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Shape Keys / Morph TargetsΒΆ

Characters have shape keys for facial expressions and body shape modifications. When you create your own character from a template, these shape keys will break! You need to fix the shape keys.

  1. Select all the faces and go to the Data tab and scroll to Shape Keys
  2. The Basis shape keys should already be correct, this is your default character shape
  3. Select Closed - the only changes for this shape key should be that the eyes are closed
  4. Select all vertices and go to Vertex > Blend from Shape, Shape: Basis, Blend: 100, and uncheck Add. This should change the Closed shape keys to match Basis exactly.
  5. When Closed is still active, modify the mesh to close the eye and bring down the eyebrow slightly.

Repeat this process for all the shape keys for your new character. Modify the eye expressions and the body shapes. Look at other characters to see how the face expressions and body modifications should look, but often the name of the shape key is self-explanatory.

Important:

  • The shape keys must match the predefined names in existing characters exactly for game-engine implementations. Not all shape keys will exist for all characters. For example, a bald character or a character with a helmet will not have the HairLong and HairShort shape keys, and male characters will not have the Pregnant shape keys (no matter how much people love to debate that these days =))
  • If a shape key is missing, the character will simply not support changing to that shape key in game engines, but there will be no error
  • If you don't use shape keys / morph targets in your game, you theoretically don't need to fix them

Shape keys:

  • Basis (always at the top and the default shape of your mesh)
  • Closed - eyes closed (all except most helmet-wearing characters)
  • Angry - eyes and eyebrows angry (all except most helmet-wearing characters)
  • Confused - eyes and eyebrows confused (all except most helmet-wearing characters)
  • Happy - eyes and eyebrows happy (all except most helmet-wearing characters)
  • Sad - eyes and eyebrows happy (all except most helmet-wearing characters)
  • Surprised - eyes and eyebrows surprised (all except most helmet-wearing characters)
  • UpperFat - fat torso, chest and neck (all characters)
  • UpperSkinny - skinny torso, chest and neck (all characters)
  • ArmsFat - fat arms (all characters)
  • ArmsSkinny - fat arms (all characters)
  • LegsFat - fat arms (all characters)
  • LegsSkinny - skinny arms (all characters)
  • FeetBig - large feet (all character)
  • FeetSmall - small feet (all characters)
  • UpperMuscles - muscles on the arms and chest (optional)
  • Pregnant - pregnant belly (optional for most female characters)
  • HairLong - long hair (characters with hair)
  • HairShort - short hair (characters with hair)
  • Prop1Big - enlarged prop, e.g. hat or backpack (character with one prop)
  • Prop1Small - shrunken prop, e.g. hat or backpack (character with one prop)
  • Prop2Big - enlarged prop, e.g. a watch (character with two props)
  • Prop2Small - shrunken prop, e.g. a watch (character with two props)
  • Prop3Big - enlarged prop, e.g. glasses (character with three props)
  • Prop3Small - shrunken prop, e.g. glasses (character with three props)
  • Feature1 - character-specific features, e.g. tilted hat (a few characters)
  • Feature2 - character-specific features, e.g. beard length (a few characters)
  • Feature3 - character-specific features, e.g. hair style (a few characters)