Introduction - An in-depth review of each Sangheili/Elite body model from the Halo games
Just how much have Halo Elite designs changed over the years?
Which Elite model has a textured external waste orifice?
Which Elites conceal manmade horrors of anatomy beyond your comprehension beneath their in-game armor?
Behold. The answer to all your questions.
Over the past few years, I have developed an on-and-off hobby of collecting Halo game models for use in Blender. In particular, I set a goal to collect every single Elite model throughout the main games.
Following a recent initiative, I have completed this task. With models sourced by multiple methods (gracious uploaders on The Halo Archive on Discord, the Halo Archive Google Drive, and in some cases assets I ripped directly from MCC using the Reclaimer tool), my dream Elite lineup in Blender has been fulfilled.
As I've collected these models and studied them each, I've developed a great appreciation for many trivial aspects of their designs. And when trying to think of something to do with them all, I thought it would be a fun idea to share them, one-by-one, giving each the close-up look they've otherwise never seen.
Unless you've also amassed the game assets like I have (again, from incredibly convenient uploaders I am forever grateful to), it's highly unlikely you've ever seen Elites in the way I aspire to show you. You can find some screenshots, sure, but none of them go the extra mile, outlined below.
The goals of this prospective series:
Provide plentiful, three-dimensonal screenshot references for the anatomy of each Elite model, with as much armor removed as possible in order to observe the underlying body
Show the diversity and evolution of sangheili designs over the course of the Halo games
Highlight small and interesting details that are difficult or otherwise impossible to observe in-game
and least importantly, express my highly proprietary personal opinions and judge what makes a good sangheili design
You would seriously be surprised by some of the fine details and physiological differences between each sangheili model! And in my opinion, they've had design inspirations from an unexpected variety of animals: insects and arthropods, snakes, sharks, and even dolphins (I'll back this up later on).
Examples of traits that vary wildly across sangheili models:
Basic head shape
Integument (scale/skin type and texture)
Mandible anatomy
If you really enjoy creature/alien design, you should enjoy what I have in store to see. We all have our favorite model, but you might just learn some brand new things about the Elite designs you thought you knew.
I won't be reviewing or comparing armor at all in this particular series, because that'd be a fuckin' huge task that I ain't cut out for right now.
Undersuits will be reviewed superficially, though, since they're often a large part of the body mesh, and I count them under my 'difficult to observe' point.
As I go, I'll also make an effort to display what individual character models exist, to get a look at variation between sangheili in the games.
Look forward to the first entry, on the Halo: Combat Evolved Elite, to be uploaded soon!
