A closer look at the most up to date Samer Khatib Character Model.

     Before we get into it, for new readers, there was a time when I posted almost daily on this blog. And from time to time, I would post in a separate section on here called "Making Of..."  which would usually be a post dedicated to showing a breakdown and the process that went into one of my models. I create 3d models ranging from props, characters, environments, etc. Just about anything almost on a daily basis. I consider myself primarily a 3D guy. More so than a game developer actually. Sometimes I've been asked the question of "what would you be doing if you didn't make games?" - I'm pretty sure I would be working just as a 3d artist or I would still be doing something 3D work-related. Maybe build a youtube channel with animated shorts and animated series based on ideas I have for games? It's crossed my mind before. Anyway, if you know me, you know I love 3D stuff. I love computer graphics, looking at 3d models, looking at wireframes, texture work, etc. I'm just really big on computer graphics and have been obsessed with 3D modeling and 3D graphics since I was a kid with an N64.

     Out of all the character models I have ever created, this character specifically is probably my most important one. With upcoming titles from my new, flagship video game series "Samer Hills" in the works, I think now is a great time to share a behind the scenes look at the Samer Khatib character model. The starboy himself. The cover character of the Samer Hills franchise. A character model that you will see and play as for years to come in many future games from me. The Snowconesolid Productions equivalent of Super Mario and Micky Mouse.

Version 1 (2017) Model

     Brief History: Before we get into it, I just want to say that this post will actually be the third time I cover this character model. If you're interested in seeing how it all began check out this post: Samer Version 1. If you wanna see where it went, check out this post: Samer Version 2. If you wanna know how it's going, then keep reading here. The Samer Khatib character model is that one character model that always receives updates. I have had big plans for this character since it's inception. This model originally started as a sloppy sketch on paper and version 1 of the 3d model was made all the way back in 2017. I have always had plans to create a video game series surrounding a Samer Khatib character for as long as I could remember. Samer Khatib has appeared in a couple of videos on my youtube channel and, as of this post, he has appeared in two of my currently released games. A cameo in Giraffe Town marks the character's very first in-game appearance. Samer later appears in "The Debug"  but this time as a playable character. His appearance in The Debug is brief and doesn't really let the player explore the character's abilities however, this small appearance marks the first time that the Samer Khatib character is actually playable. If you're reading this years from now in the future. The Samer Khatib character model would have been in many different titles. Playable in dozens of games by now better known as the "Samer Hills" series. Check them out.

     Anyway, this character model has seen many changes over time. I think I have revised and redesigned this model more times than all the changes Mario and Sonic's character designs have gone through. So, obviously, this model in particular is very important for me to get just right. And with the newest version I'm talking about today, I'm pretty content with the quality, design, and everything overall. For now, that is. Let's take a closer look.

     Here are some better shots of the wireframe for this model. And, as a 3d nerd, I think things like wireframes of a model are super interesting. Anyway, if you compare this model to older versions of it, the first thing you will probably notice is how much cleaner it is. It's a small thing for some, but for me, I practice having good topology in all of my models. The topology of a 3d model, especially a character model is very important. Keep things clean and organized. Add loop cuts where necessary and manage each poly with care. I basically rebuilt the entire body from the ground up. The previous one was incredibly unorganized, sloppy, and horrible with the character's rig. I decided to simply start fresh and remodel Samer's body from scratch. As for the head and face of the model,  I was always pretty satisfied with that. Just needed a few minor tweaks. I didn't remake his head from scratch because I didn't want to risk changing the model too much and I think the Samer head has already been established as this iconic, recognizable character that can easily be identified with Snowconesolid Productions. Since the head is a smaller part of the mesh it was much easier to go back into it and clean it up. You probably won't notice a difference when comparing the head on this model to an older version, but it has been drastically improved overall in many ways. The eyes, cheeks, nose, hair, ears, mouth, and insides have received a really nice update and bump in quality.

Full, 5 finger hands

     Additional changes on the body finally include hands with 5 fingers. The original Samer Khatib as well as previous variations of the model always only included 4 fingers. I don't know why I originally only gave him 4 fingered hands. Again, it's a small change that I bet most people didn't even notice on the Samer model as seen in Giraffe Town. But changes like these are important for me and giving the model a proper set of hands was a must. One more thing, the hand isn't just an updated mesh with an extra finger. Now, in the latest version of the Samer model, his hands are actually fully rigged and animated. They can open, close, grab, etc. Previous versions of the model did not have rigged hands and fingers. The hands always stayed in the same static pose. A fully rigged hand really adds an extra layer of life to the model and I am pleased with it.

Shiny new rig

     Samer's character rig is also completely new. With the new mesh, improved topology that is now properly designed with a layout to support good character rigging, I didn't hesitate to also toss out the original rig. The original one had many issues and was poorly mapped to the model despite having fewer bones than this new rig. It didn't deform the model properly and just looked really bad in certain angles. As a matter of fact, in Giraffe Town, whenever Samer was on screen, I always made sure to have the camera facing his "good sides", which are areas that deformed properly that is. In some cutscenes, if look at the model from different angles, it's deformation is really messed up. Anyway, this new and improved rig fixes all the deformation issues I had on the original model and basically just works perfectly. This custom rig also adds many new features specifically for the Samer Khatib model. Fully rigged hands for example. The really nice new feature that I added is actually a rig for Samer's hair.

Animated hair

     I've always appreciated video games that took the time to animate the character's hair if they had any. The older version of this model had this stiff hair as if it was glued to his head. With my new and improved rig, this finally changed and now the Samer Khatib character model finally has luscious, beautiful, flowing hair that dances majestically in the light wind. I don't have a gif at this moment to show an example of what I want to say next, but you will see this in the actual games eventually. Anyway, Samer's hair is actually dynamic. So, it will flow with you when you are running. If the game has stronger winds, Samer hair will flow to match the speeds or, if you're inside for example, and not moving, Samer's hair will barely flow depending on if there is any wind or not. So, just a little something I'm proud of.

4K Textures

     Onto the texturing and shading work. Just like modeling, texture work is very important to me and it's something that took me years to finally get good at. Before, I used to simply just take a texture, slap it onto a model, and call it a day or just use basic colors for things such as skin. It didn't look bad, but it didn't look, I guess professional either. It didn't have that "wow" quality to it to make it stand out. My texture work was missing something and that something was consistency. I'm kind of speaking in general in regards to this topic and not just about my Samer Khatib model. But, I would say that the texture work is more important than the actual 3d models themselves. The textures could either make or break your game's/animation's graphical presentation. So, what happens when you just take textures and slap them onto 3d models? You lose consistency. There's no sense of art direction or style. It's just a mess. Each photo texture you use most likely has different lighting, is off, or just doesn't match with the model or universe of your production in general. Also, it looks like the same stock texture that you've probably seen in a bunch of other games and it probably is. In order to maintain a strong and consistent art direction, the texture work needs to be able to blend everything. All elements of the game or animation or scene, etc together. These days, I actually spend more time on the texturing than the actual model. I work hard to ensure that the texture's on all my models are unique, fit the particular model, and more importantly, are able to blend in with the rest of the production. I think texturing is more of a smaller piece to a much bigger puzzle and when doing texture work it's good to also think about how it would be presented not just on the specific model, but in the game world itself. Anyway, I was starting to just ramble there. Back to the Samer Khatib model, he now sports a high res 4K texture with improved skin, hair coloring as well as detailed elements such as wrinkles on the clothes, grooves in the hair, lines on the shirt, etc. Speaking of clothes, this brings me to my next topic. Different costumes and clothes.

Samer's NEW default red and black suit.

Winter

Halloween

Boxers

     As you can see, I designed the Samer Khatib character model to be extremely customizable. Knowing that I'm going to be using this character model in numerous different games, I needed to make sure that I had reusability in mind when designing the model. I created this character in such a way that lets me easily customize, build off of, and create new things specifically for this model. The above images are just a few examples of the many different costumes that Samer can sport. Over time, as more Samer Hills games come out, you might see Samer in a different unique piece of clothing or wearing something that matches the theme of the game. For example, in Samer Hills Hollow Jack (which as of this blog post is currently in development), instead of the default suit. You will see Samer wearing his vampire Halloween costume. These different costumes for the model are built from scratch, but once again, because of how I set up this model and took the steps beforehand to properly prepare it. I can easily create a new wardrobe that just instantly works with the character. For example, check out this custom Feed Me Billy costume I created for the Samer Khatib model:

Feed Me Billy Costume

     You won't actually be able to get this specific costume in any of the Samer Hills games. This one was just for fun. But it's a really good example showcasing the customizability of my Samer Khatib character model as I was able to create this new set of clothes pretty quickly. Anyway, for context, if you aren't familiar. This costume is based on a game called "Feed Me Billy" by developer Puppet Combo. In Feed Me Billy you play as a serial killer who must feed a hungry hole in the closet. It's a great game and a personal favorite of mine. I recommend it. Puppet Combo is a super cool game developer that I really look up to. Their works have definitely served as inspiration for me as well as motivate me to continue to improve and grow in my own game development career. So, definitely check out this developer if you haven't. You can follow Puppet Combo on Twitter over here: @PuppetCombo and you can support them on Patreon at this link: www.patreon.com/puppetcombo 

Feed Me Billy by Puppet Combo

     Finally, the most important thing for the Samer Khatib character model is his unique array of facial expressions. 

     Originally seen in Giraffe Town as "the only character with different facial expressions" - This feature has become a key staple for the character. Samer Khatib is also better known as the man with many facial expressions and when working on this new version of the model, I made sure that there would be no shortage of that. This character is supposed to be very expressive and very animated to contrast the world that he's in which is Samer Hills of course. And this is something cool because in the types of games I am making, I can use Samer's facial expressions as a tool to better communicate with the player. For example, I can have the Samer character react differently depending on where the player is in the game or, what the player is doing. If danger is near by, the Samer character can get maybe this nervous look, and if the player sees that, they will know that they are in danger. Or if the player is near a certain item he can display some other emotion and so on. His expressions really tie in with my game designs and instead of a hud or annoying sound or something, the character's physical appearance serves as a display to communicate information to the player.

     Samer has a wide range of different emotions and I can't wait for you to see them in the Samer Hills games. 

     I may not be a 3D master and I can definitely still learn and improve further. With that said, over the years, as a 3d artist, I personally feel that I have greatly grown and learned a lot. What started as a hobby that I picked up way back in high school has become something that is routine for me and my love for 3D artwork and computer graphics continues to grow. Man, this stuff is just so cool.

     It's been a while since I wrote one of these "making of" type posts. As a matter of fact, I've noticed that I have been doing blog entries much more frequently again lately and I'm pretty happy about that. Just like creating games or 3d models, this blog has always been another outlet for me. I used to blog almost every day years ago when I was still new to game development. A younger version of myself. I have missed doing it. So, it's pretty nice to kind of re-ignite and find joy in an older hobby like this. Thanks again for reading and stay tuned for more soon. Bye-bye for now.

What's beyond these vast virtual worlds?

     Absolutely nothing. Video games are all lies and illusions. The curse of learning how to create and design your own video games is that it takes the magic away. As a little kid I always liked to imagine and think that there where places beyond the in game worlds that you could explore. Areas that are hidden. There is this sense of curiosity when you are thrown into a big game world for the first time to explore for yourself.

    You look at high mountains and think to yourself "is anything on the other side. Can I climb up those mountains and see what is behind them?" Later you find out that it is nearly impossible to get even half way up these in game mountains. That is because they are designed to act as game barriers to prevent the player from going beyond the boundaries of the game world. Why? Because there is nothing left in the game world to see. There is nothing behind those mountains except for an empty infinite space that will just go on forever and ever. Those mountains aren't even modeled/detailed from the backsides most times. They are just awkwardly cut and empty and you could see through them if you look at them from that side. 

     But the player never sees the other side of the mountain. Because the player isn't meant to see the other side of the mountain. That would ruin the experience and break the immersion for the player. The game developer on the other hand sees the game from every single possible angle. They are the ones putting it together after all. The game world starts out as this empty blank space that is then filled up by the developer to create this illusion that this tiny little world has some sort of life to it. But the developer knows that its all illusion. The game world is all fake. So the magic and excitement of being able to imagine that there is something more there is none existent to the developer. 

     Back to my earlier point, as a kid I would spend hours in front of my TV screen with my N64 constantly playing Zelda Ocarina Of Time. I was fully immersed in the game world and I always wondered if there was anything beyond Hyrule. Was there even a way to get out of Hyrule? The game felt so magical to me. I was sitting in my tiny bed room, yet I was exploring this huge lifelike world through my TV screen. I eventually learned about a glitch that lets you go past the boundaries of Hyrule. There was this area in the Hyrule castle section of the game. If you angled and positioned Link just right, you could have Link walk up this area that is not meant to be a walk-able area for the player. It was designed as a barrier to hide the ugly truth of what is behind the beautiful game world. 

     I climbed this area over and over again and Link constantly fell back down to Hyrule grounds because of the game physics as if the game was trying to tell me "No! you aren't suppose to see what is beyond this point! You can't go here!" (it was a pretty hard glitch to do) Determined to see what was beyond these flat mountains, I finally got to the top. What I saw when I got to the top broke me. As a child, I was crushed. There was nothing behind these mountains. I could see the games skybox moving around. Rotating almost as if someone glued a picture of clouds on this cylinder shaped lamp shade. I looked down from those mountains only to see a dark empty void of nothing. I could see other parts of Hyrule castle rendering out from the distance, but everything was flat. There was nothing at all. I moved Link forward and he fell out of the game world into the empty dark square pit of darkness. He fell endlessly. I could see Hyrule castle and the rest of the game world start to disappear because of how far Link fell. 

     Everything in the game just felt so fake at that point. I felt like someone just took Link and put him on this movie set with all these fake props. Video games have been ruined for me ever since I had this traumatic experience as a kid. I never looked at them the same. The magic was gone forever...

     Of course, I am only joking about how this ruined video games for me. Actually, when I saw this I was like "woah cool! This is so awesome!" because it gave me an idea of how games are made. It let me see for the first time ever a more "behind the scenes" look at video games instead of just seeing the game world for what it was suppose to be seen as and to me that was super interesting. I actually tried to see if I could glitch out of other parts of the game later on. And I think this is something that all gamers try experimenting with as well. They try to break the game, they see if they could create a situation or do something in the game that wasn't intended for the player to do. I have even seen some people trying to do this with my own game before such as "Potato Thriller" and I think it is hilarious. Watching someone else do that to your own game is very cool actually. Because its like "hey thats not what I wanted you to do. No! you aren't suppose to go there! you aren't following my game rules! I knew I should of blocked off this area..." So it is really interesting to see someone essentially rebel against the rules of the game world you created. You see the player play your game in a completely unexpected way and that is because they are curious to see what lies beyond. That, or they just really want to break the game because of how board they got from playing by your rules. But either way, it is really cool to see and a great feeling.

      I am starting to just ramble and even switch topics at this point so I will end this on a short note. In all seriousness, if you are thinking about becoming a developer, going into game design, learning how to make games, becoming an indie dev, doing it as a hobby, working in games in a professional AAA studios, etc. I say go for it! Learning about how game worlds are created, what goes into them, how they work, etc - is all very very interesting stuff to read up on. It is very fascinating to see the hard work behind everything. I always loved seeing behind he scenes stuff in movies and games more than the actual game, movie, etc itself.  Seeing the tricks used to create an illusion for a certain moment or scene in any kind of medium is really satisfying because you have that moment of "ahhh! that is how it was done. I was wondering how they did this". You then have that realization that you could do something similar. It is a very awesome feeling to be able to create your own games and share those experiences with others. I forgot where I heard this saying but it went something like this: "It's fun to play video games, but it is even more fun to make video games."

     PS: This is the first blog post I do in a long long time that isn't about me or the current game project I am working on. It feels nice to change things up every once in a while. I might do more posts like this in the future. Definitely more development blogs on the new game coming up as well.

More updates coming soon!