Zoe - A look at the progress (Patreon)

First post here! And since that's the case, I shall make it public for everyone to see! First off, let me say thank you for kickstarting this page with so many pledges, I'm happy this works out so well! Also apologies if I sent out messages to patrons twice, still getting used to everything here. D:

With every new animation I try to improve the overall look of Notkrystal. Especially since last year there've been a lot of improvements on not just the geometry, but also on her shaders and fur model. Especially her torso has seen vast improvements, there are now accents on squishy abs, as well as a bellybutton. Teeth have been entirely remodeled, the previous ones always looked like wood stumps, never liked that look. In addition the materials in her mouth are finally rendered with elaborate subsurface scattering, a shading technique that simulates translucency and general makes materials appear a lot more soft. A major update has been done to her textures as well, with Zoe having tattoos all over her body now. Fur density has been doubled with hairs being half as thick now. Additionally I'm planning to use a new fur rendering technique for future animations, you can see this new method in action on this updated reference sheet of Zoe, which generally shows a comparison between the 2015 and 2016 version. This new fur rendering method requires each frame to be rendered twice though, effectively doubling the render time. Having said that, I have yet to use it in animations!

http://cake.macrophile.com/HDimages/Zoe_oldvsnew.jpg

To do list

While I'm pretty happy with the model's current state, there's still a bit of work to be done. The model is still based on Gadonstriom's and Rhyfe2002's rig that used the Krystal model of Starfox Adventures as a base.

http://krystalarchive.com/gallery/3d.Rhyfe2002Rig/3d.Rhyfe2002Rig.01.jpg

Back then I got in contact with Rhyfe, started working on the rig from there and getting it onto the quality it is now. Looking back at this it probably would've been a lot easier just making an entirely new model and using that SFA model as a reference, as working the model up likely ended up being a lot more work than this. It sometimes feels a bit like a nerdier version of restoring an old '67 Chevrolet Impala. But let's get to the things that still need to be done!

Eyes - There's quite a gap between eyeballs and eyelids, going to need some geometry tweaks to have them perfectly align to each other.

Nose - Could use some higher res bump and better defined specular, will have to seperate it from the model to do so.

Tail - Currently a big bunch of floof, will have to make it a more defined bunch of floof!

Fur - Could use an even higher density, hairs are still a little too thick up close. This one is entirely limited to GPU power and VRAM, so if Patreon really takes off I might be able to invest into a GTX 1080 and give her the Pixar level fur she always deserved.

Hands/Feet - I hate to admit it since it will be a painful task to modify poly structure on an already rigged model, but at some point it has to be done. ;-;

Clothes? - Eventually later on. While her tank top looks great, I might give her custom jeans sometime that perfectly cling to her butt!

Let me know if there's anything else that you think needs work!