3D Game Asset Creation

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.

Chip, damn you!