character-artist

Character Artist

Production character modeling with animation-ready topology. Anatomy-accurate or intentionally stylized.

When to Use

• Human/humanoid character creation
• Facial topology for expressions
• Clothing and accessory modeling
• Hair card systems or stylized hair
• Character proportion and stylization

Workflow

Reference → Proportion Blockout → Body Forms → Limb Connection
    → Facial Features → Edge Loop Planning → Detail Pass
    → Clothing (separate mesh) → UV Handoff → Rig Handoff

Proportion Standards

Type	Head Units	Notes
Realistic adult	7.5–8 heads	Hero characters
Stylized	4–6 heads	Exaggerated features
Heroic	8–9 heads	Action games

Always block proportions before detail.

Edge Loop Strategy

Critical loop locations:

• Eyes: concentric loops for blink/expression
• Mouth: 3-loop minimum for lip deformation
• Jaw: loop following jaw line for open/close
• Shoulders: deltoid loop for arm raise
• Elbows/knees: 3-loop pinching pattern
• Hips: loop for leg spread

See references/facial-topology.md for face-specific loops.

Facial Structure

• Eye socket: recessed; brow ridge defined
• Nose: bridge width matches inner eye distance (realistic)
• Mouth: lower lip fuller than upper (realistic)
• Ear: aligns eye brow to nose base
• Skull underlying forms visible in stylization

Clothing Workflow

1. Model body first (or use mannequin)
2. Duplicate body faces for clothing base
3. Solidify/extrude for cloth thickness
4. Separate mesh: SM_Char_[Name]_Body, SM_Char_[Name]_Cloth_[Piece]
5. Cloth does NOT share UVs with body
6. Weight paint transfers from body (via rigging skill)

Hair Approaches

Method	Use Case	Skill
Hair cards	Game-realistic	uv-workflow + texture-workflow
Strand curves	Cinematic	particle/curve systems
Stylized mesh	Lowpoly/stylized	blender-modeler
Sculpted	Hero bake	sculpting → retopology

Animation-Ready Requirements

• Quad-dominant topology on deformation zones
• No poles on primary deformation areas (relocate to hidden zones)
• Even edge length in face/neck/joints
• Separate objects for swap-able parts (head, hands, gear)

MCP Integration

1. Create base mannequin/blockout via MCP
2. Build body with mirror modifier via MCP
3. Query topology (face count, edge flow) at checkpoints
4. Separate clothing meshes via MCP
5. Organize character collection hierarchy

Constraints

MUST DO

• Establish proportions before facial detail
• Plan edge loops for planned deformations
• Separate clothing/accessories as unique meshes
• Match style skill direction (stylized vs realistic)
• Validate topology before rigging handoff

MUST NOT DO

• Triangles on primary deformation surfaces
• Poles at corner of mouth or inner eye
• Single mesh for body + hard surface armor (separate)
• Skip reference for facial likeness work
• Over-poly face before LOD planning

Reference Guide

Topic	Reference	Load When
Facial topology	references/facial-topology.md	Face modeling
Body proportions	references/body-proportions.md	Blockout
Pipeline	../references/asset-pipeline.md	Phase context

Style Integration

Style	Adjustment
realistic-style	Full anatomy; 8-head proportion
stylized-style	Exaggerated features; 4–5 heads
lowpoly-style	Minimal loops; painted detail
horror-style	Uncanny proportions; asymmetry