The Fine Art of Visual Development
As video games get bigger and better with each passing year, the demand for external partners that can act as an extension of game development studios is becoming more critical than ever. No where is this more vital than in art asset production. The world’s biggest gaming brands are seeking solutions to support everything from 2D design to 3D production, outsourcing art to trusted partners, and allowing developers to better focus their efforts on creating game content.
The Fine Art of Visual Development
Let’s start at the beginning with visual development, sometimes called look-dev. Put simply, visual development is setting the tone and art style of a game. This can take the form of establishing shaders for hero VFX, constructing a beauty corner for a world’s biome, or designing the style of primary characters. It’s something a lot of teams do internally, as they are deciding the final look and goals of the project from its conception. With the right partner and a long-term trusting relationship, some teams decide to do this beside an outsourcer.
How to Approach 3D Modelling
Once the visual design is established, assets and 3D models can be created in line with the visual development’s already established tone and style. Outsourcing work on this can take many different forms, from helping ideate assets that would be enjoyable for players to the creation of already established concepts. After concepts have been created, the 3D modellers will then build these assets and integrate them into the engine.
Outsourcing Game Animation
You’ve got your 3D models, and now they’ll need animating. Most teams have a mixture of in-house and outsourced animation talent to handle the bulk of the work. For high-priority games, they may choose to outsource more of the work, especially for key sequences or complex animations.
Crafting Real-time Game Cinematics
Real-time cinematics and the animation pipeline are closely tied together. In most cases, performance capture and clean up are for narrative cinematic sequences, and in these sequences, you’re not just controlling the characters, you are telling the story.
Implementing Realistic VFX
Moving on to VFX, this is the part of the project where we begin to apply the visual effects to the existing work – such as explosions, weather, and lighting.
The Growing Importance of Outsourcing
The industry for art outsourcing has changed significantly over the years, especially for video games. With the prevalence of remote work, embedding outsourcers and external developers has become more embraced.
Conclusion
In conclusion, outsourcing art is an essential part of the game development process, allowing teams to focus on their core strengths and expertise while leveraging external partners to handle other areas of the project. By partnering with a trusted outsourcer, teams can ensure that their game meets the high standards of their players, and that they can deliver a high-quality gaming experience.
FAQs
Q: What are the benefits of outsourcing art in game development?
A: Outsourcing art allows teams to focus on their core strengths and expertise, and to leverage external partners to handle other areas of the project.
Q: What are some of the key areas where outsourcing art is used in game development?
A: Outsourcing is used in visual development, 3D modelling, game animation, real-time cinematics, and VFX.
Q: How has the industry for art outsourcing changed over the years?
A: The industry has changed significantly, with the prevalence of remote work leading to the embedding of outsourcers and external developers.
Q: What are some of the key tools and software used in game art outsourcing?
A: Some of the key tools and software used in game art outsourcing include Houdini, Faceware, and Mocap X.
