Chapter 2: Deliverable Types

Created by Sarah Choi (prompt writer using ChatGPT)

Deliverable Types for Character Concept Artists (Silhouettes, Orthos, Turnarounds, Pose/Expression Sheets, Callouts)

Character concept art isn’t a single artifact—it’s a sequence of deliverables that move an idea from ambiguous to shippable. This article clarifies each major deliverable, how it serves readability, emotion, and gameplay, and how responsibilities split across indie vs AAA. It also maps the collaboration pathways so your work unblocks downstream teams. Written equally for those on the concepting side (exploration, pitch) and those on the production side (clarification, packaging, and support).

1) Silhouette Sheets

Purpose. Silhouettes test role clarity and class identity at speed. They front‑load readability before color or detail can mask mistakes. In production, silhouette consistency protects UI iconography, encounter readability, and marketing thumbnails.

What “good” looks like. Clear primary masses, decisive negative space, and distinctive rhythm per class (e.g., tank = low, wide, grounded massing; assassin = tall, bladed, forward‑lean). A strong sheet includes multiple body types and mobility cues (cloaks for glide, cables for grapple, prosthetics for silhouette asymmetry).

Typical spec. 20–60 black shapes on neutral ground, 1–3 value accents for weapon/face steer, a scale bar, and notes on class reads. Test under target cameras: FPP hands, TPP mid‑distance, isometric, and marketing close‑ups. Include an A/B row with faction palette halos for IFF trials.

Concepting vs production. Concepting prioritizes breadth—quick, divergent pages to stimulate direction decisions. Production prioritizes refinement—silhouette guards for variant skins, ensuring all future gear preserves the class read.

Indie vs AAA. Indie: one generalist runs silhouettes and immediately validates them in‑engine or gray‑box. AAA: an exploration specialist shapes the style pillar while production concept artists create silhouette rails that live‑ops can follow for years.

Hand‑offs & collaborators. Design (class clarity), UI (icon tests), VFX (clear emitter zones), and narrative (archetype alignment). Provide a thumbnail contact sheet for cross‑team reviews and keep rejected silhouettes archived for skin ideas.

2) Orthographic Views (Orthos)

Purpose. Orthos are the manufacturing drawings of character art. They remove guesswork for modeling, rigging, cloth, and vendor studios.

What “good” looks like. Front, side, back, and often a neutral 3/4 for form intention. Proportions locked with ruler ticks; joint centers, pivot hints, and cape spreads. Major seam lines and panel breaks are resolved; no floating, impossible overlaps.

Typical spec. 4–5 views at consistent scale, grayscale or flats, with a proportion bar (e.g., 8 heads), height in centimeters, glove/boot widths for capsule setup, and hair volume variants (rest/wind/helmet). If the outfit is modular, include exploded strip for removable gear.

Concepting vs production. Concepting may ship a simplified ortho to validate proportions early. Production must ship complete, labeled orthos with collision‑aware skirt/cape shapes and accessory rotations (e.g., scabbard 15°, holster 25° cant).

Indie vs AAA. Indie orthos can be tighter authoring for direct modeling by the same artist. AAA orthos are vendor‑ready, include naming conventions, and reference studio style rubrics.

Hand‑offs & collaborators. Character modeling, tech art, rig, cloth/hair, and outsource PMs. Expect line‑level feedback on ambiguous folds or non‑manifold overlaps.

3) Turnarounds

Purpose. While orthos are technical, turnarounds communicate volume intent and material break across lighting. They bridge the gap between flat blueprint and felt form.

What “good” looks like. Clean silhouetted rotations (front → 3/4 → side → 3/4 back → back) with simplified lighting. Major material transitions are called by value, not just hue. Folds maintain logic around joints across the rotation.

Typical spec. 5‑view rotation at 512–1k px height per view; neutral grey, soft single‑source key. Optional: quickspin GIF for stakeholder decks. Include a small inset for helmet/hair rotation if those volumes strongly affect read.

Concepting vs production. Concepting leans on painterly turnarounds to sell form and mood. Production prioritizes consistency and clarity for sculptors and lookdev.

Indie vs AAA. Indie: merged with orthos to save time. AAA: separate files—turnarounds for look/feel, orthos for measurement—so each department gets what it needs.

Hand‑offs & collaborators. Modeling, lookdev, and lighting. Provide one “on‑brand” beauty pose panel for comms and marketing previews.

4) Pose Sheets

Purpose. Pose sheets prove gesture, weight, and kit interaction under motion. They also reveal rig pitfalls (cape bite, holster snags) before they’re expensive.

What “good” looks like. 6–12 poses across locomotion, idle, ability wind‑ups, reloads, sheath/unsheath, and victory/defeat. Silhouette remains clear; gear behaves plausibly. Hands show grip logic; straps stretch or slack in correct directions.

Typical spec. Line‑weight or flats over a light model blockout; arrows for motion arcs; small timing ticks for anticipation/impact frames. Keep a pose index keyed to design abilities (P‑01: Blink wind‑up; P‑04: Barrier cast).

Concepting vs production. Concepting experiments with personality and class reads. Production codifies approved motions and flags collision risks to rig and animation.

Indie vs AAA. Indie: pose sheets double as anim briefs. AAA: animation owns timing and spacing, but your sheets provide pose intention and kit affordances.

Hand‑offs & collaborators. Animation, tech anim, design, and VFX/audio (for sync beats). Expect back‑and‑forth to resolve start/held/impact silhouettes.

5) Expression Sheets (Face & Phonemes)

Purpose. Expression sheets anchor emotional range and protect against uncanny drift across cinematics, gameplay, and marketing.

What “good” looks like. Neutral + the six core emotions + two project‑specific tones (e.g., “battle focus,” “dry sarcasm”). Include key FACS units and phoneme shapes (A, I, U, F/V, M/B/P) that respect the character’s anatomy and stylization.

Typical spec. 12–20 head panels, consistent angle and lighting. Provide eyebrow and lid overlays to clarify intent. For stylized projects, include mouth interior logic (teeth, tongue simplification) and lash/eyeline rules.

Concepting vs production. Concepting establishes the “face grammar.” Production ties expressions to dialog moments and previews cinematic close‑ups.

Indie vs AAA. Indie: reusable face rigs benefit from stricter expression rails to avoid rework. AAA: separate sheets for in‑game rig and high‑res cinematic model.

Hand‑offs & collaborators. Cinematics, modeling, rigging, and marketing. Keep a micro‑notes strip annotating asymmetry rules that sell personality.

6) Callout Sheets (Materials, Construction, FX/Rig Notes)

Purpose. Callouts are the contract between concept and production. They eliminate ambiguity in materials, construction, and technical hooks.

What “good” looks like. Clean base render with numbered callouts; each number links to a materials table (ID → material name → PBR baseline → reference swatches), a construction table (seams, stitches, buckles, fasteners, gasket logic), and technical notes (rig/cloth exceptions, collision capsules, VFX emitters, audio tags).

Typical spec. 3–6 callout panels for front/back/side/gear; 1 materials page; 1 tech notes page. Include texel density targets and shader hooks (e.g., cloth fuzz, clear coat). Add “no‑glow zones” so VFX doesn’t erase material read.

Concepting vs production. Concepting may include light callouts to secure approval. Production must deliver full, labeled, versioned sheets with acceptance criteria for outsource.

Indie vs AAA. Indie: combine materials + tech notes into a single page. AAA: split into department‑specific pages; include naming conventions and file path stubs.

Hand‑offs & collaborators. Character art, tech art, rig/cloth, VFX/audio, and QA. Expect iteration on seams around deformation zones.

7) Secondary Deliverables That Save Projects

Color Studies. Establish faction rails, team tints, and accessibility variants (color‑blind safe palettes). Provide a “pressure test” strip with fog/bloom overlays.

Accessory/Weapon Fit Sheets. Holster/sheath fit; hand grips; reload paths; clearance for capes and backpacks.

Variant/Skins Pages. Manufacturing “trim levels,” rarity treatments, event skins; ensure silhouettes remain within class guardrails.

Icon/Portrait Packs. Busts for UI, silhouette stamps for HUD, store thumbnails for live‑ops.

8) Roles Across Indie vs AAA

Indie (1–20 devs). The character concept artist is a generalist: silhouettes → orthos → callouts → paintovers. You’ll also draft icon/portrait packs and sit in engine early to test reads. Your deliverables are tighter per artifact but fewer per character; reuse is king.

AAA (100+ devs). Roles specialize:

  • Exploration/Vision: Sets silhouette language, archetypes, style pillars.
  • Production Concept: Ships orthos, callouts, expression/pose sheets, vendor packs, and supports rig/animation with paintovers.
  • Skins/Live‑Ops: Variant logic and event theming within guardrails.
  • Cinematics/Marketing: High‑detail hero frames, close‑up expression accuracy.

Across both scales, the throughline is the same: reduce uncertainty and keep decisions visible.

9) Collaboration Map (Who Uses What, When)

Game/Level/System Design. Uses silhouettes and pose sheets to validate role and kit affordances; returns cooldowns and space requirements that affect gear.

Animation/Tech Animation. Consumes orthos for proportions, pose sheets for start/impact silhouettes, callouts for no‑twist and cloth layers; returns joint limits and skirt profiles.

Character/Tech Art. Uses orthos and callouts for seam logic, material IDs, shader hooks, texel density; returns topology/LOD plans.

VFX/Audio. Consumes callouts for emitter sockets and material impacts; returns palette pressure and timing beats that may change color studies.

UI/UX. Uses silhouettes and portraits for icons/inventory; returns IFF constraints and HUD occlusion issues that inform color rails.

Cinematics/Marketing. Consumes expression sheets and turnarounds for close‑ups and key art; returns camera blocking needs that affect hair/helmet logic.

Production/Outsourcing/QA. Uses all final packages; returns acceptance criteria, bug triage, and vendor questions. Keep a change log.

10) Packaging: Naming, Versioning, and Acceptance

Adopt consistent naming like CH_ClassName_Variant_F01_v023. Maintain a short change log per revision. Include a cover page summarizing scope, budgets (tri/texture), and constraints.

Vendor acceptance checklist: correct scale; complete views; materials table present; emitter sockets marked; collision capsules noted; expression and pose sheets included if required; icon pack attached for UI. Provide a single PDF bundle plus layered source files.

11) Accessibility & Readability Guards

Design for color‑blind safety with secondary IFF cues (pattern, value halos). Run a “1‑second read” test at target distance/camera. Keep a small panel showing reads in fog, bloom, and night maps. Ensure face/weapon focal paths are preserved.

12) Common Pitfalls (and Quick Fixes)

  • Ambiguous seams in deformation zones. Move seams off elbows/knees/shoulders; show stitch types.
  • Cape and skirt collisions. Shorten hems, add slit logic, or re‑route gear.
  • Over‑reliance on hue. Use shape and value to distinguish team/faction; reserve VFX ranges.
  • Unclear emitter/socket placement. Mark VFX/audio hooks explicitly in callouts.
  • Unversioned handoffs. Version files and keep change logs to avoid vendor drift.

13) Review Gates You Can Reuse

  • Exploration → Decision: 3 distinct silhouettes approved; initial color rails; pose intent thumbs.
  • Decision → Package: Complete orthos; callouts with materials/tech notes; expression sheet; turnaround for volume.
  • Package → Support: Engine read test screenshots; accessibility check; vendor pack validated; bug triage board started.

14) Routines for Sustainable Throughput

Daily. 20–40 silhouettes or 1 ortho view + 3–5 callouts; one 30‑minute paintover for a partner team.

Weekly. Cross‑discipline sync; engine read tests; refresh icon set; archive variants for future events.

Monthly. Post‑mortem of shipped characters; update vendor guide; rotate a “drill” (gesture, expression, cloth logic).

15) Final Thought

Each deliverable exists to answer a specific question: What is it? (silhouettes), How is it built? (orthos), How does it feel and move? (turnarounds, pose sheets), How do others implement it? (callouts). Whether you are an indie generalist or a AAA specialist, your job is to turn ambiguity into confident action for every partner team—and to do it in a way that keeps readability, emotion, and gameplay intact all the way to ship.