[FF7PC] Meteor - Character Overhaul Project

[cmh175]

Meteor is a next gen PBR Character Overhaul Project. I’m going to go through the game and detail and paint the games original models, and Kaldarasha’s Chaos models following the same workflow I use for work with the Unreal Engine. I’m going to leave some technical aspects of the original models, like 2D eyes so they’re able to blink properly, but otherwise they’ll have next gen PBR detail and be designed to match the field environments of Project Edge. I’ll do the NPCs, enemies, and bosses as well as the main characters. I'll share info as I go along detailing each step for those who are interested in how game characters are made.

Meteor will also have optional features for randomized enemies and additional NPC's to add more variety to the game. I'll texture alternate versions of enemies that'll be randomized, and add new NPC models using Makou Reactor so you won't see models reused so much, particularly on the same field. I also add new field animations for certain parts of the game, so the characters movements won't seem so generic during climatic scenes. These will be optional though, and I'll add compatibility patches for popular mods like Echo-S. 
 
Meteor will also have direct support for another mod I'll start working on soon, Reanimation. I'll be updating each model with a more detailed skeleton, which will allow me to redo each animation in the game with a lot more detail, and bring life to things like hands and fingers which have been static.

WIP shots below are similar to what you can expect from completed models. I’ll replace them though with the first updated character. 

[ff7maniac]

if you rework all the characters in this way, it will be awsome

[WolfMan]

I cannot wait to see some more progress.

[cmh175]

Hey guys, sorry for the delay, being a new dad has kept me pretty busy lately and we'll be moving soon so things have been crazy. I finally finalized the style I’m going with and finished my main blockout I’ll use to model characters with. Concepting took awhile to figure out the design I want, from here things will progress much faster and future characters will take a fraction of the time. I decided to start at the beginning of the game and go in order of appearance, but I'm going to finish Cloud first so the remaining characters will match his style and appearance. I just need to finish getting the anatomy right, I think the arms need to be a tad longer and the hands are about 10% too small. Cloud has really long legs though so it’s throwing me off a bit. From there I’ll start detailing the face. I’m both excited and dreading to do his hair lol.

[Salk]

Nice update!

Thanks.

[cmh175]

Hi everyone, I have a big announcement for Meteor detailing a slight change in direction. The first post details the project overall, but the cliff notes are Meteor will now consist of detailed PBR models made from the games original models, and Kaldarasha’s Chaos models. Overall, the change is to help speed up progress, allowing me to do multiple characters a month, instead of just one at best, and make the models better work in game (like 2D eyes that can blink, instead of 3D eyes that can't). I'll start posting updates for Meteor as early as next week, as well as share a streaming schedule for those who'd like to join and see these models made live. I might start streaming next week, but I'm on my second day of a COVID diagnosis, so I may push it to August 1st if I don't feel up to it. 


Meteor will also support a new mod I'm working on, Reanimation. I'm going to be updating the models with more detailed skeletons, allowing me to animate things that would otherwise be static, like hands and fingers. The new animations will be far more detailed and lifelike, and 60 fps. 

[Salk]

Thanks for the update and best of luck getting rid of that awful virus.

[Kuraudo.]

Ambitious project. Would be interesting to see a twitch live and a first character out to understand better how it looks.

I can imagine new animations like collecting a materia? Promising indeed!