[R>Artist 3D] Paid 3D artist needed to build custom character models

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bzingo

Newbie
Mar 17, 2020
19
7
Project:

This is my first visual novel/game! The main character is a young man who is injured and separated from his family when the world abruptly undergoes a cataclysmic event. He wakes up to discover that everything has changed. His beautiful foster mother and sister care for him the best they can, but he must learn to contribute to their survival, and that of their town, if he ever wants to see his family again. This story will be about rebuilding a life, developing new skills, building relationship, and ultimately helping a town survive in the face of uncertainty and danger. There's a reason the town has a wall around it...

My favorite porn games feature a compelling story, strong character development, a moderate level of realism, and exciting kinks. I'm going to try to do something along those lines... so hopefully it's closer to a three-course-meal than fast-food. We'll see what my twisty mind can cook up!

My job is the overall vision, story, characters, dialogue, game mechanics, and programming in Ren'py (which I plan to learn). What I don't plan to do is the art... and there's where this advertisement, and you, come in :)

Developer:

Myself.

Looking for:

3D artist skilled in building custom character models.

Employment Type:

Paid. I can pay by the hour, or some other method we both agree is fair.

Work commitment:

Part-time, flexible.

Preferred method of contact:

bzingo@protonmail.com

Job Description:

I need 7-10 character models built. Instead of using stock models, I want an artist to customize the models to look like specific girls I have images of. I'm looking for models that closely resemble the girls, but not perfect replicas, as I'm trying to strike a balance between realism and cost.

Here are five of the girls:
nicole.jpg diana.jpg melony.jpg amanda.jpg jess.jpg

Additional comments:

When applying...

1) Please tell me your hourly rate, and best guess (or range of time) for how long it will take to complete a model.
2) Please provide samples of your work, especially if you've done custom models before.
3) Please let me know if you'd be open to doing a small test involving one of the girls, so I can view the quality and style of your work before committing to the full project.

Although this post was written to find an artist to create the models, I will naturally be looking to create renders and possibly some backgrounds and animations for the game as well. If you're interested in participating in the entire project, we can talk about that too!
 
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bzingo

Newbie
Mar 17, 2020
19
7
kinre said:
i will like to know what type of game you plan to make,and what engine you using.
Click to expand...
Hey man, I'm planning to use Ren'py. The game is intended to be a visual novel with gameplay elements. That means there will be classic VN scenes with characters and dialogue, but between those scenes you will choose what your character does by pointing and clicking on a town map (choosing places to go, people to visit, things to do) and its sub locations.

The story will center around the the MC, his key relationships, and the town, as they struggle to survive and thrive in this new world. At first you'll be kind of a weakling with no friends, but eventually you'll become powerful and your actions will decide the fate of the town (it will even be possible to lose the game). Ultimately the game will be winnable by completing the main story quest.

As for gameplay elements, I'm hoping to build a light version of combat, various jobs and the ability to earn/spend money, and a unique approach to corruption and perving on the girls. I'd like to blend together the dialogue, perving and sex, with a feeling of character and plot progression... There will even be magic!

My style is intended to lean more towards realism in how people interact (I mean, it's still a porn game), and a blend of standard and less-standard fetishes. I tend to like younger slender girls over older and busty, but there will be a mix. I plan to work with themes such as awkwardness and embarrassment, but will span the gamut of emotions and kinks and not just focus on one thing.
 
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Synx

Active Member
Jul 30, 2018
511
488
Daz isn't really suited to create specific characters from reference, as you can only alter models using morph packs and there is a limit to how much you can morph them. All the assets in Daz are made in other programs and then exporter to Daz.

You are more looking for a 3d-artist that knows how to use blender, 3dsmax, Maya, or Zbrush then somebody that knows Daz.
 
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kinrean

Member
May 12, 2018
200
49
daz is not a model making program, is more like render program only.
as synx say there is morph but morph is like in any game there is a limit and is bad.

if you willing to pay you should pay for artist that don't use Daz . although have to see the price that you willing to pay.
and Daz alot of thing need to buy/free , so the person that use daz will be working with in the limit of daz. (daz do have alot of asset to buy/use )

so you should understand the limit of the person that you trying to hire.
or atlast say what kind of thing you plan to make, as you never say anything about the background or even time line.
as it seem you force too much of the char, and haven't though of the background.
 
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bzingo

Newbie
Mar 17, 2020
19
7
Synx and kinre, thanks for the correction guys. I was under the impression that Daz3D was the right program to make all the customizations. I'll update the post to reflect what's needed once I have a clearer understanding. This leads me to a few questions...

  1. Based on what I'm trying to do, which program (Blender, 3dsmax, Maya, or Zbrush) would you recommend I ask for the models to be created in? Are they all about the same, or would one of them be better than the others?
  2. What do you guys think is a reasonable price to pay for this kind of work (assuming high quality models, but not exact replicas)?
  3. kinre, when you say "background" what do you mean? A literal background behind the model, a personal history of the character, or something else?
Thanks!
 
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Synx

Active Member
Jul 30, 2018
511
488
1) there isn't a best and if you are importing them into Daz it doesn't really matter. Let the artist pick his favorite program, but make sure they don't increase the number of vertices (the planes used). It's easiest way to import them and the highest change you can use face expression packs and lose packs with the assets.

2) it highly depends on how much work it is and how 'unique' you want it. You can prob get somebody to create a decent looking morph for like 50 bucks total for all your chars as that shouldn't be more then a couple hours work.

But if you want them to look 'exactly' as the references it will cost you more. It would require a whole proportion case study, altering skin maps, etc.
 
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kinrean

Member
May 12, 2018
200
49
1 . for program every program got the pro and con , let the artist use their own program. but what you want is model making program,and animation program, not render only program. 3d program can always mix / jump around program.
etc, zbrush can only do model so have to use another program for animation, blender,maya,3dmax, and many other.

for me i make model i don't use daz at all because is pointless for me, as i say is a render only program.


2 . custom char can cost alot , but in the end it up to the artist. and what need to be done.

to give you a ideal of the price , a fully animation ready model can cost about 60 to 120 ( on shop, so if you don't want the artist to sell it to other it may cost more)

and i think you don't want to count hour for making model. because it can be very bad for you.

because one model that have body and face animation ready can take about 1 to 40 hour.
have to see how much short cut the artist use. like reuse the body , there is alot of short cut can be done in 3d.


bzingo said:
  1. kinre, when you say "background" what do you mean? A literal background behind the model, a personal history of the character, or something else?
Click to expand...
what i mean by background it is literal background behind the model. but also the world, the house design , the tree, and sky and other thing.


and must you render in daz?

i am interesting with this project. but there is alot of thing for me to think about before joining a project.
 
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bzingo

Newbie
Mar 17, 2020
19
7
Synx said:
1) there isn't a best and if you are importing them into Daz it doesn't really matter. Let the artist pick his favorite program, but make sure they don't increase the number of vertices (the planes used). It's easiest way to import them and the highest change you can use face expression packs and lose packs with the assets.

2) it highly depends on how much work it is and how 'unique' you want it. You can prob get somebody to create a decent looking morph for like 50 bucks total for all your chars as that shouldn't be more then a couple hours work.

But if you want them to look 'exactly' as the references it will cost you more. It would require a whole proportion case study, altering skin maps, etc.
Click to expand...

Gotcha. I've updated the ad to remove language about Daz3D. Thanks!

I'm really just looking for a strong likeness but not exact. Hopefully that keeps the cost moderate instead of expensive (y)
 
B

bzingo

Newbie
Mar 17, 2020
19
7
kinre said:
1 . for program every program got the pro and con , let the artist use their own program. but what you want is model making program,and animation program, not render only program. 3d program can always mix / jump around program.
etc, zbrush can only do model so have to use another program for animation, blender,maya,3dmax, and many other.

for me i make model i don't use daz at all because is pointless for me, as i say is a render only program.


2 . custom char can cost alot , but in the end it up to the artist. and what need to be done.

to give you a ideal of the price , a fully animation ready model can cost about 60 to 120 ( on shop, so if you don't want the artist to sell it to other it may cost more)

and i think you don't want to count hour for making model. because it can be very bad for you.

because one model that have body and face animation ready can take about 1 to 40 hour.
have to see how much short cut the artist use. like reuse the body , there is alot of short cut can be done in 3d.




what i mean by background it is literal background behind the model. but also the world, the house design , the tree, and sky and other thing.


and must you render in daz?

i am interesting with this project. but there is alot of thing for me to think about before joining a project.
Click to expand...
I'm hoping the models can be built in far less than 40 hours each (maybe 8 hours per model?). I can work with an artist to see where we can make compromises for speed, and where we need the greatest attention to detail.

As for the background images, I don't have any yet. My plan is to make a few of the girls, and then begin the backgrounds. This is personal preference, simply because once I have the girls this project will feel real to me :)

If you would like to discuss this project in more detail, feel free to email! bzingo@protonmail.com
 
S

Synx

Active Member
Jul 30, 2018
511
488
kinre said:
1 . for program every program got the pro and con , let the artist use their own program. but what you want is model making program,and animation program, not render only program. 3d program can always mix / jump around program.
etc, zbrush can only do model so have to use another program for animation, blender,maya,3dmax, and many other.

for me i make model i don't use daz at all because is pointless for me, as i say is a render only program.
Click to expand...
You don't need animations, skin textures etc. if you export the base model from daz (Genesis 8 model), morph it around, and import the characters back to Daz, as long as you keep the polycount the same. Any face, pose, or skin pack that works with Genesis 8 should work with the new model as well.

It can really bring the costs down of making the models as only morphing the mesh around isn't that time consuming.

It's even something you can do yourself. I'm sure there's a tutorial on YouTube about creating a custom Daz character using blender. Only morphing a mesh around in Blender is pretty simple and somewhat easy to learn. It might take you a couple days to get the hang of it, but after your first char, I highly doubt creating the rest should take more then a couple hours per char.

Whaf I often do for easier morphing is take a picture of the reference that looks as straight as possible to the camera and one from the side view (both preferably with a neutral expression), and use a paint program (photoshop, gimp, or even paint is fine) to draw out the main shapes and proportions in the face with a bright red color: the shape of the eyes, the distance between the eyes, the distance between the chin and the bottom lip, etc. Put that as as a reference picture into blender, put I lt at the front and reduce the opacity. Gives you a nice base to fast and easily morph the mesh around, and it will make sure that the proportions of your model doesn't look off.

After the morph you would import them back into Daz and any skin pack for Genesis 8 models should work with your new model. Just pick a skin you like and your character is textured. Same for the hair. You won't get a perfect likeness, but you should be able to get very close.
 
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kinrean

Member
May 12, 2018
200
49
Synx said:
You don't need animations, skin textures etc. if you export the base model from daz (Genesis 8 model), morph it around, and import the characters back to Daz, as long as you keep the polycount the same. Any face, pose, or skin pack that works with Genesis 8 should work with the new model as well.

It can really bring the costs down of making the models as only morphing the mesh around isn't that time consuming.

It's even something you can do yourself. I'm sure there's a tutorial on YouTube about creating a custom Daz character using blender. Only morphing a mesh around in Blender is pretty simple and somewhat easy to learn. It might take you a couple days to get the hang of it, but after your first char, I highly doubt creating the rest should take more then a couple hours per char.

Whaf I often do for easier morphing is take a picture of the reference that looks as straight as possible to the camera and one from the side view (both preferably with a neutral expression), and use a paint program (photoshop, gimp, or even paint is fine) to draw out the main shapes and proportions in the face with a bright red color: the shape of the eyes, the distance between the eyes, the distance between the chin and the bottom lip, etc. Put that as as a reference picture into blender, put I lt at the front and reduce the opacity. Gives you a nice base to fast and easily morph the mesh around, and it will make sure that the proportions of your model doesn't look off.

After the morph you would import them back into Daz and any skin pack for Genesis 8 models should work with your new model. Just pick a skin you like and your character is textured. Same for the hair. You won't get a perfect likeness, but you should be able to get very close.
Click to expand...

i see what you mean, but from what you say , it can be done in blender or any program, as long as you know what you doing.
 
Olympus3DX

Olympus3DX

Tower Developer
Game Developer
May 17, 2020
67
130
I was interested in the whole thing, until I read the last sentence :p
You want someone to make the models so another artist can render them?
Why go trough the trouble of having multiple artists with different systems and render skills?
Doing 10 custom models seems like a lot to start with and the whole game sounds like something far beyond what Ren'Py is made for, it's not impossible at all, but a proper game engine seems more suitable for a combat system / skills system / job system...

Very interested in your project though so I'll definitely be following it :)
 
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Warlan

Member
Jun 20, 2017
163
175
Hey Bzingo while I can't do what you ask, as I'm not confident enough in my skills I thought i would chime in on this subject. To model a unique character from scratch takes far longer than 8 hours. It is a good reason why you don't see alot of custom 3d models in the games on this site.
 
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bzingo

Newbie
Mar 17, 2020
19
7
Olympus3DX said:
I was interested in the whole thing, until I read the last sentence :p
You want someone to make the models so another artist can render them?
Why go trough the trouble of having multiple artists with different systems and render skills?
Doing 10 custom models seems like a lot to start with and the whole game sounds like something far beyond what Ren'Py is made for, it's not impossible at all, but a proper game engine seems more suitable for a combat system / skills system / job system...

Very interested in your project though so I'll definitely be following it :)
Click to expand...
Oh! I'm totally open to the same artist making the models and the renders. Sorry if my text in the ad was confusing (I've updated it). The reason I'm looking to get the models done first is just personal preference from a work-flow standpoint (I want visuals to fuel my muse for the story). But of course I'll need renders to make the game, and ideally it would be the same artist (y)

As for your comments about Ren'py being the right engine, I honestly don't know, but from what I've seen of its capabilities and for what I have planned, I think it might work. I plan to keep my mechanics simple and most actions (jobs, combat, etc...) will most likely be "auto-resolved" based on underlying character stats and other game factors. The actions and representations of the results will likely be very basic, such as choosing if to engage, and possibly a few options for how to engage. I want it to feel like the MC is growing and participating meaningfully in the world, but don't need something highly sophisticated.

Feel welcome to email me if you want to talk in more detail about the project :)
bzingo@protonmail.com
 
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bzingo

Newbie
Mar 17, 2020
19
7
Warlan said:
Hey Bzingo while I can't do what you ask, as I'm not confident enough in my skills I thought i would chime in on this subject. To model a unique character from scratch takes far longer than 8 hours. It is a good reason why you don't see alot of custom 3d models in the games on this site.
Click to expand...
Hey man, it's funny... I've had people suggest it would take anywhere between 2 hours and 40. I think the key here is being clear what I'm looking for, and then the rest will come down to the artist's skill/speed/tools/methods.

I don't need perfect replicas, but close likenesses. And I think Synx's suggestion to use the base Genesis 8 model and modify it makes a lot of sense. Hopefully there's some middle ground to find :)
 
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bzingo

Newbie
Mar 17, 2020
19
7
I'm still looking for an artist if anyone is interested working on this project - thanks!
 
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