Visual Novel Characters Behind a Counter: How to Layer Foreground and Background Occlusion
Map the character’s route from behind the counter to the customer’s side, then separate layers according to what overlaps along the way. Use an occlusion layer breakdown sheet to specify fixed foreground elements, a separate arm layer, and exceptions when the character walks around the counter.
Introduction
When a character stands behind a counter, first isolate the parts of the counter that need to cover their body, then use the character’s route to decide when the stacking order should change. “Put the counter in the foreground” is not a sufficient handoff instruction: standing behind it, resting a hand on its surface, and walking around to the customer’s side each require different relationships between individual parts.
This article uses a fictional flower shop to build a reusable occlusion layer breakdown sheet. The character, actions, and images are teaching scenarios, not a real user case, measured results, or DramaFork product features. What follows is limited to spatial reasoning and compositing plans on paper.
Define the movement area before deciding which objects need separate layers
Assume a fixed camera: flower shelves at the back, a counter running across the middle, an opening on the right side of the frame, and a customer in front of the counter. The shop assistant begins by serving the customer from behind the counter with one hand resting on its surface. They then withdraw that hand, walk around the counter’s right end, and approach the customer.
The environment artist first marks three areas on the sketch: the rear work area, the route around the right side, and the front customer area. The scene editor then adds the full area the character’s silhouette may reach, including long hair, raised arms, and clothing hems. Plotting only the path of the feet is not enough: even after the feet have cleared the counter, trailing clothing may still overlap it.
Assess each object in turn: will the character overlap it in the image? If so, which is in front? Does the answer change with the action? The rear flower shelves always remain behind the character and can stay in the background. The counter covers the character when they are behind it and is covered by them when they are in front, so it needs its own layer. If the flowerpot on the left always covers the character where they overlap and involves no interaction, it can serve as a fixed foreground element. Decorations whose relationships never change do not need individual layers; splitting them only adds alignment work.
Here, “fixed” refers to a fixed occlusion order, not merely a stationary object. Although the counter does not move, its front-to-back relationship with the character changes, so its occlusion needs to be arranged dynamically.
Describe occlusion edges as contours someone can trace
The counter in this example consists of a visible top, a front panel, and a right end panel. When the character stands behind it, occlusion should begin along the counter’s visible upper contour facing the character and cover the corresponding area below. Do not simply cut off the lower body with an arbitrary horizontal line. Sloping edges caused by perspective, the projecting countertop lip, and the right end all form part of the actual contour.
The breakdown sheet must also distinguish two kinds of edge: the counter’s visible outer contour and a compositing seam created for the separate arm layer. The former follows the object’s shape; the latter should be hidden at the cuff, at a contact point, or somewhere covered by the counter. If the seam crosses the middle of a fully exposed forearm, even slight misalignment can make the arm look severed.
The isolated counter should retain its edge colors and transparency transitions, using the same canvas size and placement as the base background. If the same counter remains in the original background, moving or hiding the foreground copy may reveal duplicate parts. Specify which layer is responsible for displaying the counter and which areas need to be painted in after it is removed. This example requires filling in background areas that may become visible as the character passes in front; it does not require painting an entire shop that will never be seen.
Use one breakdown sheet to coordinate art and scene editing
Read every layer order below from back to front. “Main character layer” excludes the separately isolated arm resting on the counter. Once the character returns to a normal standing pose, use the complete character to avoid showing two copies of the same hand.
| Foreground object | Character movement area | Occlusion edges | Layer order | Exceptions while moving around the counter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entire counter: top, front panel, and right end panel | Rear work area through to the front customer area | Upper contour, right end contour, and outer edges | Behind: base background → character → counter; in front: base background → counter → character | Check overlap while rounding the right end; do not switch after a fixed duration |
| Arm resting on the counter, as a separate character layer | Service position, with the palm touching the countertop | Cuff seam and outer edges of the hand and forearm | Base background → main character layer → counter → resting arm | Remove the separate layer once the hand is fully withdrawn, then restore the complete character |
| Left flowerpot, flowers, and leaves | Only part of the silhouette in the left work area | Pot rim and each visible flower and leaf | In front of the character parts it covers | This example includes neither walking in front of the pot nor reaching for flowers; reassess if actions are added |
| Rear flower shelves; no separate foreground layer needed | Well behind all three areas | No edges that occlude the character | Keep in the base background | Reassess if the camera or route changes |
Attach a sketch marking the areas, layer visibility instructions, and key-pose images to this sheet. Whether the counter needs further subdivision depends on the images during the walk around it: if the end panel must cover the clothing hem while the character’s forearm covers the countertop at the same moment, add a local mask or separate the relevant parts. Do not split every wooden panel just as a precaution.
Plan the composites at four action points
The first image shows the assistant serving the customer from behind the counter. Place the base background first, then the main character layer, then the counter, and finally the resting arm. The waist and abdomen are hidden, while the palm rests fully on the countertop. Moving the entire character in front of the counter would make body parts that should be hidden cover the front panel. Placing the counter over the entire character would hide the resting hand as well.
The second image shows the assistant withdrawing their hand before leaving. Draw or specify a separate withdrawal pose, confirm that the hand is back behind the counter, then restore “base background → complete character → counter.” Removing the separate arm and replacing the pose in the main character layer must correspond to the same action state; otherwise, an extra hand, a missing hand, or a jumping cuff may appear briefly.
The third image shows the assistant rounding the right end. Initially keep the character behind the counter, and use the sketch to check the hair, elbow, and clothing hem that still overlap its end. This example deliberately includes a position where the character’s entire silhouette no longer overlaps the counter. Switch the character in front of the counter there. Because the two do not overlap, the switch itself does not alter the visible image.
The fourth image shows the assistant approaching the customer. Keep the order “base background → counter → complete character.” When the character overlaps the counter again, they should cover it. Check the reverse route when they return, again switching them behind the counter at a non-overlapping position.
If the space is too narrow to provide any non-overlapping position, this example cannot be applied unchanged. Options include local masks, further layer separation, or changes to blocking and camera framing. The first two preserve continuous motion but add edge-maintenance work. Changing the blocking reduces compositing work but may alter the original performance rhythm.
Check the joins and state the sheet’s limits
For the paper review, look at the whole image first, then zoom in on three areas. As hair passes the end of the counter, it should emerge continuously according to the spatial relationship at that moment; an entire lock must not jump to the front just because the character’s center crosses a line. When the arm rests on the counter, the cuff seam must not show a gap, and the countertop edge must not cut across the palm. As the body moves along the counter, the hidden area should follow the counter’s contour, rather than sticking to the character and creating a moving cutout.
For each issue, record the action point, incorrect edge, intended front-to-back relationship, and element to revise. For example, if the clothing hem covers the end panel too early in the third image, specify either delaying the whole-layer switch or adding local occlusion. A note saying only “the space looks wrong” is insufficient. Add an intermediate image before and after the switch so that correct key poses do not conceal a broken transition.
This breakdown sheet applies to an opaque counter, a fixed camera, and a predetermined route. Transparent glass, mirror reflections, moving cabinet doors, multiple characters crossing paths, and camera turns all need additional specifications; a single stacking order cannot resolve them. Once the artist has confirmed the contours and areas to paint in, and the scene editor has confirmed the action points and exceptions, review the sequence in its intended presentation format. A successful paper plan does not mean runtime validation is complete.
