CARE Asset Release and Insight

   Hello! First off, I want to give you the apartment asset being used in CARE, as well as the "robo-genitals." Use them wisely! 

  Click HERE to Download! 

  Genitals base was taken from the Chloe model by xzCrystal3D. There are some shapekeys, but they're tailor made for this animation, so I'd recommend making your own as you need them. If you have any questions, we have a "3D-Help" channel in the Discord!

  For the walk cycle, I used empties with a cycles modifier, set to "repeat with offset." This keeps the empties moving forward at the same pace. 

  Chloe's feet are set to these using Floor constraints, as opposed to Child-Of constraints. I've been experimenting with using these more, as they tend to avoid the "jumping" problem you frequently experience with Child-Of constraints. 

  Let's talk about cinematography! It's something I think about a ton; the camera should be considered its own character; take into account its views, emotions, and what kind of feeling you're trying to impart via its placement and movement. 

  This is a relatively simple shot, but I spent nearly two hours getting the camera motion just right. Let me go over my thought process. 

  On the surface it's a basic lower and rotate. We have Chloe in the far distance, gradually coming closer and rising up. For blocking, we take into account the rule of thirds. People often evaluate the frame as they do a page of words; reading it from left to right. The pussy is placed on the left side, Meredith on the right, and Chloe in the middle. With a quick "reading" of the shot, we gather the setup. 

  I want my shots to feel natural, as if there is someone actually holding a heavy camera and filming the scene. Instead of having a steady and consistent raise/lower, I delay and hitch the actions a bit, as if the cameraman is reacting to Chloe's movements. 

  Here's what the curves look like: 

  Notice the little hiccups and delays added to give a more natural feel (real cameraman don't operate on smooth curves; they're reacting to the weight of the camera and it's effect on their body). 

  To give that extra bit of randomness, I add noise-modifiers on the rotation tracks, set the scale high and the power low. This gives use an extra bit of subtle motion (be careful not to go overboard with it, though). 

  Remember to change the "Phase" value for each track (it's basically a randomness value, so your tracks all don't have the same curves). 

  Here's a comparison of the shots; one with basic smooth curves, and one with our tailored curves. 

  The difference is fairly subtle, but it's one of those things that'll up your work from "good" to "great", without all that much effort on your end. Study cinematography! We're making art here. 😄

  The set was textured via a combination of BlenderKit and Substance Painter. Substance is THE last thing keeping me in the Adobe ecosystem (I'm so close to being free), but it really is an invaluable tool when it comes to making quality assets. For example, I was able to blend in these cool details on the ceiling. 

  It's not a necessity, especially considering the cost, but there's lot of little things (like automatic dirt generation) that'll bring more life to your scenes. 

  Hope you enjoyed this, and are having a good weekend! 

  Back to the grind. 😤