DESIGN A VIDEO GAME WEAPON
Mike Griggs is a veteran creator with a passion for explaining the process of digital content creation to new artists.
Creating a bespoke solution for a complex problem is at the heart of any 3D model, scene or animation. The trick to becoming a successful 3D artist is understanding that the ‘complex problem’ changes for the type of output that is required.
A good example is creating 3D assets for games, whether animated or to be used as a static prop. Linear animation or VFX tend to need highly detailed assets and have multiple complex systems for animations, such as muscles, dynamic skin, etc. All of these elements will be utilised in the compositing phase after a render. Some of these animation requirements are being used in the latest AAA+ games. Most games, though, need more straightforward solutions, as a game asset never has a ‘final render’ and is ‘live’ all the time it is being interacted with.
When creating game assets, the first priority should always be efficiency. The good thing about learning ‘efficiency’ in 3D creation is that this will reap dividends no matter what type of assets you are creating.
So what do we mean when we talk about efficient creation? Let’s start with the fundamental truth about any
