Are you excited? We’re exactly one week away from the western release of Final Fantasy XIII! Once again, the official website has been updated with a new developer’s message, this time from character model supervisor Kimitoshi Tsumura.

Greetings!

I was in charge of character modelling for the FMV sequences.

There were many factors that I grappled with when creating the character models for FFXIII, but the one I focused the most time and effort on was definitely the realization of realistic-looking textures.
On previous projects I have largely relied on my own instincts and intuition when designing. For example, I would simply select the colour “white” from the palette for an object that is supposed to be white, or fix the lighting level at what I felt to be the appropriate brightness without too much consideration.
For this project, however, I re-evaluated the areas which I had previously entrusted to gut-feeling and created the character models with a fresh awareness of the visual phenomena produced by real-world lighting.
Rather than simply relying on the latest technology, the team went back to basics and re-learnt the fundamentals of designing objects with CG, revisiting all of those subjects that every artist in the field should really know. As a result, I feel that we have arrived at a new and vibrant style of expression which is different to anything that has come before.

It goes without saying that we put in a lot of hard work realising the fine level of detail that is a prerequisite when working in HD, and have spared no effort in making the characters as appealing as possible. I hope that our diligence will help to make the player’s journey through the world of Final Fantasy – alongside Lighting and the team – a genuine delight.

Stay tuned for more updates as the countdown to release date draws near.