🔎 Dev log: Chest update

Hi guys!

The last 2 weeks were mostly spent on reworking chest structure. Recreating bones, body animations and re-rigging from scratch a large set of clothes: from bras to skin marks and tattoos.

Well, nobody likes to spend time on things like this, but refactoring is sometimes required for future changes. 

You might ask, what was wrong with the old chest? Too many bones were added over time to patch different animation issues. In the end their effects became unclear and animating new clothes became a challenge. It's pretty easy to set up one thing, but changing bust size or body type was affecting the animation in an unpredictable way. So I had to spent like half a day per each top to find a combination acceptable for all cases.

Therefore my main goal was to change that. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to decrease the number of bones significantly. However the new structure is much more controllable. It allows me to create a more natural shape and I expect to add more breasts customization options in future.

Firstly I was going to describe all the structure in detail here, but then realized that nobody really needs it  =). The main key difference is that all bones are properly nested now, so it’s easier to control the whole object and go down to smaller areas for delicate adjustments if needed. Another major change is that I rely on bone movement instead of rotation now, which provides less deformation and makes it easier to blend the areas between multiple bones.

The new breasts animation is in testing stage now. Some parts look awesome in comparison with the old version, some will require more adjustments. Fun fact: it appears that the old rotation-based animation looked more ‘alive’ on some types of clothes, so my next task is to recreate that feeling again. This way it seems to need one more round to be finished. Anyway, watch a small video we’ve prepared for you.

Now, tired of pixel-hunting, I’m going to switch to new mechanics for next week. Then I will get back and polish this part later. Once I have something finished, the beta will be updated.

P.S. Obviously the ‘mouth as player’s mouth’ option won with 1094 vs 487 score. Honestly I expected the difference to be higher. Does it mean you’re interested in ‘silicone tongue’ and other toys as an alternative in future? Would be great if you can explain your choice in the comments.

Enjoy your sunny weekend!