Allos
again! Today’s post will cover my work in a very different
medium from what I usually write about here. Namely: computer
modeling using Blender.
This
is hardly my first time using the software, and I am pretty
knowledgeable about its various features. However, considering that
I am mostly concerned with game development, the inner-workings of
its software renderer have remained a mystery to me. The
reason for this is simple: my brother is writing a custom engine
using C++ and OpenGL, and the representation in Blender’s software
renderer is both inaccurate and mostly irrelevant for this purpose.
So,
then, what exactly is it that I am aiming to achieve with this
artwork? Well, as you will
soon notice, I am certainly not
going for a realistic art style. There are a number of reasons for
this, such as my skills in modeling leaving a good bit be desired as
well as the fact that realistic artwork takes a long
time to produce. And I have a lot of work ahead of me as it is —
this game is supposed to
be something of an open-world RPG. Speaking to my limited skill and
the necessity of hopefully
finishing a game within the century, I am trying to stick to a
comparatively low-fidelity style of artwork.
But
this doesn’t mean that I am just trying to suck
when it comes to the project’s art. No,
there is a bit of a method behind it. Essentially,
I am trying to make artwork with a quality somewhere between Quake
by Id Software and The
Elder Scrolls: Arena
by Bethesda Softworks. As
a result, the models are blocky and sharp, the textures are grainy,
and the palette is a bit “funky” — metals are bluish with spots
of brown, for instance.
Here
are some models by themselves:
Hatchet
or War-Axe
Lantern
Shield
Of the three, I think the best is the
hatchet; it was the first model I made for the game and I wanted to
really work to capture the style. The end goal of all of this is to
create a small scene reminiscent of the apprentice mages’ quarters
in The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim.
Scene
thus Far…
I
decided to take this piecemeal approach because I was finding it
difficult to visualize the shape of the room without a good bit of
clutter to accompany it.
As
of now, the game is in its pre-embryonic stages (clearly), and much
of this is subject to change. We might scrap the idea entirely, or
stick with it to the end. Either way, I figured it would be good to
write about my work in a different medium. The more intense,
technical details, will come later as my brother and I continue to
work on the game. I will be sure to update you all on these things
as well.
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| Chip, damn you! |
