Chapter 1: Hero, Neutral & T / A Poses for Packages

Created by Sarah Choi (prompt writer using ChatGPT)

Hero, Neutral & T/A Poses for Packages

Why pose strategy matters in concept packages

A concept package is judged first by clarity under time pressure. The same character must convince in three very different contexts: a hero pose that sells identity and emotion, a neutral pose that reveals proportion and costume function, and a T/A pose that hands clean data to modeling and rigging. Treating these as a single, intentional system prevents contradictions between acting and anatomy, and it keeps staging, lensing, and readability consistent across concepting and production.

The role of each pose in the pipeline

Hero pose is marketing + narrative—your most expressive shot that states silhouette, weight, and attitude. It’s the reference Animation and Marketing remember. Neutral pose is production clarity—natural stance with balanced weight where garments hang plausibly, props sit in rest positions, and joint landmarks are visible for modeling and rig blocking. T or A pose is a technical baseline—arms raised (T) or lowered to ~45° (A) to provide clean shoulder/torso separation for skinning and to expose inner arm/torso surfaces for texture layout. All three should feel like the same person, the same proportions, and the same materials—only the intention changes.

Staging principles that unify the set

Compose the trio on a consistent ground plane with a simple value ramp background so silhouettes pop without fighting UI overlays. Keep a single key light direction across the set so materials match; if you include rim lights in the hero, echo a soft rim in the neutral to preserve form read. Use shadow contact patches under feet to anchor weight. Ensure camera height roughly matches chest height for a balanced, non‑distorting view unless you deliberately choose a stylized angle for the hero shot—then explain it in the caption.

Lenses and camera distance: control distortion

Focal length alters anatomy and mood. For hero poses, 50–85 mm full‑frame equivalents keep heads proportionate while allowing subtle compression for power. Wider lenses (28–35 mm) can energize action but risk foot/hand exaggeration—use with clear intent and place the camera at or slightly below the pelvis to avoid bobble‑head distortion. For neutral and T/A poses, favor 70–100 mm equivalents at a distance that fits full‑body within frame; this flattens perspective just enough to aid measurement and texture planning. Include the chosen focal length and camera height in the footer so downstream teams can replicate angles.

Hero pose: acting, line of action, and readable silhouette

Design the hero pose around a single, unbroken line of action that maps to the character’s role (upright spear = steadfast; S‑curve archer = agile). Prioritize clear negative spaces at elbows, knees, and between limbs and torso. If the character wields a prop, avoid parallel alignment with major body axes; slight diagonals increase energy and prevent tangents. Keep the face plane angled enough to show cheek and brow structure; a flat front read kills depth. For capes and hair, compose two states—calm and action—and choose the one that best frames the torso emblem or core read. The hero pose can exaggerate, but do not break joint plausibility; Animation will reference your arcs.

Neutral pose: balance, gravity, and garment truth

Neutral is not lifeless; it’s honest. Distribute weight convincingly (one leg bearing, the other relaxed) so the pelvis tilts and the spine counter‑balances. Relaxed shoulders drop; hands rest with slight finger curve; the sternum lifts just enough to avoid a collapsed chest. Let garments hang by gravity: belts settle on the iliac crest, long coats show mild catenary curves, scabbards swing a touch inward. Show attachment logic—strap routes, buckle placement, magnet anchors—without theatrical flare. This is where readers study proportion, seam placement, and pocket access. Keep props holstered and readable.

T vs A pose: choose for shoulder anatomy and cloth

T‑pose (arms at 90°) maximizes armpit exposure and garment clearance for UVs but strains deltoids and can look unnatural. A‑pose (~35–45°) is closer to rest anatomy, preserving better shoulder volume and wrist angle; it’s often preferred for bipeds. Choose based on the production’s rigging preferences. If the character has tight jackets or pauldrons, A‑pose reduces clipping and better predicts skinning. Provide both if time allows: A‑pose as the delivery baseline, T‑pose as a texture/layout aid. Keep hands neutral—fingers slightly curved, thumb relaxed—to avoid baked tension.

Readability tests: distance, value, and clutter control

Each pose must read at multiple scales: poster, character select, and tiny card. Produce a side panel with 1:4, 1:8, and 1:16 scale‑downs on noisy gameplay backgrounds to verify silhouette clarity. Check value grouping: ensure head/torso/hand clusters separate; avoid merging dark gloves into dark torsos. Remove micro‑detail that sparkles under minification—zipper teeth, tiny studs—unless they serve a class read. Where needed, introduce a controlled rim or background vignette for separation, but keep it consistent across the set.

Hands, grips, and prop choreography

In hero poses, stage hands to express class verbs (open palm for caster wind‑up, close grip for striker). Timed diagonals suggest motion without blur. In neutral and T/A, pose hands to show palm and back in alternating views across the sheet to aid modeling. If the character carries large props, provide parked variants in the neutral: weapon on ground plane, sling at rest, scabbard angle noted; document draw arcs and clearance so Design and Animation understand interaction feasibility.

Face, gaze, and emotional read

The hero’s gaze direction is a staging lever. Eye line slightly off‑camera implies story; straight to camera invites the player. Keep eyelids and brows set to the emotional tone without extreme asymmetry that would mislead rig expectations. In the neutral, soften the face to a baseline expression Animation can build from; avoid squints or grins that imply corrective shapes. For T/A, keep the jaw relaxed and mouth closed to maintain clean topology references.

Costume behavior across poses

Demonstrate how layers behave: in the hero, let skirts split, capes billow, and pauldrons slide just enough to show design intent; in neutral, show rest lengths and overlap logic; in T/A, ensure cloth clears pits and inguinal regions to expose construction. If a piece must articulate (telescoping bracer, ratcheting collar), include a small inset drawing showing min/max states so Tech Art can plan constraints.

Camera height, horizon, and foreshortening discipline

Set horizon lines deliberately. A slightly low horizon in the hero pose enlarges the character without grotesque foreshortening; keep the camera rotation square to the ground plane to avoid unhelpful Dutch angles unless the brief calls for them. For neutral and T/A, keep the camera orthogonal with minimal tilt; center the lens to avoid left/right scale bias. Annotate horizon height and any tilt in the footer for reproducibility.

Multi‑view support without clutter

A clean package often benefits from two supporting angles for the neutral pose: a ¾ back to show backpack/coat split and a profile for nose/chin and knee gear. Keep these small and aligned to the same ground plane grid. Avoid over‑stuffing the hero sheet; if you need alt expressions or prop swaps, place them on a separate expression/interaction page to preserve the hero’s impact.

Lighting notes for pose fidelity

While the focus is posing, minimal lighting discipline prevents misreads. Use a single key light at ~30–45° elevation and ~¾ yaw to define planes; add a gentle fill to preserve material IDs. In the hero, a restrained rim separates silhouette; in neutral and T/A, avoid dramatic rims that fake form not present in the mesh. Provide a grayscale version of each to prove the read survives without hue.

Scale and metric callouts

Include a height bar, head count, and key reach markers (hip, elbow, knee, shoulder) on the neutral/T/A sheet. Mark boot sole thickness and heel‑toe rocker radius for gait. If the character must pass doors/ladders/vehicles, show a small overlay silhouette against those interfaces for staging sanity.

Special bodies: non‑humans and mechs

For digitigrade or multi‑limb characters, the A‑pose might be a tailored “rest tech pose” that equalizes joint angles along chains (e.g., hock and knee balanced). For winged or tailed designs, include folded neutral states and T/A with clear separation of membranes from torso. Mechs benefit from a technical A‑pose with arm actuators at mid‑range and cable slack defined; the hero pose can then push stance without implying impossible piston travel.

Handoff expectations

Ship the trio as a cohesive set: hero (acting key), neutral (production truth), T/A (technical baseline). Provide camera/lens metadata, horizon height, and ground plane grid. Add a brief that states acting intent, collision assumptions, and any areas where you expect corrective shapes or helper bones. Export layered files with clean masks for materials and props so UI/Marketing can lift elements without repainting.

Common pitfalls

Hero poses that hide class reads behind props; neutral poses that are actually stiff T/A variants; T‑poses with hyper‑extended wrists and locked knees; inconsistent lensing that shifts proportions between sheets; capes or weapons that cross critical silhouettes; horizon drift between views; and micro‑detail that collapses at small sizes.

Quality bar

A strong package makes the character unmistakable at a glance, measurable at rest, and buildable in engine. When hero, neutral, and T/A poses are staged with deliberate lenses and clarity rules, they accelerate every downstream task—from sculpt to rig to UI and marketing—while protecting the emotional read that first sold the character.

Final thought

Think of the trio as a performance triangle: emotion (hero), truth (neutral), tech (T/A). When you keep staging, lenses, and readability consistent across all three, you give Design, Animation, Tech Art, Narrative, UI, and Audio a shared, reliable foundation—and your character ships looking like the art that convinced everyone in the first place.