HuiXiou: Wuxia-Inspired Hero

This is a rework of my first 3D character, and I wanted to see how much I could improve it after learning more about industry workflows. I reduced the face count from 19,582 to 9,480 while keeping the curves smooth. I also rigged the model to test how well it responds to deformation.

I experimented with cel-shading to explore stylized lighting and material effects. Because of that, I simplified the textures by removing normal and metallic maps. In the end, I still render it as normal lighting because it creates a good sense of mood at night.

The character concept was sparked by a video of a water sleeve dance, and some behind-the-scenes footage showing just how much force the performer actually has to put in for the sleeves to move that beautifully. I couldn't help but think, what if something weighted was hidden inside the sleeve? It would make such a devastatingly elegant weapon. The way she'd fight would draw a lot from the Meteor Hammer, fluid and deceptive and dangerous all at once.

She's rooted deeply in traditional Chinese culture, but brought into something cleaner and more modern in how she looks. I imagined her as one of the many XiaKe finding her own way through the JiangHu, that vast and lawless world where wandering fighters live entirely by their own rules and no one else's.