Category Archives: Previews

With thanks to Imp and others for pointing out the lack, I've added in 15 new cape backs to the "Backplane-Standard" set, for the most part designed explicitly to go with the items in "ShoulderRight-Capes":

Hope you like 'em. If you see something out of whack, or have a cape back you were really hoping for but which I didn't draw, let me know.

I've just uploaded the "Legwear-Male-Pants" set to HeroMachine 3. It's broken out like the Spandex I put up the other day, with the complete item, just the hips, the right thigh, and the right lower leg. Here's a sample:

Let me know what you think. I've got room for probably another 4-5 complete items (to be then broken down) if there's something egregious missing.

With Mark Shute's advice, I have refined the way Legwear is apportioned and, accordingly, have updated the Legwear-MaleSpandex set of items for HeroMachine 3. I've added roughly double the number from before, and you can see how I'm breaking them out here:

When I first did Spandex, I was on my high horse about the "right" way to use HeroMachine 3, using layers and masking and patterns with just a handful of the basic items to make pretty much whatever you want. Since then, I've moderated my thinking and understand that not everyone wants to work that hard, even the hard-core users who know how to do it the more advanced way. Also, the true vertical and horizontal patterns don't always look right when laid over the angled legs. So I ported over the most popular legwear patterns from HeroMachine 2, including the fishnet, the stars, and the hand-drawn chain mail.

Mark helped me set on a template for how to divide the leg up per the online discussion we all had, so hopefully it will be easier and more visually persuasive to manually position these pieces for alternate poses.

Due to the tapering of the bottom of the thigh, it's harder to make different length "shorts" with these spandex items than it will be when I give Pants the same treatment, but the idea is the same.

Anyway, hope you like this update. I'm now going to return to Pants to try and get those in line.

I've just added the "LegwearMaleOuterwear" set to the HeroMachine 3 Alpha, which includes the following items and more:

The idea is that this set contains leg-worn items that do are not fitted around the waist and groin, or which don't have individual fitted leggings. Things like loin cloths, kilts, armor skirting, pouches, etc.

Let me know in the comments if there are additional items that fit the set you would like to see. Note that I am not done with Legwear yet, this is only those Legwear items that hang loose from the waist, or which are tied around individual bits of the leg. I'll be doing full pants and such next, but these were easier and I wanted to knock them out.

I tried to make sure that most of the items in Tops-MaleFantasyArmor had something to go with them, hopefully this will help while I work on the complete sets.

Remember, if there's only a "right" option, just choose "multiples", add the item again, and use the "Flip" button to put it on the left. You'll have to drag it over there but it ought to work.

I've just published the latest set of items for HeroMachine 3, "Headgear-Modern". It includes some of the appropriate items from Headgear-Standard and a more or less complete port of updated HeroMachine 2.5 pieces from the same set. Here's a sample:

Let me know any problems you encounter, or missing items you'd like to see as part of the set, in the comments below.

I've just added a "Fonts-Runic" set to HeroMachine 3 for your use in creating various magicky-looking bits. Most of these are just symbols, and only uppercase at that, so you might have to play around a bit to see all the permutations.

You can use these as a nameplate for the image; individual letters as insignia; sized and rotated for runic branding on weapons; individual letters rotated around for spell effects; masked onto skin as tattoos; or any one of a dozen other ways I am sure the creative community can devise.

Have fun!