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tattoos in video games

i just got done playing DA and one of the most disappointing things i always see are horrific tattoo textures on char models, either blocked out, or lower rez then the skin texture. does anyone have any thoughts on this?

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  • Rick Stirling
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    Rick Stirling polycounter lvl 18
    You need a lot of texture resolution for tattoos, perhaps they didn't have it.

    2nd UV channels are a solution to this, you can then 'float' a high res tattoo over the area you need it to be without needing a massive texture that covers the rest of the surface.
  • kwakkie
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    kwakkie polycounter lvl 12
    What is DA?

    Yeah, I also noticed it on some of the screens of the new final fantasy:
    928790_20091023_screen004.jpg
    They have these insanely detailed and well made player models/textures that almost make you wonder if it is CG or ingame and then *BAM* that tattoo of a cocksucking skull comes up and slaps you in the face!
  • Wahlgren
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    Wahlgren polycounter lvl 17
    Speaking of tattoo's i feel splash damage should get some praise for theirs. It shows that they've done some research. I liiiike.
  • roosterMAP
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    roosterMAP polycounter lvl 14
    i saw the tattoos on the Brink characters. they looked perfect!
  • eld
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    eld polycounter lvl 18
    It's quite problematic since the skin on the arm in FF can get away from being a bit low-res, while trying to slap a tattoo on top of it will ruin the illusion of the low-res skin.
  • JohnnyRaptor
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    JohnnyRaptor polycounter lvl 15
    dont forget APB :D it has some dope customisation for characters, including custom made tatts!

    all_points_bulletin_screenshots_7.jpg
  • Firebert
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    Firebert polycounter lvl 15
    and here i clicked hoping this would be a thread of everyone showing off their tats! :(
  • psychoticprankster
    Very few video game tatoos look good to Me with a few exceptions, Graphics have a long way to come to portray them convincingly in games.
  • undeadink
    DA=dragonage

    yeah the new FF makes me sad when it comes to tattoos, i watched a trailer were it looked like to me someone had been going around the world high on meth tattooing people with his crap.

    APB- is promising but the variation in the designs is noticeable some even look like stickers or images taken in to photoshop lightened up then added to the model. also some of the designs dont follow the body at all.

    144177-apb.jpg

    the guy in the front has random stars on his front that look wierd because the just got where the want. i took a look at this game and one thing it looks like they are pushing is the tattoos yet i bet not one artist took one min to talk to a real tattoo artist and find out any information.

    i think its not just the graphics fault i personally think and im sorry to say this but i think most of the artist doing the tattoos dont care and the tattoos are a 2nd thought, which confuses me because i always see beautiful concept art of characters with full sleeves or huge back pieces, and it never translates over.

    maybe i'm being to picky since i am a tattoo artist. but id like to see a texture artist put the time in to understanding why tattoos look different based, on line variations, skin quality, location, and even ink quality.
    sorry im passionate about tattoos. mostly i just dont understand why people study anatomy so much only to flatten it with a horrible tattoo texture.
  • Justin Meisse
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    Justin Meisse polycounter lvl 19
    I believe APB uses a system similar to the decal editor in Forza so an artist might of created the star decal but someone else chose to randomly stamp them on the model.

    It also looks like his bracelet is missing it's alpha channel, so mad props to the marketing team!
  • Mark Dygert
    Speaking of tattoo's i feel splash damage should get some praise for theirs. It shows that they've done some research. I liiiike.
    Bullshots, be careful not to compare promo shots to final in game art. I'm not saying they haven't figured out something amazing but there is often a disconnect from what you'll see before a game ships and what you get to play...
  • Asherr
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    Asherr polycounter lvl 18
    The tattoos in APB aren't textured onto the skin. They are individual layers overtop of the skin. They can be dragged, scaled, rotated, applies to skin, clothes, and vehicles.

    [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGQ3-dgxvIc[/ame]
  • undeadink
    [quote=It also looks like his bracelet is missing it's alpha channel, so mad props to the marketing team![/quote]
    lol i was going to comment on that but i got caught up in my rant.

    even as a tattoo artist i love the thought that tattoos are decals for humans lol
  • undeadink
    Asherr- pretty cool but i'd like to see the level of detail they are using in the decals on the clothes and cars taken over to the tattoos since that seems to be a big feature i the game. it would be easy if they just make the elbow more like "rhino skin" and a few other areas could have blends (show sun fading) like they are doing with the clothes and cars.
  • MoP
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    MoP polycounter lvl 18
    We've got a bunch of books at work about Russian prison tattoos and similar subjects, it's pretty interesting :)
    And we've been using real-life reference for many of the tattoos in Brink.

    Vig: The stuff we've released so far is all in-game, no BS and no marketing spin. We haven't up-res'ed or done anything else, it's just videos from any given regular game build.

    I really like the look of the APB tattoo system, I still wanna know how they get it so seamless! Granted it won't guarantee "realistic" tattoos since you have so much flexibility, but I don't know the difference between a real tattoo and a made-up one anyway, as long as it looks good :)
  • Quokimbo
    MoP wrote: »
    Vig: The stuff we've released so far is all in-game, no BS and no marketing spin. We haven't up-res'ed or done anything else, it's just videos from any given regular game build.

    Is this game being built with the PC in mind? I hear games coming up and out, being built with the console in mind(I read Borderlands was, then ported to PC.). Just curious...Cause the videos look phenomenal!
  • ZacD
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    ZacD ngon master
    Quokimbo wrote: »
    Is this game being built with the PC in mind? I hear games coming up and out, being built with the console in mind(I read Borderlands was, then ported to PC.). Just curious...Cause the videos look phenomenal!

    I think its just for the pc? I could be wrong but I watched all the podcasts a while ago.
  • JohnnyRaptor
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    JohnnyRaptor polycounter lvl 15
    In APB, the decal creation system is the same for cars, clothes and tattoos. Its a unified art tool and you can choose to put your creation on either your car, clothes or body, and obviously, it respects the various properties when applied. So on clothes, it is a decal or a vinyl etc, on cars its a paintjob and on skin it behaves like a tattoo with skin details/wrinkles on top etc :) u also have a lot of control on how aged/faded it is etc. Not really shown in those vids but yeah :) i worked on apb so take my word for it, it doesnt compromise on much
  • Xoliul
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    Xoliul polycounter lvl 16
    They tattoos in Army Of Two: 40th day look good too.
  • SimonT
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    SimonT interpolator
    Brink Characters (there is a section in the videos where you can see tattoos)
    http://www.gametrailers.com/video/character-customizaton-brink/60975
  • Mark Dygert
    MoP wrote: »
    Vig: The stuff we've released so far is all in-game, no BS and no marketing spin. We haven't up-res'ed or done anything else, it's just videos from any given regular game build.
    Awesome! Its a mark of a good studio in my book when they're honest with their shots. It happens so often though you have to pardon my cynicism =P
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