All in one post: Updates and ideas, Models and stuff

Afterword: I was writing this post and got awfully long. So I've decided to add tags to the title. You can use Ctrl+F and search the codetags below to jump to that topic.

• Regarding Patreon [PAT00]
• Change: Preanalysis [PAT01]
• Change: Bodygroups [PAT02]
• Models of the month [MOD00]
• Laura Matsuda summary [MOD01]
• Sara Ryder summary [MOD02]

After this line, there is the start of the post.

Ok so, I've been thinking of some stuff that could either help Patreon and help you guys, so I want to write them down, hear back from you and see what you guys think of. I would absolutely love if you guys could help me with some feedback in the matter, so here we go.

Regarding Patreon [PAT00]

Ok, so I've been thinking about implementing a couple of changes about Patreon, but some of them need your feedback and some other doesn't, so let's get into it.

Change: Preanalysis. [PAT01]

Sometimes when a patron submits a model, I only notice when I'm about to start with the model that a model might be faulty or might not be easy to work with. Two examples are the following:

1) Gwynevere from Dark Souls

There's a model of Gynever, however, she lacks face rigging. I'm not a model rigger, so for me, this model is automatically a no.

2) Dragon Symmetra from Overwatch

Symmetra is a pretty regular looking character, however, Dragon Symmetra is heavily stilyzed. Same can be said from other characters, like that deer from Battleborn or any other alien. Since they are not human, this may prove way too much difficult to me work with, so that would be a no as well.

What I'm trying to say is, I'm going to analyze the model before accepting it as a Model Submission. I've only have 2 basic questions in mind that need to get answered:

• Is it human?
• Does it have a face rig?

If any of those two gets a "No" for an answer, I will let the Patron know about this and will request the patron to resubmit again.

Issues with this change:

• If the model doesn't have a Face Rig then I cannot build the flexes properly. And if you don't like the flexes I've built, you don't have Face Bones to fix some flexes or to face pose the model yourself. That's a lose lose situation for the end user. I don't want that.
• People might think I'm discriminating their submissions for some reason. Believe me it's not that. I want to work only with humans because this is something I call a "-Can't please anyone- Situation."

I can only work with human models and that is not because I want to. That's because the resources I have on Daz only allows me that. I cannot work on nude Quarian models. I cannot work on Witcher 3 Female monster models. I cannot work with Dragon-like models.  I can only work with humans because all my figures are human and I hope I would have more figures so I could expand my own library, but that's not the case.

Change: Adding bodygroup variants. [PAT02]

After Power Girl's release, some of you guys voiced your opinion of her not having "exposed variants." I can feel the sentiment of having to "remove all of the clothing" just for sex. I've been thinking of adding bodygroup variants. So I've been thinking about adding bodygroup variants to the models.

Issues with this change:

- These changes don't come for free.

Currently, the price I have on commissions is higher than the current one I use here in Patreon. If anything, the price tag I put here in Patreon is too low.

By adding bodygroup variants, that would effectively increase the time production, and thus, I will need to increase the price tag for models. This is where things go a little tricky because I don't have a clue how I would implement this change.

I'm sure there are patrons who don't care about bodygroups, such as there are patrons who want variants. I don't know how would I could make this change without fucking over one side or the other.

About this month's models [MOD00]

As you guys may know, there are 2 winners in this month:

• Laura Matsuda - Mileena Mod.
• Sara Ryder from Mass Effect: Andromeda.

Let's try to get into details without trying to be too technical and to avoid drown you guys on data you won't even care about.

Laura Matsuda [MOD01]

If you guys have followed me for a while,  you might now my works with SFV models. All of that work was made using raw models. This means "Models with no treatment whatsoever." On SFV, raw models are models with untouched weights, original untouched textures and every single bone on it.

Even though this is a mod, it falls on the category of "Raw model." This means, Laura will need a shitton of work before she gets on a workable state, namely, but not limited to:

• Figure out which textures each material use.
• Figure out the textures themselves (what paints what, what works in what)
• Clean the textures
• Make the textures look good
• Fix the facial rigging

There might be some stuff I cannot remember atm, but I know while testing they will show up.

Sara Ryder [MOD02]

If you have been into the SFM scene for a while, you might notice something about ME:A models: there are not many of them. And there is one reason about why there is almost no model from the game: The face rig.

Without trying to get too technical about it, between one of the many limitations for SFM models, is the bone count. If a model have more than 256 bones, the model will not be compiled.

Now, the ME:A models faces have a massive amount of bones. Simply put: if I remove the body and only try to get the head on SFM, it will not work. The head by itself have way more than 256 bones. And my task is to try to reduce all those bones to a... somewhat working state.

With this in mind for both models, I want to ask you guys for patience. Please, be patient. Because of the state of these models and due the complexity and the works needed on them just to for regular work, these models might take more time than it would normally do. So please, guys, be patient.