tedious process, it all starts from imagination (Go figure Mr. Batatis.. Very Genius, Much WOW), HOLD ON! Give me room to explain. Once I get an idea and hear some of the feedback, I start envisioning how the girl will look, this process in reality is quite simple in which most creators will do in different capacity (Creating a Normal Look). So I load up my Base Model, and start adjusting default sliders until I'm satisfied with the base shape give or take. Then I go to ZBrush and start sculpting the details that VaM does not provide by default. I Actually like this process, it's like playing with clay but for adults and it's not messy 😅.

Once I get the Morphs loaded in VaM, I then apply them to the model, usually all works out quite fine, but in some cases, this needs rectifying, as the morphs either out of place (They do not fit the Look) or I screwed up the import somehow, in which I have to redo the process of importing again. Imagining now that all went well, the morphs will create the base look which I then will go and name. 

Now.. the important decisions phase starts, do I use a texture from a previous build? Or should I create a new one to fit this said new Look? This is highly dependent on the Monster Girl I'm going for. One good example can be a released Monster Girl (Azure) as she is the latest, it would make explanation easier. The idea for me for Azure was a Pale skin that could show veins as details. I did not have such skin ready at hand so I had to go and create The pale Girl (Jinn - Picture of her in the WIP of Azure in the link) After several iterations on the skin texture for Jinn, I successfully completed the Look and now could save it as an individual Named Look. This in particular until now, is just creating a Normal Look... So now the transformation from Normal Look to Monster Girl begins.

For the Transformation to happen correctly, I have to start introducing Animal/Mythic Parts/Limbs that is inherent to the Monster Girl DNA (Fancy for Creating Morphs for hands and feet and features for the Monster Girl I'm going for), this require either an existing model available for me to base the parts I need from, or I have to go and create them from scratch. If they are available, it's a matter of how to Wrap them on the G2F base figure from Daz. Which is an extreeeeeeeemly frustrating process. So I go load a crocodile 3D Model and ZBrush, and cut his feet/arms. and I align them in the same (General Area) of where the G2F female limbs are located, and I start the wrapping process. This usually take a very long time with trial and error, and that is why it's time consuming, to clarify further. When I was creating Harpina's Talons, I did a similar approach in the wrapping, instead of the results turning out to be talons, they became duck feet.... Freaking duck feet. (I saved them ofc if I'm going for a duck girl somewhere in the future don't worry 😉), but its' tedious nonetheless. 

Once I'm satisfied with the Parts in ZBrush, I begin the importing process, which will guaranteed it will not work in the first import... Eye popping, Limbs deformation, hip cracks.. Stuff from nightmares. So adjustments for bones and morphs need to be modified in DaZ again to have the right scale for the export to be clean. Once that is done, I load them and now I have a Monster Girl Morphs... Excellent, now what? The what is simply as - Textures and Assets. 

For the textures, I kind of amassed quite a library of animal/fish textures, to a worrying degree to be honest now that I'm thinking rationally about it... (psst 400GB), so I begin the process of cleaning the texture out and make it seamless across a 2k base resolution, then I start to blend and draw in Photoshop, after all that is done, I load the model in Photoshop 3D and blend the seams as well, this takes an intensive amount of concentration and coffee... But the results usually are something I'm quite proud of. After that is done, then I start to look into the Assets to complement the Creature (Wings/Horns/Tails) Remember that crocodile? Yessss, I'm not done butchering him, next is the tail 🐊🔪!

Taking the tail as an example, I go and throw it in Blender for Texturing + Rigging, this is another fantastic opportunity for me to tell you that Blender SUCKS! But, it does the job! After rigging and UV Maps have cleared, I take the UV Map and load it on Photoshop, take the completed limbs texture of Azure that I have created and try to match the color tone of the scales and draw on them, once that is complete I load the texture back in Blender so I can Export this whole thing as an FBX. Once the export is complete, I load it in Unity for another round of fun action with a mini game I call {Avoid Explosions). This usually takes a very long time, because once the tail is loaded in Unity, you get to see the rigging and wight displacement playing out differently from Blender, so you have yo go rerigg the tail or fix the joints in unity. A lot of back and forth until you get an acceptable results, then you introduce to the mix, the colliders... Another headache, as they are a guarantee an explosion in the first run.

If I'm satisfied with the Physics, I begin creating the Material for Unity as well, fit it right and inject some shaders in the mix. Then import the tail back as an asset. 

Once that is done for the Tail/Wing/Horn, I load them on the model and call it done. This in general my current Workflow for creating any and All Monster Girls. I do not create hair styles and clothing, which would have increased the production line quite extensively.

So now comes the question, why are you telling us all this nonsense Mr. Batatis? The honest answer can be the following 2 points.

• I respect and appreciate your feedback and opinions.
• Due to the current situation I'm undergoing, there is going to be a slight reform to the content creation I'm dishing out moving forward.

I'm currently trying to revisit how I create content and share it with my supporters, this would require a detailed thought process as I want it to be fair and engaging for all of you as I try to work with complete transparency in showcasing progress. Also I have been asked quite a lot of times to share my base looks, which would gradually increase the release schedule of any creation I undergo along with you. With that context out of the way, I'm still new to Patreon, it's only been roughly 4 months give or take, I learned quite a lot from your feedback as well as my capacity as a creator, as I thrive to always make quality content that you guys would accept. With that self growth, I wanted to make sure I bring the right workflow that would assure the successful delivery of said content without worldly pressures. Which I assume, quite a lot of you are impacted form as well as I am.

This is the quick update that I wanted to share with you, there is possibly some thought eventually to reform the Patreon Offering as well with the shift in release model. I just want to make sure that it's going to be sustainable as it would provide growth and transparency based progression.

Finally, I lean on your feedback, so please do not hesitate to contact me or keep the discussion flowing below in the comments.

As Always,
What Would I Do Without You!