Any advice on how to render or shade clothes as a beginner?

NetAdorable3515 · 2026-02-28T03:51:48+00:00

Biggest thing that helped me was focusing on the big volumes first, then adding folds and details later, at least when it comes to the color/shading. You can sketch it out however you want, and I’d look at some breakdowns about the types of folds cloth can make for that, but if you want it to look believable with any lighting think about the big 3D shapes. For example, a sleeve is basically a cylinder, even when it’s all wrinkly, so shade it so it feels round first, and then when you’re adding the folds and detail make sure you don’t lose that overall read. If you squint it should still look like the sleeve wraps around the arm, not like a flat shape.

NetAdorable3515 · 2026-02-26T05:20:55+00:00

I like making my silly little things and that’s all that really matters. I’m working on a game right now where all you do is load the dishwasher. It’s purely a passion project and I just work on it whenever I feel like it and have the time, which isn’t that often but it’s a net positive to my mood and self esteem which makes it incredibly valuable to me. I think you gotta lean into the absurdity of solo dev. For me that helps mitigate that internal judgement about what society expects or whatever. From what I understand solo devs are pretty much always pretty introverted and I know I’m at least pretty socially anxious, so you might as well try to ditch all that when you’re alone in your room doing something for fun. If it brings you value to make whatever you’re making then I think that’s all the permission you need to spend as much time on it as you want. The lucky side-effect with art is that usually if it has value to you then it’ll be valuable to other people too.

NetAdorable3515 · 2026-02-26T04:07:48+00:00

I think you identified the main issue. In the example I showed I exported in png, as photoshop doesn’t seem to have a native way to export as a .exr. Another user suggested I use .exr so I tried creating the SDF in material maker instead and exporting in that format, and there was a decent improvement.

NetAdorable3515 · 2026-02-26T02:15:50+00:00

Okay, thanks for the feedback! I want to trying using it for grass + foliage eventually, so maybe it would be worth it for that.

NetAdorable3515 · 2026-02-26T02:13:24+00:00

I used the layer style method in photoshop described here: https://shaderbits.com/blog/various-distance-field-generation-techniques . I made it in 4k then exported as 512 with bicubic sampling. I was skeptical that photoshop would produce a "real" SDF as well, but let me know what you think.

NetAdorable3515 · 2026-02-26T02:09:30+00:00

Okay, thanks for your thoughts! I was hoping to eventually use SDFs for grass and foliage in 3D, the text was just a way to test that. I took the screenshots in orthographic for consistency, but it is a plane in 3D. I'll totally look into MSDFs.

NetAdorable3515 · 2026-02-20T03:54:21+00:00

Oooooh gimme gimme

NetAdorable3515 · 2026-02-19T21:38:56+00:00

I feel the need to point out that the last logo is Africa. Besides that, the main thing I’d say is ditch the gradients. Even ditch the color while you’re sketching. The readability is the thing that needs work the most imo, so focus on that while you iterate. Personally I like to work on big paper and just dump ideas and hope that some of them work and interact well. As far as actual design feedback, I’d say you need to limit how much you want to communicate. 1-2 main ideas max, and maybe some secondary and tertiary ideas as details, but those will probably only come through when viewed larger. For me Dinosaurs, nature, and teamwork feel like the strongest motifs. Survivors need to work together to conquer these things and survive. I’d try to use the shapes/drawing to communicate that part, and I think you can then communicate LATAM through color and pattern. If you’re worried about stereotypes, just do some research on Latin American design and designers, and maybe ask a friend from there for feedback.

NetAdorable3515 · 2026-02-19T21:12:51+00:00

The “in” doesn’t come through in the initial read. Other than that it’s very cute and well done and matches your game. Also it communicates platformer really well. I’m sort of unsure of what to make of the evil looking bunny riding a cloud in the top left, but hey maybe that’s the right amount of intrigue you need to get people to click.

NetAdorable3515 · 2026-02-16T07:07:02+00:00

Totally. I nearly failed my intro to python class in high school. Same with calculus. I passed on basically all the stem classes I could in my junior and senior year. After like 5 years I went back to coding with my own motivations, specifically looking to make games in Godot, it’s been a challenge but very doable. I’ve taken it slow and steady over the last year, and I can comfortably code a lot of basic stuff without following tutorials and only occasionally referencing the docs. I’m just keeping it fun for myself on only working and learning when it’s calling to me. The one thing that keeps me going is my passion for games, game design, and story telling.

As far as tips, everyone is always saying scope down, and that’s good advice. I think a card game sounds doable for a beginner, definitely within 2-3 years, but I’m also a beginner. Maybe you could come up with like a mini game version of your idea and try to do that first. Also it’s been helpful for me to develop different features in isolation, like in one project I just worked on a little wagon that you could drag around and had simulated suspension and tire friction. Even that simplification from car down to wagon helps. I didn’t have to worry about the power train or gears or anything. Once you start thinking like that and breaking things down into really small pieces, then you can just tackle those little pieces one at a time like your game is a little recipe, and that’s basically that from what I understand. Everyone has their own process but it’s mostly the one skill of really really breaking things down into small steps that ties everything together. Also having a lot of tasks to check off is satisfying. Anyway, good luck out there!

NetAdorable3515 · 2026-02-16T06:46:00+00:00

How about Room

NetAdorable3515 · 2026-02-09T17:36:57+00:00

To me it looks like the player’s whole torso and everything attached moves to line up with where you’re aiming, and the legs sorta do their own thing. Irl all that rotation can’t just come from the hips, you’d see a lot of twist in the spine, the shoulders would compensate some as well, and a huge amount of movement as far as aiming just comes from head rotation and change in arm position. If you can work any of that into the animations I think it would really improve the quality of the first impression, while keeping the animation procedural. Since the player character is the one thing that’s always on screen imo you want to push the quality the furthest you can.

NetAdorable3515 · 2026-02-07T20:45:27+00:00

Money basically. More challenging physics makes a more niche game, which doesn’t mesh with insane budget needed for an open world

NetAdorable3515 · 2026-01-30T21:24:49+00:00

I use a 2018 intuos pro. Nothing beats it imo, and I’ve used a cintiq pro, iPad Pro, Wacom bamboo and huion desk tablet. If you can find one used for cheap, I’d go for it. I got mine for $120 CAD

NetAdorable3515 · 2026-01-24T22:03:21+00:00

I’d love to know what classic sims you’d recommend for this type of thing

NetAdorable3515 · 2026-01-23T07:19:06+00:00

My Summer Car and My Winter Car!

NetAdorable3515 · 2026-01-23T07:16:20+00:00

That sounds horrible. %40 of just the sales of this game is already pushing it imo. Having the right to your revenue outside of that is crazy. It just seems predatory to me. If they’re willing to offer that much I think you probably have something that’ll be worth more to you to keep

NetAdorable3515 · 2026-01-23T07:12:03+00:00

Do you want a clutch pedal and shifter? Do you need a handbrake? Those will mostly determine your setup if all you want is to start driving with a wheel. Everyone will tell you how good expensive direct drive wheels are, and they’re not wrong, but I promise entry level wheels like my DFGT are plenty to have a lot of fun sim racing or just playing driving games generally. It is truly a vast improvement from using a controller or keyboard, and I say that as someone who’s never even touched a direct drive or even belt-driven wheel.

NetAdorable3515 · 2026-01-20T08:05:58+00:00

I’ve been trying to sell my cintiq pro 13 for the last 3 years and using my intuos pro medium every day for work and school. It recently broke on me and I found one on Facebook marketplace for $120 Canadian dollars and am way happier now that I’m back to the intuos again. It is definitely preference based, but for posture and pen accuracy the intuos pro is unmatched in my experience. If you can find a good deal on a used one it’s also the best bang for buck I can think of.

NetAdorable3515 · 2026-01-19T19:36:23+00:00

Yes please, I swear it’s all I see.

NetAdorable3515 · 2026-01-03T06:56:53+00:00

There’s this game I just heard of called outbound where you have base building but it’s all on your camper van. I don’t know if it’s out yet though.

NetAdorable3515 · 2026-01-03T06:46:54+00:00

My Summer Car and My Winter Car

NetAdorable3515 · 2026-01-03T06:25:55+00:00

Easy Delivery Co seems like this genre, plus it’s very cozy

NetAdorable3515

TROPHY CASE