3D vs 2.5D Environements
Hi guys. I really would like to know the bestt way to create a Diablo3 type environment, just some tips, cuz i dont really know how to attack this from the best way. Is it with terrain (like Unity terrain) and 3D models for buildings and other stuff, is that with only 3D models including the floor/ground and the buildings? I really appreciate any kind of help.
I find this video about Diablo 3 development and 2.5 D stuff but its nothing specific so in a image like this one i cant figure it out wt is 2D/2.5D/3D if someone know about this i appreciate.
Video: http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1015306/The-Art-of-Diablo
Image:
Cheers Bruno
I find this video about Diablo 3 development and 2.5 D stuff but its nothing specific so in a image like this one i cant figure it out wt is 2D/2.5D/3D if someone know about this i appreciate.
Video: http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1015306/The-Art-of-Diablo
Image:
Cheers Bruno
Replies
Someone figured out how to drop the camera into a lower perspective here.
[ame]
I think dIII's look is more reliant on the soft color palettes and smooth animations.
Lots of info available if you want to dig in:
http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/Landscape
http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/Modular_environments
But still they have a layered shader of some sort, rock/grass/dirt, that kind of thing.
They probably have their own optimized terrain system, just to make it easier to deform and paint in-engine, with all the meshes in place.
One thing Blizzard has going for them is their environment artists all seem to be experienced painters. They really seem to understand color, value, atmosphere, & composition. Few artists understand these concepts well enough to put them into practice.
The more painting you do, the more you can improve these skills. Both in 2D and, by extension, into 3D.
http://youtu.be/H5n7swkNax0?t=234
This is definitely recreate-able in Unity, you need carefully-tuned tiled textures, some custom shaders for mist/rainbows/rivers (scrolling UVs, alpha blending, and vertex alpha for shoreline fadeout... or else depth testing), plus a little ambient occlusion, some camera bloom, and a vignette for the darker edges.
It is indeed a never-ending process! That's what makes it so awesome. Been going strong for more than 20 years as a game artist, but there's always more to learn. :thumbup:
The bridge is most likely 3d (could be 2.5d, see the presentation you posted). Under it is one terrain (no sense in adding multiple terrains, when you can just push/pull the existing one). The terrain has rock meshes (and 2.5d trees) stuck into it here and there, plus meshes for the scrolling water.
Oh, and the textures are probably a mix of photo-source and handpainted (as he said in the presentation). It's not too difficult to filter photos to look painterly, then add paintovers to refine.
Nice i go start working on a new test environmente and then i will post here.. About water is a pain for me i never get nice water effect, same with mist i try diferente things in unity like fog effect but nothing seems believable i dont know why,, probably its not xD
Other thing i have to improve is the textures... specially the seams part looool
When i hv something i will post here hehe