Koelet3D - Petra Venj model wip + some blah blah

A small update (well, for me, it's a HUGE update! :) on what I'm currently working on besides animations and regular art.

It actually started with my ongoing frustration with the models currently available. While there are a lot of amazing models and talented model creators out there, not all models meet the same standards when it comes to quality, features, and QOL stuff. Every creator sets up their models differently, uses different rigs, materials, and so on.
It's SO frustrating. You have to learn how to work with each model, its quirks, and its issues.
So initially, I started experimenting with MetaHuman to find a way to build my own models. I wanted something new, something that would let me move away from Daz models. While I succeeded, and even created automated tools for converting pretty much any Daz model to MetaHuman with a single click, MetaHuman obviously has a myriad of issues of its own. :)

My experiments with MetaHuman made me realize something - there must be a way to make my experience with Daz models much better!
First, I decided to try fixing the things that I personally find frustrating in other people models.

Skin - every creator builds their own skin material. Some are simple and clean, while others are robust and very complex. Most of them use the same sets of textures that keep migrating from creator to creator. Following that tradition :), I've created a unified skin material that works with all model types, supports a wide range of effects, super optimized , and, most importantly, behaves consistently across different models. All my recent renders are using this new skin material, and I think it looks great!

Hair - oh boy, hair quality really depends on how good the original game character's hair is.
Some are great, and some are pure trash. I've been using the VaerhonFX addon, and at this point, I've pretty much rewritten it from scratch with tons of new features and improvements. It allows me to convert almost any hair cards into Blender's curve-based hair system, and I'll be using it on all my models and renders from now on. It's amazing!

Face rig - LeGuymelef's models have a Face Rig - a set of bones that lets you control facial expressions. It's SUPER convenient to use, and I suffer every time I work with models that don't have it. This was the biggest blocker for my Lune/Sciel animation, as Edi3D's models don't have standardized expressions and controls, and posing and animating expressions was a PAAAAAIN.
Not anymore! A small addon that adds a Face Rig to pretty much any model. :)

So at this point, my fear of Daz was gone, and I decided - it's time.
My own model!
Someone asked for Petra, and I thought, why not? :) I already had a game files and textures from Mara could be a great starting point.

Proudly present my Petra Venj model (WIP)!

Based on Genesis 9, she's still very much a work in progress, but already quite usable. Most of my work, as usual, went into figuring out the best workflow and creating tools to automate it.
It took me a month to get to this point, but now almost all the routine tasks are automated - from wrapping game characters and setting up Daz figures to complete UI generation in Blender. The only things that still require manual work are fixing textures and weight painting.

I'm now much more comfortable with all the technical stuff and pretty sure that i can get Daz Genesis 9 to best possible quality.

Still a lot of stuff to do and improve! But I love her so far. Finally, Mara will have a friend to play with. :)

Tell me, what models would you like to see from me next?! I'm SO pumped! :)