The Sheriff
Conception
Bringing a new character into the world can be a daunting task. We know that we will love them…but will the world? Thankfully the internet is full of wonderful images to help guide you along in the creation of your new little one. From the beginning we knew that we wanted our Hero to have that “steely-eyed” Clint Eastwood good guy/bad guy look…well, as steely-eyed as you can get with a Chibi-style character.
Birth
Our Hero (as do all good Heroes) came from humble beginnings. A simple cube. I could have started with a cylinder, but I wanted this character to be a bit “edgy.” 😛 We push, pull, extrude, scale, cut, and weld. Slowly shaping our little cube into something that roughly resembles the amazing character that we know they will eventually become!
Tweens
This is one of the most difficult and frustrating stages of the character creation process. The mesh is taking form, but can become moody and self-absorbed. Just be patient and trust in the process. Start off with basic shapes and mold them. A good dark beer can help during this process.
The College Years
Congratulations! Your little Hero has survived its formative years…or better put, YOU survived. Now it’s time to smooth out those rough edges and make them shine! This is where you make the final tweaks and clean up the mesh. Check those silhouettes from all angles. Skin the rig to make sure the mesh is going to deform properly. Once you’re satisfied with the mesh, lay out the UVs, and paint your textures!
Becoming an Adult
Your little Hero is all grown up and ready to take on the world (or at least your game engine of choice)! Rig them up and export them on their way. This can be a scary time as the creator, watching as your little character gets knocked around by the mean programmers. Your character may even have to move back in with you until they get things worked out. But don’t worry, they will eventually get their s#*! together and be back out there raiding dungeons and fighting sand worms like the little Hero you knew they were!
Good luck and enjoy the process!
