In my last post, I explained how I created a custom model for our game. Since then, we were able to test it in the engine.
The core feature of Ostrich Farm is combining ostriches with different colors and patterns to create cool looking offspring. To give our birds more personality, we decided to implement blend shapes for the head. The most prominent feature of our model is the beak, so this is where different shapes will be the most visible.
Here are the five blend shapes I set up:
After importing the blend shapes into Unreal as morph targets, we can blend between them to get a unique look. The values are stored in each ostrich instance so that they can be passed down to offspring. This ties into our genetic system which also controls the inheritance of colors and patterns.
Something else we are adding to our model is a haircut. Here are some WIP sculpts:
I have also rigged the model and created a first set of animations so we can continue our development with the new asset. I learned how to rig last year with the help of antCGI's comprehensive tutorials.
Now that we have all the core features of our model in the game, I will continue to produce animations, tweak the materials and polish. I would love to add a baby ostrich later on. Currently, ostriches hatched from eggs are full-grown.
Notes:
antCGI's Website
https://www.antcgi.com/
