Thread by @delaneykingrox

#gamedev Tip: when you make concept designs and sculpt models for creatures and characters, activate your imagination to picture them moving and performing on your screen.

It may sound crazy, but have an imaginary conversation with them as you work. Picture them flexing, adjusting their clothes, thinking, smiling and so forth.

If you do this, big problems that will bite you down the track will quickly identify themselves

Stupid things like... "oh wait, he can't reach his gun"... "her knee pads won't let her walk with her legs close together", "it can't close its mouth", "he can't raise his shoulders".

Dumb stuff that you wont always catch when thinking statically.

If you struggle with imagining things, quick motion tests can help. Throw some rough geo together and auto rig it. This can really help catch problems.

Sometimes tweaking a design can really save days or weeks of fucking around with issues.

Having an imaginary conversation with the character on your screen is a good litmus test for personality. Most humans (but not all, and that's okay) can pick up subtle cues up instinctively from people's faces, so try to trick your brain into using this innate ability.

I have seen some rigging artists who can glance at a mesh and point out a dozen things that could help- so if you have access to these magicians, get them involved earlier rather than later.

You can also make use of liquify for 2d apps and sculpting tools and soft/proportional selection for 3D apps to grab and tug around faces to give you the illusion of life for a moment.
Make them blink, get them angry, make them smug. All this helps make a better design.