>>51107280This is already VERY disproven, just from SWSH.
Shinies don't need multiple models, just because they're basic retextures of existing Pokemon, plus particle effects.
Any any game developer would just use attachment points rather than making entirely new models for each effect, not only because it's way more space efficient, but just because it's flat-out easier. You can al ready see the Dynamax cloud effect point above Zamazenta here, it would literally be a matter of adding an attachment point for the crown for each individual Pokemon. It's literally just a bone on an armature.
>>51107418This anon also knows what they're talking about, but I feel like they wouldn't even need to rewrite the lighting engine. Ideally, all one needs to do is make a new shader, or extend existing shaders for all Pokemon models to use a mix of new Normals, screen-space reflections, and other fancy shader logic to give them the crystalline look without actually modifying the geometry.
Unpopular opinion, the models are actually pretty damn good, it's largely just the animations that fuck them over (see: that one SWSH cutscene, most flying-types in battle)