Modeling High Heels for Video Games - A Discussion

[RobbieTheCupcake]

Let me first say right off the bat that this is more a discussion about future game development rather than anything directed at modders. Modders have done some outstanding work over the years and across multiple games to get high heels working in some form, doing the best they can with the tools provided by their chosen game, and deserve all the thanks and gratitude in the world.

 

As a fellow with a partiality toward feet and who specifically enjoys the look of high heels, I often find the depiction of high heels in various games unfortunately lacking. Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of mainstream gamers and gamedevs probably do not care much about how good the high heels in their games look, if there even are any included, and even amongst adult games and mods it's a niche interest at best. What I would like to do is to kickstart a discussion about high heels in video gaming, and what could be done in the future by adult gamedevs to facilitate more realistic / better looking high heels. This thread is not intended to be a request for specific games or specific features, but rather a gathering point for people with a similar interest who may have ideas or may have found methods elsewhere that an interested gamedev or modder may be looking for for help including better looking heels in their games.

 

High Heels in the Real World

 

To begin with, I want to highlight how the wearing of high heels affects the shape and movement of the ankle and calf muscles in the real world. See the reference images below (please forgive the feet, I'm aware that my S.O. is overdue for a pedicure):

 

Spoiler

 

 

Observing the ankle, heel, and achilles tendon, note how the achilles flexes and is brought upward, bringing the heel with it. Keep this in mind for the next section.

 

 

The Problems

 

The main issue with how high heels are presented in video games stems from the fact that a humanoid character mesh is "static" - which is to say that the mesh itself does not change shape. The overwhelming majority of situations don't require a character mesh to change shape (i.e. things like muscles flexing through normal use are not normally noticeable to an observer, so it's not necessary to show it in-game), as a result, the resources required to create a system where a mesh flexes and changes shape to show muscles moving and flexing are not worth expending.

 

This presents a problem for modders or adult game developers who want to add realistic-looking high heels to their games. When rotating the foot of a character model to fit inside a high heel, the achilles, ankle, and calf muscles do not change shape. The foot simply rotates and either creates a sharp angle at the ankle, juts the heel out at a strange and awkward angle, or both. This creates what I have taken to calling the "sausage heel" effect:

 

Spoiler

Honey Select 2

Spoiler

 

Custom Order Maid 3D2 / MikuMikuDance

Spoiler

 

Skyrim

Spoiler

 

 

The second problem, and more annoying I'm sure for animators, is dealing with the height difference when animations require the model to interact with objects or other characters.

 

 

Discussion

 

I would like to try to kickstart the discussion by presenting some questions. These aren't necessarily intended to be answered directly, but to provide a starting point for discussion.

 

 

• What are some of the obstacles that prevent realistic mesh deformation around muscles (i.e. the way a Daz model might do) from being workable in a video game?
• What are some workarounds for making a foot in a high heel shoe appear to have a realistically "flexed" achilles/ankle/calf in a game without needing to expend an unnecessary amount of resources?
• What are some ways the height difference between heeled and non-heeled states can be reconciled regarding animations within the base game (think a future adult game rather than a mod for an existing game)
• Are there any games or other 3D programs that have tackled any of these issues? How did they handle it?

 

 

I appreciate everyone's input. I realize this is a very niche interest/fetish but I really hope I'm not the only one out there who'd thought about this.

 

 

I have cross-posted this post to the F95 forums. If you'd like to see the responses there in addition to the ones here, please click here.

Edited April 19, 2023 by RobbieTheCupcake
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