Calling all environment artists!

adam

Environment Artist: The Story Teller

Hey guys,

I wrote up a small article for my blog on the importance of story telling as an environment artist. It's been something I have been 'preaching' now for a while and I finally put all my thoughts down in writing.

The last couple of weeks my inbox has gotten an influx of e-mails asking for critiques and every one I replied to got the usual critiques on their mesh and this one important suggestion: Expand, tell a story.

I tried to write it for aspiring & new artists, but would love to read input from all likes of game artists.

Thanks everyone!

Josh Winn

Some great advice there, I appreciate you typing it up. I definitely agree with trying to tell a story with your environment. What I enjoy the most about great environment art are the little, or not so little, details that show how individuals are living in a place, that events have happened there, that time has passed. I find it useful to imagine the past events playing back in my head.

StJoris

I think I kind of fit your description of prop artist, a bit literally, I even made a fire hydrant lately. Man I feel like an idiot, how could I not see that? It was a good read though, made me think about it, how I approached it in a not so good way all the time. Thanks for this article, got it bookmarked for preventing future derailments.

Emil Mujanovic

Thanks for the article Adam and a great way of thinking when creating any piece of art, not just environments.

-caseyjones

peppi

That's good advice. Like caseyjones says, it's applicable to just about anything, including Characters/Creatures/Vehicles.

Mark Dygert

Wow, its like I wrote it myself =P I can't count the number of times I have told people "your scene lacks history." Now instead of railing for 30min I can just point people here, heh.

Great read I totally agree with everything you wrote. It might not be new and ground breaking news for most of us around here on the big green but hopefully those who need to read it will find it.

Illusions

Glad to get a good write-up of this. Everything in the real world has a story down to even the most seemingly insignificant crate, so should their counterparts in our virtual creations.

aesir

speaking of enviro art, cgchat has a enviro art comp going on now. Some of ya'll might wanna join.

cool article btw!

Ryno

Adam, those are some excellent points. A scene looks so much more believable when you take the environment as a whole into account. I like to tell little stories to myself as I make stuff, even if it is as simple as a box.

I mean, if the box were stored in a basement, might it not be wet toward the bottom? If the basement's foundation is not well-sealed, it might be. And what if one of the someone had pried it open and sealed it back up a few years back? It'd have scuffs near the opening, and maybe some nail holes where the nails popped out, then were hammered back in a different spot. Of course these nails would leave rusty streaks, as it is in a damp basement.

This is exactly the kind of stuff that I think about as I make environmental art.

Em.

That's definitely the kind of thinking that takes it to the next level, awesome write-up. I'm in the middle of a new enviro and it definitely made me take another minute to re-analyze what I was doing and why and make sure I was depicting the feeling and story. Thanks for the article!

Mark Dygert

[ QUOTE ]
Glad to get a good write-up of this. Everything in the real world has a story down to even the most seemingly insignificant crate, so should their counterparts in our virtual creations.

[/ QUOTE ]AND their stories should match up when appropriate. It's great to add damage and dirt detail to things just make sure the damage fits the props location. Make sure that damage that would carry over to other near by props, does.

There are a dozen of excuses I can think of as to why this would happen but really if you are a responsible Environmental Artist you'll do something about it.
If you're just a rank and file prop guy given a list and a deadline, then you need to conspire and cooperate with the enviro guys and other prop artists to make sure everything is up to spec. Fight the urge to sit your ass in your cube and expect everyone else to bend their stuff to match your props because "my propz iz teh awesum".

Since I work on mystery adventure games and 75% of the game is exploring the environments finding out what is off or different and setting up the player for what lays head, I have some pretty cracked out theories when I work.

Just because you're an enviro guy or prop artist, doesn't mean you can't build character:
I suggest taking the story telling aspect a step further and bring your props to life. Give them a personality and a name. Think of your props like the toys in toy story. Except what the player sees in your scene is when the "grown up" flips on the light and everything freezes. Where the flowery potted plants about to push the weed filled pot off the ledge but froze just as the player came around the corner?

Ed the lonely Chair:
If you're making clutter in an alley do the recycle bins hate the regular dirty garbage cans? Are there "clicks" in your scene? Is there a lonely chair named Ed missing one wheel? How can you show that sadness in Ed the chair without animating him? Do the other nicer (but also discarded) chairs make fun of Ed and don't hang out with him? How can you show this when you arrange your props?

Using props as a whole to show emotion:
How can you turn a group of dumpsters and boxes into a towering menacing scene that might make a player think twice about what is at the end of the alley? How can lighting help that pile of boxes look taller and more menacing that it actually is?


Think about your scene like a Crime Scene Investigator would, read it to find out what has happened.

Giving props names makes for interesting build reviews.
AD: "So we need to move this chair more into the corner so players aren't tripping over it"
Artist: "Ok but Ed isn't going to take the news well, he feels isolated enough already. I might have to take him out for drinks..."

pliang

Cool article, but don't forget logic involved when building it....I still see some of my peers pump things out and not explaining well neough why did they build it like such...

indian_boy

wow that's a nice read. i liked it alot. bookmarked for future reference!

PaK

Great article, well written. I liked how you addressed prop artists aswell.

-R

adam

Wow!

I posted this on every 3D art forum I visit because so often do I see drab props/environments get built. From talking with my friends and peers on the subject I decided it was time to get my thoughts written down.

And so far the reviews have been awesome!

I'm REAAAAAAAAALLY happy to see so many environment monkeys (haha!) thinking the same way. I just hope that in the near future we really start to see this mentality applied to the work we all do!

Thanks guys, and keep at it...

EDIT:[/] Oh and Vig I love you. That Ed the chair example is brilliant!

IronHawk

Great advice Adam.

Thanks!