3D Art

Gruppenfoto des Orga Teams in allen Art Departments im Sommer 2024. Von links nach rechts sind abgebildet: Gina Meusel (2D), Lisa Kinder (2D), Rabea Kolsch (3D) und Jessica Schmidt (2D).

The 3D Art Department takes care of the creation of 3D models that bring the world and characters of the game to life. The course starts with the basics and progresses from simple models to animation. No previous knowledge is required, but the learning curve is very steep and it takes a lot of effort to understand the content. The software used is Blender.

Skills in the 3D Art De­part­ment

Con­cep­tu­al work

3D artists have to discuss the visual style of the game with 2D art and game design at an early stage in order to be able to estimate the effort required, such as textures, shading and animations. This allows everyone to use their resources in a targeted manner.

Me­dia pro­duc­tion

The 2D artists create turnarounds with all views of the object or character so that the 3D artists can then translate them into a model. Although only low-poly work is carried out here, all the important steps are still processed, such as the preparation of UV maps in order to be able to paint the textures.

Co­oper­a­tion with oth­er de­part­ments

3D works closely with 2D and coding to create interesting worlds. Communication is essential to achieve the desired atmosphere.

Role and re­spons­ib­il­ity

After learning the basics, they can be tested in the game jam at the end of the semester. In this short period of time, new challenges and priorities in the creation of assets become apparent.

In the summer semester, more time can be allocated to a larger project and communication with other members and leads of the production team becomes even more important in order to achieve a consistent style.

Vocab­u­lary of the 3D Art De­part­ment

The mesh is the grid structure of a 3D model. It contains all the important information so that the computer can display it.

The texture is the unfolded painted "skin" of the mesh.

The UV map is the unfolded unpainted "skin" of the mesh. The blank that can be painted by a 2D artist.

The material of the object contains information about the surface of the mesh, such as texture and gloss level.

Low-poly modelling is a style of modelling in which as few vertices (nodes) as possible are used in the mesh to save resources, which is why it is reminiscent of old video games.

The animation determines the movement of the model that is required in the game

The armature is the "skeleton" that moves the model.

A keyframe is a single position of the model that forms part of an animation.

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