A lot of things are needed to create a nice image: good lights, good POV, gamma correction (yes, I've read all Bagginsbill's remainders!) etc. etc...

One of the hardest things to do correctly for me are expressions. Creating a good smile, a surprised face, an angry villain or a happy face is never simple.

Pre-built expression packs? If they come with a specific character, they seem to work well only with that character (and not even always). If they are "generic V4 expressions", they seem to work well only with the unmorphed mesh. When a character morph is applied, usually they become "ugly faces" and nothing more.

I am trying to understand the subtle relationships between face dials and "perceived expression" of the character. Sometimes a slight change in a dial is enough to change completely the expression. An "happy" morph set full throttle to "1" usually is horrible.

Are expressions definitely character-dependant as they seem? Is there a common pathway? Some characters seem to change expressions better than others (like in real life, anyway). What are your experiences with expressions?

Giorgio

giorgio_2004 here, ksabers on XBox Live, PSN  and everywhere else.