Game Character Workflow [Possibly an add-on] , Need feedback on Anatomy, Weight Painting, Realism

[ComplexAce]

Thanks for giving some time to check, I have like 40+ characters / character presets to make for my Manga and Game, so I’m trying to make a workflow that minimizes the workload, but also gives a fair quality [PS4 level]
you can find more details Here [Has an animation test too]

Things finished:

1. Base Model anatomy [Body only]
2. Male / Female variations [Body only], both keep the bone structure [shoulders / hips width] in the same place but change in terms of muscle size, fat pads and any other male / female biological differences
3. Eye shader [Not with eye tear and the extra meshes tho]

WIP:

1. Face [right now it changes somewhat accurately between androgynous, male and female, but the base still looks like ****], it’s been long since I did any character designs so I’d appreciate reference for proportions from all angles, I’m having a hard time finding the correct position and silhouette for the facial features
2. Face rig / weight painting, will probably do it after finishing the face itself
3. FACS setup for the facial animation with MoCap support
4. Skin shader, can mix between male and female textures, change lip colors, planning on adding more details in the future and even procedural one, right now I’m keeping it to a minimum, only using diffuse textures and trying to extract SSS automatically from that, any thoughts on this are appreciated.
5. Hair system, to create realistic and fast hair styles using hair cards, this will take a while because it needs a lot of presets, material, rigging and drivers work, so I didn’t show it yet

[Musashidan (Danny McGrath)]

It’s hard to see anything because of the unsuitable lighting you’ve presented in, and the fact that the head takes up a tiny part of the image and is blown out. If you want anatomy crits(especially of the face) then you should post grey shaded viewport grabs, focused on the face, and from front/side/3-quarter. Also, there are noticeable anatomical differences between Asians and Europeans, which are you going for?
(Asking because you mention manga)
Great project though, you will learn a ton from this.

[ComplexAce]

I’ll fetch some shaded previews tomorrow, the face isn’t good anyway so I don’t want a critique, rather a guide for it
and I haven’t planned the base race yet but no it’s not Asian, it’s mixed because I’ll have multiple nationalities in the “Manga” and I’m trying to hit a semi-realistic style for it [Maybe I’ll start with Caucasian]

the model is low poly BTW, trying to keep it that way and hit the right look and feel on low poly [it’s a Game-Ready thing and I’m on an Intel UHD 630 anyways]

Thanks for the reply I’m not exactly new to characters and anatomy [just been a couple of years off and I’m a self-taught], and this will be used in serious production, not just side learning, so I hope you hit me with all you have.

[ComplexAce]

@Musashidan I had some battery power left, here.

[Musashidan (Danny McGrath)]

The most obvious thing straight off is the heads are too small, and the necks are too long. Also, the female’s legs look too long/feet too big.

The male also looks very feminine. Neither gender are definitive, which results in androgeny.

[Boder]

I would say pay attention to the female. Shorten the neck, shrink the feet, smooth the shoulder, and take some of the fat out of the mons pubis.

[Xeofrios]

Your anatomy looks fine, the main problem seems to be the proportions. Have a look at this-

[ComplexAce]

@Boder @Musashidan @Xeofrios
Thanks for the reply, I’ll have to double check the proportions to get them right,

but right now I left them as is because I’ll change them through drivers and bone scale, changing shapekeys will kill the the modularity

Sorry for the late reply, been sick the past few days

I wonder if any of you have gender-based proportions guide, like reference sheets or tutorials, and if you have anything for facial proportions, all the better

Thanks again!