Take your skill issues into skill advantages, but be prepared to take the L.

The backstory

WüFF 2024

Wüellas FurFest was a local furcon that, by the time this is published, happened between November 2nd and 3rd, 2024. Despite being dirt broke, I had the tickets before I wrote my goodbye to SCL. And, almost until the very last minute, it seemed like I wouldn't have been able to assist. Clutching at the very last minute is a recurring theme, so keep that in mind.

The build

Materials

The main challenge was: transition from 2D to 3D. And, just like it happened with games, it was full of growing pains. Transitioning the same techniques to a full, real life, 3D object came with several new challenges; specially one I imposed myself: do it 100% manually. This means, I would not rely on a 3D model to then UV-unwrap to get the measurements. Why? Skill issues.

I didn't want to learn Blender. That would come to hunt me later in ways beyond this project.

The material list was:

This amount does not account for instruments like a cutting board, loads of A4 paper sheets, other crafts equipment, or other things you might have already laying around. But even then, cost would be easily under USD$40 at most.

However, the real cost was my own time.

Set-up

Concept

The idea was: a low-poly mask, to match my badge. After all, it's my aesthetic.

I had two things that could help, and one that hampered a bit my process. I had a pup-mask (don't ask) and a helmet. One functions as a template for the anatomy, the other as a skeleton to fit everything.

However... Where am I gonna build everything?

Workstation

I used a desk lamp. That I ended up breaking the power cable off. It kept tilting down but I managed to keep it stable enough.

I had a small A3 cutting board, and behind that: my laptop. Didn't have much space to work with. This made it specially awkward to work with bigger pieces like the helm or forehead pieces.

And after that, it's time to build!

Construction

Template

The pupmask was too small for me. So I extended it about 20mm each side. I used paper and masking tape to expand the mask and make it fit my noggin'. So far, so good.

Problems started when I tried to actually build the template. This is the biggest mistake I've done and the one that probably costed me the project: being stuck in templating.

In short. I iterated too much. First from rough patches, to measured rough patches, to rounding them off– I could've gone with CAD right away, why didn't I?

Software

Because I was going into gamedev, I installed Linux on my machine. It worked good for programming, as expected. However, many of my creative tools were unavailable. I could've used free alternatives, but that also means spending time learning them. Time I didn't have.

Linux is like going gluten-free: sure there's alternatives to everything, but it's not the same and you have to get used to them. Not like I know it from personal experience or anything, of course not!

So that constrained me even further. I was decided to use my old iPad, where I do the art I live off, to model the CAD finals.

Let's say that Affinity is not meant for CAD. Sure, I did my badge on it. But anything that requires precision is just not gonna fly. And here's where I made the single biggest mistake of them all:

I fucked up the mirroring.

Building

First attempt: CAD through Affinity

I basically unwrapped the whole head and started measuring the angles and lengths of every part. I could've installed Windows and AutoCAD in that time, but free software, right?!... right????

I took the approach of doing one side and mirroring the other. Turns out that, because the line thickness was so small, I didn't see that I flipped it the wrong way.

Material and build

I used the CNC from the same provider as before (thanks, aMaqueta!) and, when checking my cardboard sheet case, found out some cool matte black sheets. Enough to print the mask.

And I did it. And recorded some siiiiiick videos!!

But when I got home, I got the awful surprise.

Wrong way round

Ok so, it was flipped the wrong way round, but what if I used the inner faces? Well, uh... I also did the bending cuts on the same print. And the angles of each triangle would've made it almost impossible to rebuild. I'd imagine that I could reconstruct the face by cutting and pasting everything by hand, but that would be ridiculous, right??????

Second attempt: 100% manual

IRL UV unwrapping

I had this, more or less, working paper mockup on my (pretty funny) stand. I cut it alongside the middle and jawline and unwrapped the sides, just like a cardboard model would work. This going to be it. It's not gonna beat me.

Well, I had some rather big issues. It looked like shit. The back was like an alien, with that straight line back. The horns just didn't want to wrap, because of the angles. It just took a lot of effort I couldn't put.

I even went to see a friend the night before, for a Halloween small party, and I rushed to get back to the Metro station before it closed; both because I couldn't afford an Uber, but also because I needed to go back and finish this before the event next day.

Yeah, nah. Called it quits at 2AM.

So, what did we learn?

3D is hard.

A key rule in project management and risk assessment is to know your limits and experience before you dive headfirst into a new endeavour and take that risk.

I went into something new, ate my whole error budget, ate my whole budget, and just... failed. But don't we learn by fucking around and finding out?

Not all projects are going to be home runs or salvageable half measures. And this is fine.

Risk assessment

My formula is something like:

• Have a random set of time, depending of your skill and scope. I knew that the I did a laser cut badge project took me a day and a half. I calculated that it would be ~60h of labour, just eyeing it.
• Add a percentage of failure. In this case, ~20h. A day and a bit, more or less.
• Each working day, in this case full time 12h, check your progress. Divide the hours into percentages of completion, and adjust for complexity of tasks. Remember: 90% of the project takes 10% of the time, but that remaining 10% takes 90% of the time.
• If you're falling behind and started eating that time credit line, reassess and cut scope or start thinking about a reduced version. This is the hardest to do. I could do it successfully on Premonition... while cutting it wrong. I did deliver, but it could've been muuuuch better if I stuck to the original idea. This happens to me way too much and I never learn.
• If by the final 80-90% you're behind by more than your margin of error, call it off. Don't waste your time and resources.

Handicaps

• Linux. Yes, you can argue skill issues all you want. But, let's face it: if you are or were a professional on any design field, you are trained on proprietary tools that 99% of the time won't run on Linux unless you dual-boot or hack it off with Proton or Wine (basically, the same wine but different vineyard).
• Programmers often miss the fact that not everyone is the same. The fact that programmer UI/UX is a thing, where programmers think that their way of design is universal, when it makes sense to us programmers; is one huge issue. The biggest exception to the rule is Tantacrul.
• Going 3D. Ironically, for someone doing 3D games and having strong 2D knowledge, I can't model away from the architectural tools I know. I don't know blender cause the UI/UX just needs a couple more years to blend into my single braincell. I forgot how to use 3ds Max, and Maya would be just asking for trouble with razor thin to non-existent budgets.
• Not enough time. I can excuse it on not being able to work when at my parent's, for lack of privacy issues. I had one week. Not much margin for error. My own ruleset was broken from the start.

Conclusion

This one has been in the works since November 2024. I haven't uploaded it just out of... reasons.

I am releasing it as is, no further improvement. Have fun!

I had fun at WüFF though!