Chapter 2: Readable Access & Reach

Created by Sarah Choi (prompt writer using ChatGPT)

Readable Access & Reach (What Hand Grabs What)

Before a character speaks, the audience should know which hand reaches for what and how fast. Readable access is about choreographing hands, tools, and closures so the draw path is obvious, safe, and consistent with role. For concept artists, mapping reach early prevents later animation conflicts and lets UI and VFX reinforce intent. For production, explicit access logic yields clean rigs, fewer clipping issues, and predictable gameplay silhouettes across belts, packs, holsters, and interface elements.

First Principles: Dominance, Reach Arcs, and Task Frequency

Begin with handedness (dominant vs support hand) and reach arcs—the spatial cones where each hand can safely fetch tools without crossing the body awkwardly. Pair these with task frequency: high‑frequency items must live in the primary arc; low‑frequency or heavy items can sit posterior or off‑hand. Draw these cones on your silhouette before adding pockets. This prevents the common mistake of stacking eye candy where hands cannot realistically reach.

The Three Cones per Hand

  1. Primary cone (fast) – shoulder to hip on the dominant side; ideal for sidearm, utility knife, frequently used tools, and UI taps.
  2. Support cone (assist) – off‑hand front quadrant; holds magazines, med pouches, grapples, or tools passed to the dominant hand.
  3. Posterior cone (slow/stow) – back and rear hips; houses water, spare batteries, clamshell pack access; safe for two‑handed retrieval. Keep center‑front relatively clean for bending, sprint posture, and visibility of chest UI.

Eye‑Trace and Silhouette Cues

Viewers should anticipate the grab. Use color or material accents (matte vs enamel), pull tabs, and consistent buckle language to signal which flap opens first. Angle holsters and pouches so the opening faces the hand. Add wear halos and polish marks at high‑touch points; they double as visual instructions. In sci‑fi, tiny emissive pips can mark latch points; in fantasy, wax seals or knot tags carry the same function.

Belts & Hip Platforms: The Quick‑Grab Theater

  • Place the primary tool at 3–4 o’clock for right‑handers (8–9 for lefties) with cant tuned to clear armor edges.
  • Keep dump pouches and larger stowage at 5–7 o’clock; they accept items with minimal precision.
  • Retention layers should map to urgency: friction sleeve → thumb break → positive lock, from fastest to most secure.
  • Add keepers to trap strap tails and prevent accidental tab pulls during sprint.

Chest & Shoulder: Status and Secondary Access

Chest is where status UI and moderate‑frequency tools live. Mount radios, med placards, and ID panels on the support side to free the dominant hand’s arc. Avoid stacking deep pouches over ribs; they fight breathing and pose problems in prone. Shoulder mic/PTT, flashlight clips, or sensor booms should route along straps with breakaway points to prevent snags during vaults.

Packs & Back Panels: Two‑Hand Logic

Assume two‑hand, pause access. Side zips and sling‑to‑front designs allow partial access without full doff. Use clam‑shell openings that hinge away from the body; label pull directions. For heavy suits, declare a teammate access map on the back: first‑aid, battery release, and emergency pulls placed where a buddy can reach and read icons under stress.

Holsters, Sheaths, and Draw Paths

  • Sidearms: forward cant for seated draws; neutral cant for stand/walk; avoid capes and long coats intruding into the cone.
  • Blades/Tools: sheath orientation matches draw motion (edge away from body); place at 10–11 o’clock for cross‑draw if primary cone is crowded.
  • Long tools: vertical hang with frog pivots (fantasy) or rotating docks (sci‑fi) so the handle clears when seated or climbing. Document draw arcs in orthos with dashed lines and hand silhouettes.

Closures & Pull Hierarchy

Design closures to telegraph operation order.

  • Tier 1 (instant): elastic mouths, magnets with light break force, friction sleeves—no fine motor skills.
  • Tier 2 (controlled): thumb breaks, cam buckles, covered zips with big garages—glove friendly.
  • Tier 3 (secure): double locks, toggles under flaps, keyed docks—rarely accessed or high‑risk. Use asymmetric pull tabs (shape/texture) so the correct tab is identifiable by touch. Color the active tab; dull the rest.

UI: Where Hands Tap and Eyes Land

Place displays and buttons along the primary cone but on stable panels: chest, wrist, or belt buckle. Wrist UI favors non‑dominant forearm to keep the dominant hand free. Belt UIs need offset placement (not dead center) to protect the abdomen and avoid bending conflicts. Map gesture reach to expected poses—crouch taps shouldn’t jam elbows into tassets. Provide haptic or audible feedback cues in diegetic notes (chirps, clicks) to confirm actions under noise.

Cable, Hose, and Tether Discipline

Route along strap corridors and avoid crossing draw arcs. Add retainer loops every 100–150 mm and breakaway couplers near neck/hip. Paint small chevron hazard marks near pinch points. In fantasy, mirror with braided cords and bead seals; keep the discipline identical.

Left‑Handed, Injured, or Encumbered Variants

Offer mirrored loadouts or ambidextrous layouts. Label reversible holsters and modular pouches that can swap sides without UV mismatches. Provide “injury mode” access: critical items duplicated or moved to the support side; chest med tabs placed at center‑left; voice‑activated UI fallback for exo‑suits. Note these variants in your package so designers can assign kits per NPC.

Mobility and Safety Interlocks

No access point should force wrist extremes or cross the midline under load. Keep clearance crescents under deltoids and wedge gaps behind knees free of hard lids. Add snag audits: simulate sprint/crawl and mark anything the hand could accidentally hook. For hazardous items (chem packs, fuel cells), add double‑action pulls and directional latches that open away from the face.

Readability Under Motion & VFX

Design pull tabs and latch icons with stroke weights that survive motion blur and glare. Reserve bright accents for pulls and status lights; keep pouch bodies matte. Add AO troughs under flaps and holster throats to emphasize openings at mid‑distance. On fantasy kits, use reflective enamel on pull rings or tassels with simple silhouettes.

Wear & Storytelling as Instruction

Use polish maps and edge brightening to show where fingers land. Darken fabric at frequent grabs; lighten leather where burnish develops. Show adhesive ghosts from old labels near access points, and fingerprint haze on glossy UIs. These cues guide player expectation without a tutorial.

Rigging & Cloth‑Sim Guidance

Treat belts as semi‑rigid splines locked to the pelvis; set limited‑slide constraints for floating holsters so they swing clear on sprint. Increase collision thickness at holster throats and pouch lids. Define hand IK paths for key draws (sidearm, knife, med tab) and supply neutral/loaded poses for animation tests. Mark no‑sim zones under rigid pouches; boost bend stiffness on flap roots to hold shape.

LOD & Streaming Strategy

At LOD2+, collapse hardware into bold shapes but keep opening orientation and pull tabs. Preserve the icon on chest UI and one emissive ring on belt or wrist. Remove redundant pouches that don’t affect access reads; keep silhouette‑defining holsters.

Packaging for Production

Deliver orthos and a one‑page Reach Map with: 1) dominant/support/posterior cones; 2) tool placements per cone; 3) draw arcs and cant angles; 4) closure tiers and pull tab specs; 5) UI tap zones; 6) cable routing and breakaway points; 7) left‑handed and injury‑mode variants. Include exploded views for a holster, a tear‑away pouch, and a wrist/belt UI with input sizes and glove tolerances.

Case Studies

Recon Courier (Right‑Hand Dominant): Sidearm at 3:30 with neutral cant; knife cross‑draw at 10:30; two mags and a multi‑tool on the left front; dump pouch at 7:00; wrist UI on left forearm. Pull tabs lime‑coded; cable from headset routed down harness with two breakaways. Wear shows polish on knife snap and fingerprint haze on wrist screen. Field Engineer (Ambidextrous Layout, Sci‑Fi): Rail‑docked scanner on right chest; battery slab rear‑center with side release reachable by left hand; bit pouch left front; torque driver holster angled at 2:30. Belt UI offset at 1:00; glove‑sized buttons. Hose loops skip draw cones; emissive latch pips blink on error. Temple Warden (Fantasy): Scroll tube on back diagonal with frog pivot; lantern at left hip; short baton at right. Satchel pair balanced on hips; tassel pull rings lacquered white for visibility in torchlight. Cross‑body baldric keeps chest center clean; coat split for draw clearance.

Closing Thought

Readable access turns costume into choreography. When your kit advertises what each hand will do—and then actually allows it—animation becomes effortless, gameplay reads are instant, and the character feels competent before they ever move.