Mannequin Character Generator News

Hello! Today we have released a new update which brought quite a big change in the UI/UX department of Mannequin. We also have some reports regarding the art polish and male/masculine-focused templates which is still in the works. Without further ado, let us get into the details!

[h2]Tweaked User Interface[/h2]

The updated user interface shrinks a lot of controls, removing a lot of thumbnails (which are pointless honestly, because we can see the result in the character anyway) and moved various additional functions into context menus. Look for the three-dot icon to find these additional functions.



[h2]Expanded Time-saving Functions[/h2]

Due to the implementation of these standardized context menu locations, we have expanded existing time-saving features to be more specific. For example, instead of just ‘Apply Color to All Expressions’, we can now copy color to specific expression, or copy color from a specific expression.



[h2]New File Dialog[/h2]

We now have extra options for new file creation which also brought the long-requested randomizer feature. If you’re not seeing this dialog, head to Preferences -> New File Defaults, and click ‘Always Ask’. You can also choose 'Use Settings Below' and define your preferred settings for new file creation to skip this dialog.



[h2]New User Interface Preferences[/h2]

When browsing face parts, hair parts or clothing templates, the library window will always default to showing the ‘Default Library’ which means all the installed DLC/Workshop items are not shown. We can now change this default behavior to use ‘Show All’ instead, which will show the default library alongside all the DLC/Workshop items at once. To enable this, head to Preferences -> User Interface, look for ‘When Browsing Library, Show…’ and choose ‘Show All’. The ‘Default Library’ option still exists in case sometime in the future we can have too many DLC/Workshop items installed which can cause long load times when opening the library window.



The library selection drop-down menu has also been updated to not show libraries which has no items in the selected category.

Now we can also disable most user interface animations (loading spinners are the exception) by heading to Preferences -> User Interface and enabling the ‘Disable UI Animation’ toggle. We can also switch the sidebar panel behavior to only allow one to be expanded; this might be preferable if you have a smaller display.



[h2]What’s Next?[/h2]

As stated in our previous development logs, 0.3.16 (this update) should bring art polish instead of UI changes, and 0.3.17 will bring more male/masculine templates. We have decided to combine the art polish and male/masculine-focused update into 0.3.17 since the redrawing process affects all templates anyway. Below you can find some previews of the changes that will be coming:



As usual, we regularly share this process via our Twitter (which is also embedded in Mannequin’s welcome page, at the bottom section). The art polish will not be gradually previewed in the nightly builds like other updates because changes to body parts will cause compatibility issues with clothing parts, so releasing the update partially will just cause clippings and such.

We’re also preparing for a new website which includes our product page and documentation page. The current site is not really optimized for documentation; therefore, we are switching to Docusaurus for the new site.

That’s all for now! As always, thank you very much for your continued support, and see you in the next update!

Hello! Today we have updated Mannequin to version 0.3.15. Below you can find more details regarding what’s new in this release:

[h2]Steam Workshop[/h2]

Steam Workshop is now implemented! You can browse the Steam Workshop page and subscribe to one of our released test items. The app will automatically download your subscribed items and manage the files on disk shortly after launch. You can quickly manage your subscriptions from the app’s welcome screen, using the tab on the right side of the ‘Recent Files’ tab.

[h2]Developer Mode[/h2]

We have kickstarted the implementation of ‘Developer Mode’ which can be activated from the ‘Preferences’ sidebar. By activating this mode, you will be able to access the ‘Developer Tools’ sidebar alongside some extra controls in other part of the app. These additional controls are designed to ease development of custom content and will be expanded in future updates.

[h2]Manual Selection for Batch Export[/h2]

In previous versions, Batch Export will only allow you to manually choose multiple poses to export while all hairstyles, expressions and clothing styles are automatically included in the batch export queue. Starting from this version, you can manually choose what hairstyles, expressions and clothing styles that will be exported.

[h2]What’s Next?[/h2]

As mentioned in the previous development logs, 0.3.16 will be a thorough fixes and more polish for existing templates. This includes pose adjustments, shading/coloring fixes and fingernails (currently there are toenails but no fingernails).

After adding Workshop compatibility and the Developer Mode in this version, we will also start updating the documentation to better reflect the current state of the app. This will run in parallel with works towards the 0.3.16 update, so it might be a little bit slow. However, if you’re a little bit adventurous and has experience with programming (which is very likely if you use Mannequin for game development projects), please note that it is highly likely that you can figure out how the app works by browsing the default library and the existing DLCs/Workshop Items. We don’t encrypt or hide anything regarding the templates: All configurations are made using JSON file and all components are in SVG format, which can be opened using various vector graphics applications (Inkscape and Illustrator are the ones which has the best SVG support, based on our personal experience).

Due to the nature of the next update, for now we recommend for you to create custom templates that is simpler. Headgear such as hats (like our example workshop items) are likely to be safe, but tops, skirts and pants is riskier because some poses are set to be redrawn in 0.3.16.

That’s all for now. See you in the next update!

Hello! Mannequin version 0.3.14 has just released. This update brings new template selections and several performance improvements. Below you can find more details regarding what is changed:

[h2]Summer Collection and Animal Ears Collection[/h2]

New Summer-themed templates is now here which includes several bikini variations, pareo, sandals and summer hats. In the Animal Ears Collection, we have added fox, bunny and dog ears, complementing cat ears that was added in previous update.



[h2]Zoom Performance Improvements[/h2]

The previously janky zoom behavior is now much improved, whether using the top-right input field/selection or using the Ctrl/Cmd + Scroll wheel combo. You can also sync the canvas zoom level and scroll position between open files by clicking the chain toggle at the right side of the zoom level input field.

[h2]Steam Overlay Support[/h2]

Steam Overlay is now supported using the usual Shift+Alt combo. You can use Steam’s screenshot feature to easily share creations or use it as an easy way to report problems, since Steam’s discussion form does not allow image uploading.

[h2]Bugfixes and Other Tweaks[/h2]

Some of the less visible changes that is present in this update includes:

• Chest parts for the female template is now reworked to fix misalignment in some poses and thin line showing from clothing item/body parts underneath. The thin line may still appear in the preview sometimes but should disappear when viewed at a greater zoom level or when exported as an image.
  
• Fixed a bug in the library window where clicking ‘X’ button does not do anything.
  
• Optimized memory usage (less RAM consumption).
  

[h2]What’s Next?[/h2]

The Steam Workshop integration that has been planned for this version is postponed to the next update, so we will be focusing on that part. We are aiming for a faster update cadence with smaller, more focused changes instead of putting a big application plus content like this, so the short-term plan is:

0.3.15 – Steam Workshop Support and tweaks to the 'Face' sidebar, adding more buttons to help apply fine-tuning parameters and other settings (such as eye gloss) to all expressions (instead of applying one by one for each expression).

0.3.16 – Fixes and more polish for existing templates. This includes pose adjustments, shading/coloring fixes and fingernails (currently there are toenails but no fingernails).

0.3.17 – Male-focused content updates (new hairstyles, face parts and clothing templates to make at least on par with the variety of the female template). If you are interested in using more male templates, please consider sharing what is on your mind regarding the art style that you’re aiming for in this thread.

That is all for now! As usual, stay safe, stay creative, and see you in the next update!

Hello! Today Mannequin has just updated to 0.3.13.

Well, that was fast.

Indeed, it was fast. We have decided to move 0.3.13 release forward due to the significant amount of performance gain with the rendering. Previously, our prediction regarding the results of these optimization hovers around 25% rendering time reduction on average, but after the optimization is implemented, we are seeing rendering time reduced by 25% at the minimum. Based on our testing, the average rendering time reduction is around 50%, and in some scenarios, it can reach more than 75%. Rendering of complex characters, with a lot of clothing items equipped and advanced color mode enabled in most parts, will see more significant improvement compared to simpler characters.

Other than the rendering performance improvements, we have made some minor changes and bugfixes in this update:

• A new option has been added to the Library Window: ‘View All’. With this option selected, the Default Library and installed DLCs will show up all at once.
  
• Thumbnail for ‘Curly Top Bun’ and ‘Curly Double Bun’ primary hairstyle template has been fixed.
  
• Necklaces are now compatible with male body template.
  

Not much more to say from our part due to the abrupt nature of this release. We still have more things that is originally planned for this version, such as initial Steam Workshop support and Summer Collection DLC. Those will be the focus of next update (0.3.14) instead.

That is all for now. As always, stay safe and stay creative. See you soon in the next update!

Hello! Today Mannequin has been updated to 0.3.12 and we have brought a lot of big changes to the app. Let us go into more details!

[h2]New Features[/h2]

Here are the highlights of the new features introduced in this update:

[h3]Reworked Hair Template Structure[/h3]

Hair templates has been totally reworked, enabling much more control and customization. Previously, you can only select one hairstyle template, assign hair color, and that is it. Now hair templates are split into four parts: Primary Hairstyle, Bangs, Sideburns/Wisps, Facial Hair, and Additional Hair Parts/Accessories. Each part can be colored independently.



With Additional Hair Parts, we are now able to accommodate various popular styles that has been requested before, such as ‘Ahoge’ and Animal Ears.

Hair Accessories has been moved from Clothing Styles section to become a part of Hairstyles. This is due to the nature of various hair accessories that is dependent to a specific hairstyle. For example, ponytail bow requires, as expected, ponytail hairstyle to work. However, if you have a character with two hairstyles, say one with hair let down and one ponytail, then a Ponytail Bow in the Clothing Styles section becomes problematic, showing or not showing depending on the active Hairstyle. With the latest change, we can now bind each Hair Accessory to a specific Hairstyle, always ensuring that it works properly. This is also why hats are not considered hair accessories since they are less dependent to a specific hairstyle and are more universally compatible in nature.

Alongside this restructured template, we have also added a lot of new hairstyles into the mix. Here are some samples of what you can now create which is not available in the previous versions of Mannequin:



[h3]PNG Export Cropping[/h3]

If you are using the PNG export format as your primary choice, then chances are you really do not want the hassle of using additional image editing applications at all. Therefore, we have added canvas cropping for PNG export, with option to automatically crop so that is no empty pixels on each side or set the cropping dimension of each side manually.



[h3]Compact UI[/h3]

Multitasking is of course a common occurrence in the world of game development, so with this update we have tweaked Mannequin’s UI to support a more compact dimension. With the compact UI active, the sidebar becomes collapsible to allow more space for the canvas.



[h2]Other Tweaks & Performance Improvements[/h2]

Some other aspects that have been added or improved in this version are:

• XS and XL chest sizes are now available to use.
  
• Legs for the female template has been adjusted for a more proportional length.
  
• Iris and Lip Style can now be applied to all Expressions.
  
• Very minor change in character such as iris style change should now render faster.
  
• UI response for several controls (plus, minus buttons and color pickers) has been tweaked to update without waiting for the canvas to finish rendering.
  
• Character Animator PSD export now can be aborted mid-progress.
  
• Choosing ‘Clothing Only’ Export Mode with PNG format will now create a perfectly cut clothing image minus the body parts, ready to be stacked with a naked base via your preferred game engine (for example, layeredImage in Ren’Py). Check out ‘Invisible Bra’ in the ‘Tester Items’ DLC section to make a naked base that will not clip in the chest area when making female characters.
  

[h2]Bugfixes[/h2]

Below are some of the bugs that has been fixed in this version:

• Iris style reverting to default when switching between expressions.
  
• Refresh button in the library window not working under some circumstances.
  
• Using Character Animator PSD Optimization causes Export Mode section not showing up, even when switching to PNG or SVG export.
  

[h2]What’s Next?[/h2]

With the fundamental change in hairstyle template now already done, our next focus will be adding more content and optimizing how the app deals with more custom content:

• Library window will be tweaked to better convey parts that are currently equipped, and we will add option to show content from the default library and installed DLCs all at once.
  
• Better indexing for template changes in the filesystem.
  
• Initial support for Steam Workshop, highly likely to be very rudimentary at this early stage.
  
• We also have some more performance improvements already in the pipeline. This will also be accompanied with an option to switch between high quality preview (as shown right now) and a low quality one, which will improve editing speed.
  
• In the content-side of things, we are planning for a Summer Collection DLC, which will add items such as bathing suits add summer dresses.
  

That is all for now! It has been a long journey for this update, but we believe in the end it was worth it considering the massively increased customization capabilities. We apologize for the extended delay that plagues this release and will do better for the next.

As always, stay safe, stay creative, and see you in the next update!