January Update - Tyr'ahnee, Anthro Base Update, Plan B (Patreon)

Hi guys. I'm at friends today, so no fancy previews, please bear with lazy t-pose shots.
This is the first month of new decade, and it already started controversial. But I'll start with good things, because that's why you come here right?

First of all - holy macarony, the support you've given me for Loona is through the roof! Seriously, you're all badass. I'm glad this bad girl and her spanking new features have attracted so many of you, I hope you'll stick around because there's more to come!

Speaking of more - I wasn't messing around. There's a character that many of you have been requesting for me to upload. However, I couldn't just do it - it was a commission, and I can't upload private stuff without commissioner's consent. Gladly, it was given. Hentype (btw go support that dude, his stuff is top tier) let me share it with you, and I've even added some stuff of my own. So, let's get to it.

So, character features wise,  Tyr'ahnee is apparently the easiest anthro I ever done. You know, because no mouth. In fact, I had two attempts at her. First was a year ago, before v6 and update of the ReVAmped line. The second is now, when I also made her outfit, and since I'm also improving texturework now - why not practice it here?

Tyrahnee comes with a few variations. Her hair by default is quite detailed - this is my first attempt at that kind of hair. It's done with curves, I wondered if I can port it to SFM. Turned out, I can. But it's not for everyone, so I left her cartoony hair as a switchable option.

Her clothing acts in a similar way. And it looks amazing. This is actually the first time I got metal to look properly metal in SFM, not without help of course, and this help came from where I least expected. But we'll talk about that later. Default textures are super OP, but there's an option for cartoony looks lovers too. Besides, new HD stuff is experimental -  I can't get recolor to work on it yet, and transparent HD cloth is really DoF dependant, might be a pain for animators. Old $translucent method is easier to work with, but doesn't look as cool.

Tyrahnee will get released on SFMLab on March 3, along with her outfit. However HD textures will stay here a while longer, since they are the stuff I'm currently researching and improving.

And that's not all. The body base is receiving an update. This time, it's about size, ragdoll, and cothing compatibility.
If you follow me long enough, you know I don't update stuff often. In fact, I try to update it as less frequent as possible, but make the updates meaningful. That's because any change in the model may break sessions it's in. I know that pisses you off, but I haven't changed anything since October.

Main issue so far was that models are a bit small for the rest of the stuff SFM has. In many cases you could end up rescaling many assets to fit the characters, or vice versa. ReVAmped models should be about easy usability, so their size has been ramped up.

Another thing I've changed for ease of use is bone rotations. Not the aspect many modelers take into consideration, properly rotated bones allow for easier bending of things in right directions. For example, you can easily manipulate elbows now by rotating just one bone axis, or rotate the torso horizontally. This isn't a notable change, but it's a quality of life improvement at no expense whatsoever.

In addition to that, I am reworking the sourcefiles folder. Previously, ReVAmped Ponies and Anthros had separate, albeit similar sourcefile repositories. Now both will compile from one folder, and share the same assets. I'm still finalizing it, especially in shadow of the body update, but ReVAmped Sourcefile Factory will be out on February 3, and be available for everyone. This is also when the base update rolls for ALL anthros, including ponies and Loona.  And Kerfuffle Anthro goes free. With an update to her leg and clothing materials.

And if you ordered an ReVAmped anthro OC model from me - don't worry, all I'll need to do is press recompile button once to recompile all OCs. Just redownload your character after February 3.

That's pretty much it about update. Now, about life.
This should be the day when I would be getting familiar with the streets of San Diego, finding a room for rent, and preparing for study. Unfortunately, this will never be.

I've been refused a US student visa, twice, based entirely on the fact that I'm a remote freelancer and haven't traveled for the past 5 years. A picture perfect portrait of a potential illegal immigrant, according to embassy's guidebook.
I've lost two month's pays over this chance that didn't work out. But I believe we only lose things we don't deserve. If I'm not coming over, maybe I'm not worthy of that at all, and should try another way.

A good friend of mine told me about Animschool - an online school for 3D animators and modelers, teaching the ways to AAA pipeline. I am confident with what I do now, but this is an amazing chance to improve. And learn ZBrush and Maya too. Unlike my previous study plan, this directly impacts the quality of what I make for you guys, and the cost of study is roughly the same. I've decided that I go for it.

Besides, Loona release has brought some really talented guys to the ReVAmped community this month. Together, we can start bringing SFM models to Blender properly, devoid of all these stupid outdated limits. This is big change time, and it would be unwise to give up now.

But enough rambling. I'm uploading Tyrahnee now. Tell me your thoughts in comments below.