Difference between revisions of "Category:Character"

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(Category Character)
(Character Process)
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== Character Process ==
 
== Character Process ==
Game characters are usually designed by a [[Category:Concept|Concept Artist]] working with an Art Director or Lead Artist. A concept is a much quicker way to make large changes, helping them discover the optimal character design.
 
  
For most modern game characters, a high resolution model is created with many millions of polygons using a combination of a [[Category:Tools#Main_3D_Software_Packages|3d modeling package]] (i.e. 3ds Max, Maya, Modo) and a [[Category:Tools#A3D_Sculpting_Software|sculpting package]] (ZBrush, Mudbox). These high resolution models are usually modeled over into a low resolution version (a process called [[Category:Tools#Re-Topology_Software|retopologizing]]) or otherwise reduced down to a more usable in-game resolution.  
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Characters for games are usually created as a group effort, involving an Art Director, Concept Artist, and at least one Character Artist. Concept art is almost always used as the starting point because it's a more loose, fast, and efficient way to iterate and find the best character design than 3D.
  
The high resolution model is usually converted into a [[NormalMap|normal map]], which is a texture that stores not colors but rather mathematical vectors (a math thing that is a direction and distance in 3d space) that indicate what direction each pixel is facing, so effectively each pixel is kind of like a vertex. The "normal" in normal map comes from the term "normalized vector" which is a special kind of vector (a vector whose distance is always 1).
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For most modern game characters, a high poly model is first created using a combination of modeling and digital sculpting software. These high resolution models are later modeled over, or retopologized, into the game resolution, or low poly model.
  
There are other kinds of [[Category:TextureTypes|texture maps]] that get used, but normal maps are a bit unique in that they are storing information related to the shape, rather than the color or material. Since these are pretty much impossible to accurately paint by hand, as they're a mathematical representation of something, people usually use a high resolution model and "bake" or "project" the normals from the high poly (where each vertex has a discrete normal) down to a texture that can be applied to the low poly.
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The surface details from the high poly model are transferred to the in-game model using [http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/Category:Texturing textures] and [http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/Shaders shaders] though a process called baking. This baking process can generate a variety of texture maps that help fool the eye into believing the in-game model has more modeled detail than it actually has. The most common of these texture maps are [http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/Normal_Maps normal maps], and [http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/AmbientOcclusionMap ambient occlusion maps].
  
 
== Character Examples ==
 
== Character Examples ==

Revision as of 12:54, 4 August 2014

Category Character

All about character art for games. There are playable and non-playable characters (NPCs). Hero characters, which are typically provided extra visual fidelity, and characters which are deemed less important. There are animals, invented creatures, monsters, minibosses, and final bosses. Basically, if it moves and it isn't part of the environment or the user interface, it's probably a character.

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Character Process

Characters for games are usually created as a group effort, involving an Art Director, Concept Artist, and at least one Character Artist. Concept art is almost always used as the starting point because it's a more loose, fast, and efficient way to iterate and find the best character design than 3D.

For most modern game characters, a high poly model is first created using a combination of modeling and digital sculpting software. These high resolution models are later modeled over, or retopologized, into the game resolution, or low poly model.

The surface details from the high poly model are transferred to the in-game model using textures and shaders though a process called baking. This baking process can generate a variety of texture maps that help fool the eye into believing the in-game model has more modeled detail than it actually has. The most common of these texture maps are normal maps, and ambient occlusion maps.

Character Examples

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This category has the following 3 subcategories, out of 3 total.

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