How you can Customise Eyes and Enamel in Character Creator for One Piece Nami

A Dev Information to Creating Reusable Asset Library for the Reallusion Market

Introduction

Greetings, I’m Peter Alex and on this article I’ll exhibit some superior tips in creating anime-style toons in Character Creator 4 (CC4).  The issue I used to be going through is that CC’s design is targeted round real looking characters; But, I used to be aiming for the imaginative model of One Piece. The areas I’ll be specializing in are the enamel, eyes, eyelashes, and pores and skin. I’ll even be adjusting the facial profile, making a Head Preset, and making use of components of the newly created elements to a different stylized character. So I encourage you to learn on to equip among the core ideas that may be expanded upon to your personal tasks.

To begin off this tutorial, you’ll must obtain and set up the “CC4 Blender Pipeline Device  Plugin” for CC4. >> Download here.

Then you definitely’ll must obtain and set up the “CC/iC Blender Instruments” plugin for Blender. >> Download here.

Creating New Enamel

Whereas some cartoon types do comprise real looking enamel, I’m particularly going for a really simplified, anime model.

1. I’ll begin by exporting the character utilizing the Blender Pipeline Add-on in Character Creator.

2. Then, I’ll import the FBX file utilizing the CC/iC Add-on in Blender.

3. With the avatar imported, I’m going to make use of the geometry of the unique enamel to construct the anime enamel. I’ll seize an edge loop from the highest of the gums and extrude a easy form for the highest enamel. Then I’ll extrude and add some depth. I’ll then delete the highest row of polygons, which is able to permit for straightforward UV unwrapping.

4. I’ll repeat this for the underside enamel, then mix the enamel into one object.

Word:

Because the geometry has been extruded from the unique enamel, I don’t want so as to add vertex teams or weight maps. These enamel are additionally certain to the armature by default, utilizing this methodology. When you create extra complicated enamel utilizing one other methodology, you have to to assign the suitable teams and weight maps and bind it to the armature.

  • For the High Enamel, the vertex group should be “CC_Base_Teeth01”.
  • For the Backside Enamel, the vertex group should be “CC_Base_Teeth02”.

5. With the enamel created, export the character utilizing the CC/iC add-on and import the FBX utilizing the Blender Pipeline Plugin in Character Creator.

Word:

Chances are you’ll expertise a warning throughout the import course of, however the import ought to in any other case achieve success.

Adjusting the Eyes

With the enamel created, I’ll work on the eyes. This can be a less complicated course of than the enamel, as I’ll largely be altering the textures. You’ll need a picture editor for this course of; When you do not need Photoshop, you should use an alternate akin to Krita.

Clicking on the fabric channel and initiating the feel launcher will ship the feel to your picture editor. I will probably be modifying the diffuse texture.

In Krita, I will probably be making a quite simple texture to exchange the real looking model. Only a white to pink radial gradient for the sclera and a black circle for the pupil and iris. I’ll save the feel, which is linked to a short lived file. Until the hyperlink is damaged, saving the file in Krita will replace the feel in Character Creator.

I’ll then manually copy this eye texture over to the opposite supplies for the attention, as they don’t seem to be linked to the saved file.

I see that that is nonetheless inadequate, as a result of properties of this materials, so I’ll alter the Sclera brightness.

I’ll use this identical course of to create stylized eye lashes. On this case I’ll edit the opacity map, and use it as a reference when making the changes. Opacity operates on a black to white spectrum. Black is invisible, white is seen.

Creating New Pores and skin

Subsequent, I’ll simplify the pores and skin texture. There are a number of methods to do that — I’ll use the only methodology. Choose the diffuse texture slot for the pinnacle. Within the Regulate Shade dialog, dial the Distinction to -100.

Copy the feel then reserve it in the identical slot. This would be the identical as importing a grey texture. Regulate the Saturation, Hue and Brightness till you obtain the specified pores and skin tone.

Copy this texture and place it within the slots for the Physique, Arms, and Legs. It will create a easy basis to your skin. If the conventional maps are offering an excessive amount of element, dial down the conventional depth.

You may make additional changes to the pores and skin by activating the Pores and skin Shade choices. I wished to subtract some element, so I didn’t use it initially.

I’ll make a number of different changes earlier than I begin altering her facial profile. I’ll enhance the dimensions of her Pupil and Iris. This may be carried out by way of the Morph Editor in case you have the Headshot plugin, and could be carried out to a restricted diploma by manipulating the supplies for the Cornea.

Adjusting Stylized Enamel

Subsequent I’ll alter the location of her enamel. Though first I discover that the stylized enamel have odd regular results. You may repair this by choosing the enamel and smoothing the normals within the Edit Normals choices.

Now I’ll alter the enamel by referencing the thumbnails of every major expression.

I’ll make further corrections akin to the location of the eyelashes and eyeballs. Make these changes previous to utilizing the facial profile editor so that you don’t should redo them.

Utilizing the Facial Profile Editor

The subsequent step is to switch the facial profile. However first, I’ll alter the attention components by choosing Appropriate Eyeblink within the Character menu. Typically the eyelash will must be manually corrected, particularly for stylized characters. As well as, eyes this huge current an issue since they bulge past the elasticity of the eyelids, inflicting them to clip by way of the geometry when the character blinks.

There are two methods to appropriate this downside: deform the eyeballs for the blinks or alter their positions. For this character, I selected the latter methodology as a result of the attention positions could be mirrored versus deformations.

To reposition the eyes, I used the Proportion Editor and switched to Face and made positive that symmetry was disabled. When wanted, I checked Present Expression to reference the present expression.

I then chosen the attention bones and translated them barely backwards and baked the expression. The eyeballs will now retreat to mitigate the clipping throughout the blinks. In all however excessive instances, this could resolve the problem.

Accommodating Customized Expressions

I beforehand created custom expressions for this character, however the enamel weren’t appropriate with the unique information. To repair this, I’ll dial within the expression and alter the enamel to suit, then rebake it in order that the brand new enamel will purchase the brand new information. Adjusting the enamel is surprisingly straightforward with the rework instruments whereas within the Edit Mesh window.

Saving the Edits to the Eyes and Enamel

Saving an asset typically requires two steps. Choose the asset you need to save and go to the designated class within the Content material window and click on Save. A thumbnail will probably be mechanically generated for you based mostly on the present digicam. You may exchange it with one other picture at any time.

Making a Head Preset

The top consists of a number of elements: The morph, facial profile, eyes, enamel, eyelashes, pores and skin and materials settings — and now the wrinkle settings with the most recent replace (I’m positive sooner or later it can include much more elements). Every of those elements could be saved as a preset, and the Head preset unifies them.

Making a Head preset is comparatively straightforward. First, it’s essential to separate the physique and head utilizing the Create > Head & Physique Morph Sliders command. Subsequent, go to the content material window, choose your character, and click on save whereas within the Head Morph & Pores and skin class.

A physique preset can likewise be saved, though it accommodates much less elements.

I’ll exhibit the presets I’ve created on a brand new character. I’m going to load a demo character and use it as a base to use the presets I simply created. I’ve cleared the prevailing morphs, leaving the character in its default impartial state.

Any preset or accent could be utilized by double clicking or dragging the merchandise onto the character from the Content window. The preset masses high quality, though there may be an apparent conflict between realism and cartoon types. Loading the physique preset and stylized hair minimizes this.

All of her presets are actually loaded to this demo avatar, together with the facial profile, which is a part of the pinnacle preset. The power to load a complete head setup helps with mixing character designs.

Lastly, I’ll apply the enamel and eyes to a different stylized character, so I can clarify the problems you could have to unravel together with your challenge. First, notice that your character should have the identical tier of facial profile for the customized enamel or eyes to load. For instance, these enamel have been created with the Extended Facial profile, so the character should have an Prolonged Facial profile utilized for the enamel to load.

You may see that the preliminary alignment with this character is off, however it may be simply corrected utilizing the rework instruments in Edit Mesh. After which you’ll align the enamel higher by evaluating the place with the icons within the Facial Editor.

Utilizing the Facial Editor to look at expressions is a vital a part of adjusting the facial profile. This menu permits you to undergo frequent expression combinations and see if there are any points, akin to geometry clipping or misalignment with different belongings, such because the enamel or tongue. Ideally you need the expression to match the thumbnail, and adjusting the enamel to match key expressions is a vital step.

I’ve scaled down the iris dimension a bit, as I discover them to be too dilated. Beforehand I had used each the sclera UV radius and the morphing choices to realize a big iris, however I can use simply the Sclera UV choice to lower the Iris scale. The distinction is that adjusting the UV radius impacts the feel, whereas the morphing choices affect the geometry.

These enamel have been aligned with the earlier stylized character, so the offset was based mostly on her enamel’s preliminary place. For the very best outcomes, design your enamel across the avatar’s impartial form.

The largest points are with the custom expressions for this character. The remainder of the expressions work effectively.

You may see the side-by-side comparisons right here. As I discussed, you might not want toon belongings to convey a cartoon model, though I believe for the anime character it could be tough to do with out.

Conclusion

The presets in Character Creator are extraordinarily highly effective and could be leveraged for a lot of completely different types, together with cartoons. Whereas the base avatar is designed with realism in thoughts, the power to avoid wasting facial profiles and import custom anatomy can push the software program into different classes. Character Creator turns into highly effective with each replace, and I encourage content material creators and artists so as to add this wonderful software program to their pipeline.

Free Obtain :

CC/iC Blender Tools (addon put in in Blender)

CC4 Blender Pipeline Tool Plugin (addon put in in Character Creator 4)

Character Creator

Be taught extra :

• Peter Alexander (Mythcons): ArtStation. Facebook

Blender-Character Animation Pipeline

Reallusion