MirceaKitsune

The anthros are becoming one!

Added 2022-02-09 14:00:01 +0000 UTC

I still wasn't happy with the color customization capabilities of the models, so I went ahead and converted the paws / socks to their own color map which can now be set independently, a slightly better pattern for the muzzle and eyes getting included in the process. With all characters (wolf + fox + cat) using the same textures, it occurred to me the only thing still keeping them different were the variations in mesh shape. So why not make them one?

Using the Join as Shapes feature, I created a single anthro based on the wolf, with a "shape_feline" key gradually morphing it into the cat: Use 0.0 to get the wolf, 0.5 for the fox, 1.0 is the cat. In-between values are of course permitted too; 0.25 gives you a fox-wolf, 0.75 is a cat-fox. Indeed the fox didn't need its own explicit shape key, using half of the cat's shape automatically generates the vixen's appearance!

Another property now controls whether the penis is visible: Together with the independent male body shape, gender is also customizable on the fly, with all 4 combinations (male, female, shemale, cuntboy) available. You can also adjust the head shape between one that is taller (more mobian like) and something squishy (more feral like).

So starting with the next version, artists no longer need to link a particular species in their scene: You reference one anthro and set species and gender on the fly using a few properties! Like everything else they can be animated, so if you want you can even create transformation animations where the wolf seamlessly turns into a cat.

Removing the extra meshes and definitions also reduced file size greatly. Already down to 65 MB after the texture improvements, the blend is now less than 39 MB in total.