Human Models Rework (Patreon)

This month's Patreon post, as the title suggests, will be in regards to the upcoming Human Models Overhaul. This is also the first time our new Patreon Representatives will be helping out with a post! Our talented artist PurpleGoop has been hard at work for a while now, and we’re more than happy to showcase his wonderful work for you all. So without further ado, let’s get right into it!

Human Models Q&A - PurpleGoop

Written by: Whimza

With this post revealing the long awaited reworked human models, I spoke to the artist who spearheaded this extensive and highly anticipated project. Below, you can find an excerpt from a Q&A with PurpleGoop. 

(Q) Going into the project, were there any personal goals you set for yourself? 

The goal was to get the character models to a higher standard of quality, give them a distinct look, and increase the amount of animations.

(Q) Who did you work alongside for this project?

I worked alone when it came to the design and execution. I did receive some feedback from the studio staff which ultimately ended up changing some elements of the models — most notably, the guard's vest was supposed to be a light blue instead of the final dark blue. The implementation process is mostly being done by Hubert, as I limited myself to setting up the models and materials into Unity — he then worked on implementing animations and new features.

(Q) What were some inspirations for the new models?

The main inspiration for the MTF model was the SAS Operative from CS:GO, as it fit the military but uncommon look I was looking for. From there, I started freestyling the actual equipment. This was the first model that I’d reworked.

The Chaos Insurgent was not inspired by anything in particular; I went for a militant force with somewhat outdated gear and a pinch of cult-like traits, such as the chaos symbol painted on the helmet. The gear was also supposed to be good for cold climates and camping/climbing, the idea being that they had to walk and climb for a bit, due to vehicles being inoperable for the majority of their incursion into Site-02.

The Scientist and Class D have purposefully been kept as similar as possible to their original models — I especially tried to keep as much of the old Class D as possible. Initially, the Scientist wasn’t  supposed to have a lab coat, going more for a more casual look; as I thought that having Scientists wear lab coats at all times was a bit cartoonish — but I ended up keeping the coat after receiving feedback/opinions from the teams and Hubert.

Finally, the Guard is where I tried to make the facility closer to a more common workplace, to normalise the absurdity that is the SCP foundation —  people simply come to work here, contrasting mundanity with the world-ending entities of the SCP universe. I also wanted to give him a face, making him look more unique as a class and adding more character to the human factions.

(Q) What programs did you use to create the new models? 

I used Blender for modelling and animating, and Substance Painter for texturing.

(Q) What did you like best about working on the new models? 

Giving my own spin to the characters of this game was the most rewarding aspect I would say.

(Q) Which model do you believe was most in need of an update, and which updated model is your personal favourite? 

Hard to say — though — I would go for the MTF, as it was too basic (in my opinion) and hard to distinguish from the Chaos Insurgents. However, I would also go for it as being my favourite, as it's definitely more memorable than the rest. I would put the Guard as a second favourite.

(Q) Were there any areas that took priority when making the new models?

I would say the faces, as these are very hard to get right. With the Fuse models already having so much by default, like hair, the inside of the mouth, facial rigging — there were certainly a lot of features to live up to. I had to spend the most time and effort on these.

(Q) What can you tell us about yourself, as well as past experiences and projects? 

I’ve messed around with map editors from various games and Blender since I was a kid. I later started making digital art after getting my first drawing tablet, hoping to turn it into a job, then I randomly stumbled upon Criken's SCP:SL videos and found out about the game. I would later win the first Art Contest for the game, with the prize being a position in the studio as an Artist. From there, I worked on improving upon my 3D skills.

(Q) What can you tell us about your rework of animations as a whole? 

I tried to give quantity and quality with this one; starting from scratch, remaking all the existing animations, and also adding all of those missing interactions, like using items or jumping while running. It was hard, full body animations require a lot more experience than FPS animations, so I had to adjust animations over and over — as I would spot unrealistic movements every time I would revisit an animation after a bit of time had passed, especially with the running animations.

I hope the result was worth it and that people will enjoy these new animations more than the previous ones.

(Q) How do you hope players perceive the new models and animations? 

I hope they will feel more alive and fitting in this environment, as well as more immediately distinguishable from each other during gameplay.

(Q) Any final notes?

Sorry if it took this long, kept you waiting huh?

It's been a very long process and I would never do something like this ever again, especially since nobody asked for this at the time (LOL), but now it’s done and we can finally see these in-game.

Model Showcase

Written by: Galetsu

This section will serve as a gallery showcasing the new models. Animations won’t be posted for now, though they are currently being finalised. They will be posted within the teaser channels when closer to completion. We can’t wait for you to see them!

The reworked Class D.

The reworked Guard.

The reworked MTF.

The reworked Chaos Insurgent.

The reworked Scientist.

Final Notes

That concludes this month's Patreon post!Be sure to catch up on any exclusive teasers we regularly post on our Discord server. If you're a non-Patreon user reading this post as it becomes public, you can subscribe to our Patreon (patreon.com/HubertMoszka), in which our Tier 2 Patreons and above will receive earlier sneak peeks of upcoming in-game content.

We'll see you all in the future with more exciting news and updates from the SCP:SL team.

~Northwood Studios