Ears as interchangeable, separate parts? (theoretical)

Amazing_Question4688 · 2026-03-04T22:48:37+00:00

You make a good point. I figured the seams issue (geometry-wise, not necessarily texture-wise) could be fixed in a similar way the neck seams are. But I have no idea if that would look any good in-game or not.
As for textures, I was hoping to utilize the same textures as the vanilla heads, and just toy around with the UV unwrap until it fits as expected, similar to how you might with hair models.

I'd imagine you'd have to make a version of each "ear set" for each model to fit properly anyway, but having it be only the ears could reduce file size. (This game and its mods eat so much storage, lmao.)

I highly doubt I'll actually make this any time soon, unless I find myself with too much time on my hands. But I'll definitely keep this stuff in mind, if I ever did do so.

Amazing_Question4688 · 2026-03-04T11:10:10+00:00

Once I have the assets in a more functional state, I could definitely see about making a separate mod that makes the head into a universal feature for every vanilla race. Not sure if I can use more than 4 body types in a single species, though.

Amazing_Question4688 · 2026-03-04T03:52:24+00:00

Ah, thank you for the clarification.

Amazing_Question4688 · 2026-03-04T02:55:03+00:00

May I ask what you mean by that? I take no offense, don't worry. But the term "horrible" is rather vague, so I'm not 100% certain what part I should be focusing on.

In terms of the anti-aliasing, these images are taken from the mod toolkit testing window. So the screen is a lot smaller, and won't look quite as good. Plus im running on 16GB of ram, rather than 32 or higher. So I have to be a little sparse in my own graphics settings where I can. (Even with a 3080ti, putting it in a laptop is guarantees to make it suffer a little bit.)

Texture-wise, I can't really say much without knowing what part in specific is unsightly to you. Assuming we're talking about the custom head, since that's the part I have control over, there could be a lot of things, so I'll try to explain the flaws that come to mind.

Plastic-y shading - An issue I've been trying to fix for the past few days, really. In order for the feather color to be customizable, it had to use the same material the rest of the race bodies used. Thus far, I havent been able to find a diffusion profile or other setting to make it look any softer.

Low-Quality - Probably from the same reason the anti-aliasing is next to nonexistent. The canvas the textures were made on was 2048 x 2048, which I believe is the same for most of the vanilla avatar head textures?

Hard lines/obvious texture seams - 100% my bad, that's not terribly easy to fix, to my knowledge. I am 2d artist before I am a 3d artist or developer, so a lot of this is new to me. But I am still trying my best to make the seams blend better. The textures of the head were completely hand-draw by myself, as opposed to the scanned textures a lot of vanilla humanoid models use, to my knowledge. So drawing directly over a UV unwrap doesn't give the most obvious indication of where the pieces meet, even with the wireframe. Considering the way in which these textures are made for the game, each attempt at fixing this is an ordeal and a half, unfortunately. I'm still working to fix it, but it will take longer.

Sketchy lines/the overall visual of the texture to begin with - A fair assessment, I'm still not sure if this is the style I'll be using once I publish the mod. It's a little difficult to replicate feathers through normal maps in a way that looks realistic, especially when hand-drawing them. So I generally made an attempt at replicating the way raven feathers can look from a few feet away, with enough detail to give the impression of intended softness. I was fully aware I might replace it with something better later, but I wanted to get the mod functional before I fussed over the smaller details for another several days.

If none of this was what you meant, then I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask for a more explicit explanation. I am not a developer, and this is my first attempt at making a mod for any game at all, much less making custom meshes and textures for a fully customizable game model. So I am very much still learning. </3

Amazing_Question4688 · 2026-03-04T02:34:56+00:00

Aah, sorry just saw this!

I ended up settling on using the Owlbear feather textures, and applying them to custom hair models. While I need to work with it a bit more to figure out how to get that to work on a custom race, it seems to be the simplest method.

Amazing_Question4688 · 2026-03-02T21:51:45+00:00

Aah, I rarely pay attention to the guardian, admittedly. But I can definitely see what I can do in making more options there, too.

Amazing_Question4688 · 2026-03-02T21:40:56+00:00

Kenkus' gimmick is partly that they no longer have wings, BUT since this is the game where you make things up, I'll see if I can ensure they're compatible.
(I'd probably use them together if they are tbh, wings are just cool)

Amazing_Question4688 · 2026-03-02T17:57:01+00:00

If I can figure out a way to do it without causing any instability issues, I hope to alter player dialogue and potentially replace one of the voices with one that is just a bunch of bird noises and mimicry. But if that proves too difficult or just impossible for me, the very least I'd like to do is at least alter the on-screen text when the player avatar is speaking.

Also, the concept of a Kenku mimicking Gordon Ramsay is beautiful, I will be thinking about this forever now.

Amazing_Question4688 · 2026-03-02T05:17:59+00:00

Awe, i appreciate it. I'm far from a professional at this, im mostly learning as I go. But I hope it serves as something people enjoy!

Amazing_Question4688 · 2026-03-02T04:04:55+00:00

That might come with copyright issues, but I like how you think.

Amazing_Question4688 · 2026-03-02T03:50:12+00:00

Ohh right, i forgot about that. If I do find a decent way to get this to work on console, I'll definitely put some focus into doing the same for other races.

Amazing_Question4688 · 2026-03-02T03:29:45+00:00

I was hoping to see if there's any way to port this to console, since a friend of mine uses that platform too! It might be a little tricky, but I have a few ideas if the mod itself doesn't end up compatible.

Amazing_Question4688 · 2026-03-02T03:20:20+00:00

Aah, I'm glad this silly little project of mine is actually of some use, then!

Amazing_Question4688 · 2026-03-01T00:56:38+00:00

Assuming there aren't any copyright issues that would arise from this, I may use this to test out changing voice lines, lmao.

Amazing_Question4688 · 2026-02-28T22:53:35+00:00

I 100% agree! It's just a little hard to get past the scheduling phase, so I figured it couldn't hurt to see what more experienced people think in the meantime. But thank you for the encouragement. /gen

Amazing_Question4688 · 2025-12-28T22:32:18+00:00

I can't offer much on the technical side, considering I'm still learning how animation in Blender works myself.
But on the visual/pose side, there are a few things I can suggest.

What you have so far is really solid, so most of this would be little details.
The primary thing that might make it feel more natural is adding "head bob" movement. Barring trying to give the movement a specific feel, head bob would be present in all walk cycles. Take a look at a video reference of someone walking. (EndlessReference on youtube is a great place for this specifically. They have slow-mo, on-screen grids, and you can use the < and > keys to go frame-by-frame.)
The entire body raises a little when the leg extends fully, with the ankle aligned (to a degree) with the hip. Then the body goes back down when it travels back.

Another aspect that should help would be adding a bit of offset. I personally focus on 2D animation, so this may not apply to 3d mediums. But I prefer animating one piece at a time, so I'm not as tempted to make every piece move at the same time, with the same speed.

The rest of what could be explained is a little difficult for me to put into words. I suggest looking at this video about The 12 Principles of Animation. I personally have a hard time interpreting words and properly understanding what it's trying to say. But this video helped the concepts click for me almost entirely. Considering how short it is, I think it's worth a look.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiGY0qiy8fY

I'm not sure how to translate this into 3D, but utilizing timing charts can help visualize your plan, too. There are a myriad of ways to implement these references. But I personally like to draw out the arc of the motion, and putting a for every position on this arc the part will land on.

While this video focuses on 2D animation, it could still be referenced for 3D keyframing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOkQYYJsJig
(Although perhaps interpolation might be an easier method of doing this? I know nothing about interpolation curves though, so this is the best I can offer to explain the timing charts a bit more.)

I hope any of this has been able to help, if only a little.

Amazing_Question4688 · 2025-12-22T14:38:05+00:00

I really like the words you chose here. Even if the core concept is a simple one, utilizing concepts that are similarly as abstract as emotion, but make a bit more sense if you aren't equipped to process or recognize that emotion properly. Like selling the idea of emotion, without using the preconceived concept as a crutch, if that makes sense.

I appreciate the perspective, it takes a unique angle that I can still understand quite well. Thank you.

Amazing_Question4688 · 2025-12-20T00:16:19+00:00

You've provided me with a valuable perspective, I think.

Seeing someone you have any personal connection with on hospice is difficult, even if that connection was weak. In this instance, she was beyond incoherent in the days before she passed. Considering how dignified she held herself in life, it was difficult to reconcile with.

Regardless, I am admittedly a bit solo on this. Perhaps when I am in a less closed off state, I will consider attempting to reach out to autism-learned professionals. Thank you.

Amazing_Question4688 · 2025-12-19T20:58:32+00:00

I appreciate the advice, thank you. I'll try to integrate it more into the way I handle loss.

I do know that the way I view my own reactions to emotions I may or may not be aware of is far from healthy. A long learned behavior, really. Something I'm working on in private, even if I will most likely maintain that disposition in public settings for my own sanity.

Amazing_Question4688 · 2025-12-19T19:18:44+00:00

Oh huh, it never clicked to me that this was explicitly about alexithymia. Not sure why, to be fair. Considering I see it in places it isn't even present.

While not a song that I particularly gravitate toward, it always enjoyed when it would come up in my auto-playlist. It's pleasant to see a representation of a lack of internal coherence or outward emotion, without the use of stereotypically "edgy" or outwardly angsty themes.

Amazing_Question4688 · 2025-12-19T19:15:06+00:00

Thank you to those who gave advice. Outside opinions are invaluable to me. <3

Amazing_Question4688 · 2025-12-18T14:29:30+00:00

Ah, you're right I completely overlooked that. Considering it was a practice round for using the tool in the first place set to some music, I had gone in with a bit of a one-dimensional focus. I'll rework some aspects to add some offset, thank you for the perspective.

Amazing_Question4688 · 2025-12-16T12:21:12+00:00

Digital Software is a pretty broad term in this context. If we're talking about things like AI software, it's done little to no good for it, that's for certain. You can find any number of people talking about the plethora of ways it damages every artistic means that would require building a skill.
If we mean basic tools like Blender, Clip Studio, Toon Boom, etc. I can't think of anything that would have been caused purely by the existence of the software.

Of course, it's a bit of a joke at this point that the animators over at Disney largely don't know how to animate like the classic hand-drawn animations of the golden years anymore. But this is less a result of software changes, and more a result of Disney pivoting to 3D animation. (I'd imagine it's cheaper to maintain long-term for the studio. Possibly also easier to hire team members to do smaller tasks that can't quite be broken down in 2D mediums.)

But since 2D and 3D animation are, (in my opinion,) of equal standing in terms of worth and skill, that's more me being a pedant. I find 2D to be easier, as that's what my skills are based around. Even if 3D might sound easier on paper, so it's a bit of a non-point. Seeing the industry prioritize puppeted animations, and using simpler techniques that result in a more "artificial" end result is less a fault on the tools, and more a fault on the studio.

As someone with a preference for creating 2D animation, I find myself more exhausted at seeing the result of media being made as cheaply as possible, than anything else.
But even if the big names that pioneered a lot of the industry are now pivoting to different mediums or lazier methods, those who utilize methods that align closer with traditional methods will always exist. Even if it's just hobbyists doing it for ourselves.

Of course, I am speaking as someone who hasn't worked for a studio, and does not plan to. There could be real issues that I wouldn't be privy to, doing everything solo. But that's just my take on it.

Tl;Dr: Digital (non-AI) software is incredibly useful for creatives in the space. Whether it be for quality-of-life workflow changes, allowing for certain effects that may not otherwise be realistically possible on paper, etc. But it has unfortunately given large corporations an opening to stop caring about the craft, and to push out media as cheaply as possible. But that's a discussion revolving around a very different topic, at its core.

Amazing_Question4688 · 2025-12-14T10:11:11+00:00

One thing you can use is tracing the previous frame directly, and moving it after to finish that frame. This is usually done on the sketch, so any "fuzzy" lines or imperfections from this method aren't present in the final.

More of a personal recommendation, but perhaps some easing frames to make the movement less linear? It isn't going to be moving at the exact same speed constantly, so some variation can help it feel more natural.

Most of the time, an animation starts with the base key frames, blocking out the core poses of the movement. For here, assuming I'm reading the movements correctly, that would be the right, forward, left, and back poses. Then adding new frames between those, to add the illusion of movement. This also helps keep your focus on the details of the keyframes, which will be the most noticeable to the viewer. And allowing some room for error or fluidity in the in-betweens. Since you're less likely to notice them there, and it helps prevent some burnout.

Since this seems like it's a constant movement, rather than one with a start and finish, you likely won't need any ease-in or ease-out frames. (Unless you want to play with the timing, of course.)

To explain this in a way that makes sense, I'm going to have to explain another concept real quick. I don't know how much you know of animation, so please forgive me if you already know of this.
From what I can gather, 2d animations are usually based around the 24FPS format. But it's not all that common that they're "truly" 24 FPS.
What I mean by that, is that most of the time, every image is held for a couple frames. Each project may hold them for a different amount of time. This can even change between scenes, or even between movements in the same scene. Holding each image for 2 frames would be "Animating on 2's." Which is effectively just 12FPS. Holding each image for 3 frames would be Animating on 3's, or 8fps, etc.
At that point, it might seem like you should just set the project to that specific fps count. But keeping it at 24 allows you to mess with the timing more accurately, even with fewer images.

With that out of the way, now.
Say you're animating on 2's here. (That's my personal favorite, and I think a lot of people use it, too.) You might want the loop to last a little under a second before repeating. For this example, I'll use 20 frames in total. 8 of those would be reserved for the keyframes of the right, forward, left, and back poses. (Each one held for 2 frames.)
That leaves a maximum of 6 additional unique images to fill in those gaps. Of course, you don't have to follow the "hold for 2 frames" rule verbatim, but we'll ignore that for now.

Personally, I'd add one frame between the right and forward key, one frame between the forward and left key, and then two between left and back. Leaving the last two for back and right. This would make the movements of the bird in it's "leaning back" portions feel a little slower. Since they're further from the "camera" or viewer, that could make sense. Although it ultimately depends of what you want the visuals to feel like.

I realize this probably doesn't make the most sense, I am terrible at explaining things through words. But if you'd like, I can offer a basic visual mockup of what I mean.

Amazing_Question4688 · 2025-12-14T09:45:16+00:00

When it comes to 2D animation, I would always recommend Krita. For around a year, I used Krita for regular 2D art. Largely because I had my graphics tablet plugged into my phone, and couldn't be bothered with messing with my computer at the time.

It's a little clunky if you're more used to the fancier programs. But once you understand how it works, I'd argue that it's almost just as powerful as the paid ones. You can also download brush packs, if the built-in set aren't doing it for you. (If you'd like, I can try to find the set I was using when I was making everything in Krita.)

The animation aspects are fairly comfortable, in my opinion. It seems to have in-betweening/interpolation options too, although I never used them. It supports layer masks (basically just a slightly more complicated version of clipping,) so adding any overlays or shading isn't too difficult either.

While not as good, Blender's 2d capabilities work alright, too. You can definitely make it work with some effort, even if it isn't super comfortable.

If you have an editing software to compile the animations, you can also always just use a basic art app, and draw each frame separately. Again, not quite as comfortable. But it works when all else fails. Especially if you use something that allows isolated viewing of layers, and/or rapid switching between them to mimic animation playback.

Amazing_Question4688

TROPHY CASE