LogInaVersionOfReality continues to explore new ways to improve stylized 3D models.
In 3D, especially in real-time, many things become much more challenging. A common issue in 3D cel shading is that the movement of lighting and shadows across a character's surface often feels unnatural compared to 2D animation, where shading is hand-drawn and carefully adjusted for each shot to maintain a pleasing look.
Because lighting and the camera can move independently in 3D, the shadow terminator, the line between light and shadow, can slide awkwardly across the model, causing surface details to pop in and out too quickly.
"I've been experimenting with a variety of techniques to slow down or limit these bad-looking movements. Reducing detail helps, of course, but then you've also lost the detail.
This clip shows some detail reduction, but there's a bit more going on: the Normals on the torso are being mixed to a cylindrical shape, which reduces the speed the shading moves. It's a small effect for now, but I think I can get it working much better, and still keep detail when it matters", commented aVersionOfReality.
aVersionOfReality is known as the creator of Easy Custom Normals, a Blender add-on that streamlines the process of achieving clean toon and cel shading, ideal for artists working on stylized game characters and VTuber models:
If you're interested in stylized 3D, we recommend following them on X/Twitter for updates on their latest research and tools:
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