Future Art Style Hopes

On that note, for sure this game project, I am going to do my best to get as close to Anime as possible - We're so close already, that I feel like we might as well try to go all the way this month. That's why I am going ahead and doing the full 9 yards and including the UV and texture mapping on top of the shader. I'm hoping the extra AO Map on top of the diffuse will "complete" the anime look that we are missing right now - I do agree with the points on prolific art styles. I used to wonder why Nintendo doesn't use Anime style more, and in my endeavors to try, I now completely understand why they stick with "basic two-tone" like Zelda BOW, or soft shading Textures (Smash Ultimate). You don't have to waste time making it look photo-realistic, AND you also don't have to waste time fighting shadows with normals. That extra time allows them to make the world and characters quicker and spend more time on the game. It's very tempting NOT to try and mimic their workflow lol. However, if people seem to like our community enjoys the way Exa turns out with the Anime shader, we may stick if I can find a way to streamline the workflow. For example, if we can have "preset-bodies" and faces that are already perfectly normalized and shaded, meaning all we have to do is dress them up and change the hair. That could drastically speed up the whole process. This is our first go at it, so I'm still not sure. But, I appreciate your post, thanks for sharing-!

Royal Skies

Based on what I have seen from your game and the direction you have tried to take in your art, I think the full anime style is the best choice. That mid-range toon look is easy to achieve; it's the default of every NPR style and doesn't really require time to master as an art form (though utilizing it at maximum efficiency like the folks at Riot do is indeed a challenge). Photo-Real is already prolific. It's the subject of most tutorials and its the art style that most artists choose to follow. You also have to learn a lot of stuff about photo-real even if you are studying any form of NPR because it gets its basis for proportions, general form, and facial expressions from the real world. Full anime style in 3D on the other hand, is rare. It's really hard to find good reference or learning material for it, especially outside of Japan. It also takes just as much dedication as learning full photo realism. The full 3D anime style also requires elements from both the standard NPR workflow and the photo-real workflow so it probably takes the most work, needs tutorials more than the others, and would be the most rewarding to devote to. So overall, I think going with the full anime-style would be more beneficial and enjoyable for you, and for everyone who learns from you.

What if that thig he said :)