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Ensley 9 & updating characters to G9

arne207arne207 Posts: 158
edited March 1 in The Commons

So Bluejaunte has released Ensley 9 - a favourite Genesis 8-character of not just myself but many people. And I can't stop thinking about the price since I already paid for that version and hesitate to pay a normal price again. BJ writes that it was a nightmarish ordeal to make her which I can't understand simply because I don't know what it takes to make such a character, so no disrespect meant. I'd think having such a close reference would make it easier? So I'd be interested to learn a bit more about that, because there's a lot of characters I'd love to see updated like this (Jada comes to mind etc.). Do others feel like that as well?

Post edited by arne207 on

Comments

  • MimicMollyMimicMolly Posts: 2,212
    edited March 1

    It's probably nightmarish since G8F and G9 are completely different figures, and he was going for an exact replica instead of an approximation. (Plus, Ensley has her smile morph, HD morph, and the sole displacement.) Most characters that have G8 and G9 versions are not exactly the same. I personally don't mind these subtle differences. I enjoy the "official remakes."

    I have ported characters over (G8 to G9) on my own. Sometimes there's issues with the head shape, separate eyeballs, and separated mouth. The issues are mostly with alignment, since being separate reduces the likelihood they'd get warped while sculpting. Still, it can be tricky to get right without weird gaps.

    Finally, there is a motivation aspect. Not sure about BJ, but some artists don't like "redoing" their art after they feel they got it exactly as they envisioned it. Motivation could also be reduced by stuff that happens outside of the hobby. Either way, the lack of it (and time) can make any project a pain to complete.

    Either way, I am assuming this 1:1 identical replica was just a pain in the butt to do. And calling it "nightmarish" is a more polite way of saying it.

    Post edited by MimicMolly on
  • LeanaLeana Posts: 11,844

    Mesh is very different, so creating a matching morph could take a lot of work. A converter might give you a base to start from for the base morph, but it won't help for HD details morphs.

    The new figure is also rigged differently, bends differently and has different expressions, so you will likely need to create very different corrective morphs.

    UVs, material zones and number of texture files used are also different, so all textures (including the LIE makeup) will need to be redone for G9, you can't just reuse the G8 ones as is. And the G8 version most likely used Iray uber shader while the G9 version uses PBRSkin shader, which means quite a bit of work on materials side too.

  • frank0314frank0314 Posts: 14,330

    It would be quicker to make a new character than replicating an old to a new figure that is designed completely different.

  • arne207arne207 Posts: 158

    Thanks for the replies! It helps me understand this better.

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