Here’s a personal take!
The Sonic Prime 3D models have the best facial expressions seen from the modern cast. Why? Well, I’ll explain with my 0 experience in 3D animation. I’m only explaining as an observer. Not a professional. Anyways, onto the fun.
First of all, let’s talk about the current models in the games. The animators became better at animating them in Sonic Frontiers.
You can tell effort was being put in, but Frontiers still has limits due to the structure of Sonic’s face and eyes. I’ve seen fan animations with this model which animates him wonderfully. But no matter what, he’s still going to have limitations because his hands are too big, eyes are too far apart, mouth looks like it was made to only stay on the side, and more issues. The design frankly looks dead. Even in motion.
In all fairness, this character was built for a 2D design due to it being inspired by Mickey Mouse. But Sonic Unleashed (because they used different models like Dream Team) proves this character CAN be expressive in 3D with a good workable model. It’s not the animation that’s the problem in Frontiers. Here are similar expressions from Sonic Prime and Frontiers.
See how wider the expressions are in Prime? It allows their faces to be more flexible and warped. Prime!Sonic has rounder eyes making his head look easier for his facial structure to have an array of expressions. It’s kind of close to Sonic Dream Team with the minor tweaks of the OG models. Which is why the expressions in that game looked so good. ESPECIALLY when animated.
It’s even why other designs are able to have great facial expressions. The eyes being close together just works. While the OG looks like he’s pushing expressions that’s near impossible to push. Yes, it’s still expressive, but you can see how limiting it is because the eyes aren’t supporting the face. And his mouth is always stuck to one side.
Onto more compliments to the Sonic Prime models. They emphasize the hight differences too. I personally think Sonic and Shadow look like mixtures between their 06, modern, Boom, and movie designs. They have long quills like 06. Their entire look is inspired by the modern designs. Their eyes are shaped similar to Sonic Boom and they have cool textures like in the movies. Other characters count but it most notably is for the two hedgehogs.
The hands are smaller like in the movies and Boom. The pupils being bigger gives volume to the faces. I also adore their fur and quill patterns to give the designs flare. Their gloves have little details too. I especially love how they can change the quills for Sonic and Shadow and make them look similar to a 2D style. Usually they’d make the quills smaller in the games to get that 2D look but Prime Shadow and Sonic are able to have long quills while the animators adjust them however and whenever they need to.
Their mouths are also well animated and smooth when transitioning to different sides of the face. The characters body shapes are also 100% better. While the Game model looks too straight the Prime model has a pear shape torso that are also given to Boom and Movie Sonic respectively. The Prime models look like they were made for action scenes.
I know some people complain about the eyes not going down, but honestly it’s what makes the expressions weaker when used in 3D. I’m glad they have a balance of it sometimes to allow the expressions to get their points across. I really appreciate the colors on everyone also. They look lovely and bright with help of the lighting.
The few critiques I have are due to multiple watches but they’re not a HUGE deal.
1. I can easily see their necks at points.
2. The mouth animation looks weird when characters makes an O shape and the tongues/teeth are jarring.
3. I wish their hands weren’t so flat and skinny. Other models had their hands shaped like Disney characters, but Prime’s hands can look flat sometimes.
These are just nitpicks though.
Even compared to the CGI cutscenes while still good I think Prime conveys a subtly previous models didn’t do too often. Of course the CGI looks amazing and it still holds up, but the nuance in Sonic Prime cannot be ignored. Hope my take makes the slightest of sense.
Stay Creative! 💜
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1929 De Havilland DH60GM Gipsy Moth
One of the most famous models of aviation’s cradle era, the De Havilland Gipsy Moth occupies the same space in its category as the Model T Ford in automobiles—a dependably engineered, reliable vehicle, that brought its mode of transportation to more people than any other before it.
Hundreds of examples were built and were flown by several significant aviators of the era, including the noted British aviatrix Amy Johnson, who in 1930 became the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia in her Gipsy Moth, “Jason.”
Then-owner Cliff Lovell supplied this aircraft in early 1985 for the filming of Out of Africa, starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford in the epic love story of the Danish countess Karen Blixen and British aviator Denys Finch-Hatton.
Courtesy: RM Sotheby's
Offered to benefit the creation of a new rhinoceros sanctuary in Central Kenya
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Brain said sonic fan art today
plus its been ages
I got a version of movie Amy
But basically lived on earth her whole life (adopted by a gardener). Somehow evaded being caught by the government. Then again she hasn't done anything to cause attention
I got a whole entire au/plot you guys wouldn't believe in my head
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can’t stop thinking about this dress and burgundy veil that Uma Thurman wore in Bel Ami
costume designer is odile dicks-mireaux who also worked on last night in soho, an education, brooklyn, and high-rise
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