Poll: Body Hair (NSFW)
Added 2021-10-06 02:14:30 +0000 UTC
Update: Well... the poll results are pretty overwhelmingly in favor of having at least some models with body hair. So, here's my plan:
1. Some of these assets are being used for Paolo, who you'll begin to see in Chapter 12 (currently planned as the closing chapter for Act 1) and then Act 2. However, it will be mostly with respect to a happy trail.
2. I'm going to use the new model for Santino going forward and, when I have time, will go back and edit his explicit scenes with the new model (both the dream-sequence and the one in Chapter 8).
3. The other models for whom this asset is compatible include Connor, Seth, Mathieu and Riley. Those are all patron-sponsored characters and I believe they're all pretty happy with the amount of hair the characters have. The other models are all from a previous generation of model. I may at some point be able to upgrade them as I did with Santino but I can't guarantee it.
Someone did ask if a toggle might be possible. With the way a 3D VN like Bound by Night is developed, implementing a body hair toggle isn't feasible. For every image where a single model has that toggle, I'd have to render the image twice. If two models could be toggled, I'd have to render it four times (both shaved, both hairy, A-shaved/B-hairy, A-hairy/B-shaved). That just isn't practical for a project like this.
Alright! That's the update on this one. Thank you to everyone for your votes! The feedback was very helpful and I'm glad this is a broadly popular update.
BBN
Original post below.
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One request I'm hearing fairly frequently is, "Can we have some guys with body hair?" To which my response is, "One or two of them have pubes!"
No no, just kidding. Honestly, it's always been my plan from the beginning to have one or two characters with body hair. I've just struggled finding assets that I like and look good, while also being concerned about hardware limitations. Without going into too much detail, when I'm rendering a scene, all the assets are loaded onto my GPU's VRAM. If the assets exceed the GPU's VRAM cap by a single byte, it all gets dumped to the CPU and turns into a junk render I can't use. And you know what one of the biggest resource hogs in a scene is? Hair.
Anyway, I've been updating Santino to use a more current generation of digital model and, in the process, I came across a body hair resource that I think actually looks pretty decent. So, I'm curious...
What do you guys think? I've got the original Santino on the left and the new Santino (with body hair) on the right.

If I do implement body hair, most of the models will stay exactly the way they are. But I think Santino would likely have some, and maybe another model or two. Please vote in the poll and, if you like, you can expand further in the comments.
Comments
Yeah love muscle daddy santino, but loved old version traps....
Erick Sampere
2021-10-20 22:49:55 +0000 UTCIt's been awhile since I worked with the model but I don't recall tuning the muscles down much (maybe like 2 or 3 percent in a couple places, largely just because he was busting out of his suit). I think most of the differences you're seeing (other than body hair, of course) are from an a higher quality mesh (i.e., more polygons) on the next gen model and maybe the skin? Anyway, definitely won't be tuning him down more than what you see here. We need a muscle daddy! ๐
Bound By Night
2021-10-20 21:16:11 +0000 UTCLove idea of santino hairy but it looks less muscular.... hope he can maintain his muscles :3
Erick Sampere
2021-10-20 20:49:06 +0000 UTCConnor is fine as he is... I'd probably give Ronan some pubes and armpit hair.
Fernando Ruiz
2021-10-07 17:22:04 +0000 UTCHa ha ha. Yeah Iโm thinking by the power of urban fantasy Connor is simply naturally smooth unless he shifts then all the excess fur sheds when he shifts back ๐
Ryan Fox
2021-10-06 21:13:21 +0000 UTCGot it! So you want Connor to be as hirsute as possible. ;)
Bound By Night
2021-10-06 21:00:10 +0000 UTCI agree with Fernando. I was partially conditioned through high school sports not to care for body hair because it could sometimes be a liability, depending on the sport. And athletic tape was always easier to get off smooth skin, plus muscle definition is easier to see clearly with little to know body hairโฆwhich is important especially if you busted your hump for that definition! Iโm at a point now where some body hair is okay I guess, in specific areas (so you donโt look prepubescent) but generally I like things as they are.
Ryan Fox
2021-10-06 20:03:09 +0000 UTCTo be honest, I think that is a good idea as realistically not everyone has body hair. Variety is the spice of life *8)
James Tarr
2021-10-06 18:55:19 +0000 UTCIn the matters of hair, I once was at a point where it didn't bother me, but as I began experimenting shaving, and reading more sports magazines, I got more used to it. Some people like hair, I don't really, not unless it's on certain areas, and trimmed. If you feel it is too much for memory saving, don't add it. I like the VN as is.
Fernando Ruiz
2021-10-06 18:15:51 +0000 UTCOh, realism is not the goal (or I should say not the only consideration). There are vampires and werewolves for goodness sake (unless you know something I don't). :D It's been a limitation of the quality of the body hair assets and burden on the hardware to render it. Edited to clarify one thing.
Bound By Night
2021-10-06 18:09:20 +0000 UTCIt's your universe, create it as you will. But, if you're going for "realism," then it is currently unrealistic in terms of hairy men since a majority of American men 30 and over do not regularly bodyscape. https://www.statista.com/statistics/724982/men-shaving-or-trimming-body-hair-us-age/
Ray
2021-10-06 17:53:29 +0000 UTCI hear you! Like I said, it's always been the plan to have some guys with body hair, partly to satisfy a variety of tastes but also realism. It hadn't happened yet because I just hadn't found a resource I liked, but I reached out to some other developers and got some good recommendations I was able to play around with. I won't be adding it to everyone because, even if I could, I'm afraid it would make group sex scenes nigh-impossible to render.
Bound By Night
2021-10-06 17:39:50 +0000 UTCimo Typical men don't shave their entire bodies, except probably some gym rats. Twinks don't have a lot of body hair and there seems to be arguably very few of them in the game. I was actually a bit surprised seeing so many, what I perceived as masculine men, barren of any hair. I guess in the end I'll accept what you, the author of the VN, decides as it is your project and I am just the audience and it _is_ a fantasy.
James Tarr
2021-10-06 17:14:50 +0000 UTCI hear you. Most of the guys (including Alex) will stay the same. I only see this being done for Santino and one or (max) two other models (we'll soon have more than 10 models so still plenty of variety to suit different tastes).
Bound By Night
2021-10-06 12:45:39 +0000 UTCPlease don't change the hotties, they are perfect the way they are.
Dimitri S
2021-10-06 11:55:30 +0000 UTCi would love more body hair for our werewolfs but i know it's a hardtime modeling this stuff
Nathanael Dugourd
2021-10-06 09:06:34 +0000 UTCI think body hair would look great on Santino specifically and maybe on any natural werewolves.
C.K.
2021-10-06 06:33:45 +0000 UTC