Goals

Triangle count under ~40k

I usually go by total polycount, but since this is a quad mesh I have roughly half the geometry to work with. I usually also go with a soft limit of 50k and a hard limit of 75k in self-directed projects.

One Texture

I want to limit the number of high-resolution materials to ensure this character is game-ready. I typically assign separate materials for each prop and several materials for the skin, but with this character I’m attempting to limit myself to a single 4096x4096 texture for the entire character while maintaining a realistic look.

Objects

While a main character for a game should have props that can be swapped out when a player picks up new loot, NPCs should be optimized as much as possible. Therefore, I’m making an effort to have this character be a single object.

Realism

While I usually aim for realism in props outside of mobile game characters, I often stylize proportions and skin texture in a given character’s body. To give this character realism, I’ve been spending extra time on these aspects.

Rigging

This character will be compatible with the Unreal Engine default rig. The final look will be displayed in Unreal Engine 5, and should work with Mannequin/Metahuman animations.

To-Do

I rushed to a first render, since that’s where I most easily spot mistakes. Since this isn’t a team project, I’m relying on my own feedback. So far I’ve spent roughly 10 hours (thanks to my male base mesh and auto-rigging).

Hair

While I think this character pulls off a buzzcut, hair is definitely a good challenge for meeting polycount goals. I’ll be making some hair cards for him. A helm would be more historically accurate, but it would obscure the face- and one of the main goals here is skin texture.

Armor Details

Since this is a guard in a palace, presumably the rulers who preside there have a coat of arms and common symbols. I’ll be adding some alpha detail to the armor to reflect that, particularly since this guard is of a high rank.

Shoes

The soles of this character’s boots appear to bulge out. I’m adjusting the profile to a flat line with no curvature. I’m also eliminating the front sabaton; it doesn’t add anything to the design and functionally should curve along the upper line of the boot and have a strap across the back of the ankle.

Gorget

The gorget (neck armor) needs to appear to be something that could be taken on and off. I’ll be adding some detail to the normal map to show screws and a dividing line in the front and back.

Fabric Construction

The tunic is neck-high, so technically it should have buttons somewhere. I’ll be adding some to the material, as well as cuffs. The tunic, harness, and cape will also need a few stitching lines.

Cape

The cape currently has some basic skin weights. I’ll add cloth dynamics in Unreal Engine.

Weaponry

Currently the guard is unarmed. I’ve been planning out a sheathed sword that won’t cause rigging issues, which I’ll probably attach to the belt. I'll create a drawn version of the sword as well, so that I can add sword draw/sheathe animations later if I want to.

First render

Note:

When I have more renders I’ll create a gallery showing progress. I don’t anticipate too many rounds of changes, since this is a self-directed piece with no stakeholders.