It has introduced groundbreaking advancements that redefine the possibilities for visual storytelling, gameplay experiences, and overall development efficiency. While the technical prowess of the engine has been widely discussed, it also offers solid benefits for game publishers. 

What’s the Key Difference Between Unreal Engine 4 and 5

As a company with years of experience in Unreal game development, creating immersive titles for mobile, console, and PC platforms, we closely monitor the engine’s changes and advancements. In this article, we will discuss in detail the features that make UE5 stand out and compare its features to those of its predecessor, Unreal Engine 4.

UE4 vs UE5 comparison: let’s get into it.

Visual Fidelity: Captivating Players with Photorealistic Worlds

Unreal Engine 5’s ability to render breathtakingly realistic environments and characters is a game-changer. With our extensive expertise in custom game development, we can assert with certainty that UE5’s Nanite, a powerful micropolygon rendering system, is an extremely effective tool that allows engineers to effortlessly create vast, intricate worlds without compromising performance. 

This breakthrough technology eliminates the need for manual baking, which often imposes limitations on detail and complexity. Through Nanite, we can seamlessly stream high-resolution assets into scenes, constructing intricate landscapes, detailed architectural structures, and lifelike characters without sacrificing visual fidelity in the slightest. 

While Unreal Engine 4 has made significant strides in visual fidelity, the latest version of Unreal takes it to a whole new level with Nanite’s ability to handle vast amounts of high-resolution assets. This capability opens up a world of possibilities for creating incredibly detailed and photorealistic environments and characters that were previously unattainable. In contrast, Unreal 4, while a powerful engine in its own right, has limitations in handling high-poly assets, often necessitating manual baking, which can be time-consuming and limit the achievable level of detail. This difference in fidelity capabilities makes the latest version of Unreal the clear choice for those primarily focused on creating ultra-immersive and visually stunning gaming experiences.

Lumen: Dynamic Lighting for Unparalleled Immersion

UE4’s lighting system is robust, but it requires pre-baked calculations, which can lead to inconsistencies and somewhat limit the degree of realism. In comparison, Lumen, UE5’s dynamic global illumination system calculates lighting in real-time, reacts to changes in the scene, and produces stunning visuals that help immerse players in the game world.

Lumen’s dynamic nature also enables developers to create lighting that reacts seamlessly to the player’s actions and the environment. This revolutionary lighting technology sets a new standard for video games, allowing developers to push the boundaries of immersion in PC, console, and mobile game development.

Streamlined Development: Optimizing Productivity and Reducing Costs

While Unreal 4 has made significant progress in streamlining the development process, Unreal Engine 5’s introduction of World Partition elevates it even further. World Partition is a sophisticated level streaming system that divides large, expansive worlds into smaller, more manageable chunks. 

This innovative approach eliminates loading delays and improves overall performance, particularly for open-world games. With World Partition, we can create vast and highly detailed environments without compromising the gameplay experience.

Unlike Unreal Engine 4’s traditional level streaming, which can sometimes lead to abrupt transitions between levels and performance hiccups, World Partition’s changes are always seamless, ensuring a smooth and uninterrupted game flow. These improved performance and reduced loading times enable developers to focus more on creating engaging content rather than worrying about optimizing performance.

Virtual Shadow Maps (VSMR) and Temporal Super Resolution (TSR)

Unreal Engine 5 introduces several additional features on top of those present in the previous version that further enhance the visual appeal of games while optimizing performance. VSMR, for example, combines high-resolution and low-resolution shadows to provide a more detailed and realistic shadow effect without the performance overhead of traditional high-resolution shadows.

TSR is an advanced anti-aliasing technique that delivers higher image quality with minimal artifacts. This innovative feature allows us to render higher-resolution textures at a lower resolution, reducing rendering costs while maintaining visual fidelity.

These features solidify Unreal 5’s ability to create stunning scenery and immerse players in the game. They provide developers with powerful tools to create games that are both visually impressive and efficient.

Enriching the Player Experience: Creating Captivating and Immersive Gameplay

So, the combination of Nanite and Lumen in Unreal Engine 5 can create unparalleled photorealistic environments that truly transport players into the artificial world. Lumen’s real-time lighting dynamically reflects the player’s actions and movements, adding a layer of dynamism and authenticity that UE4’s pre-baked lighting often struggles with. 

But that’s not all. Unreal 5 also introduces features like Niagara, a powerful particle system that enables engineers to create stunning visual effects like dynamic weather systems and explosive spellcasting. In comparison, Unreal 4’s particle system can sometimes feel limited, particularly for complex effects. This increased visual dynamism can significantly enhance the player experience and make the gameplay memorable.

Audio Occlusion and Obstruction: Enhancing Soundscapes for Spatial Awareness

Similar to visuals, the latest iteration of Unreal elevates the player’s auditory experience with its advanced audio occlusion and obstruction system. Sounds are accurately positioned and muffled when obstructed by objects, adding a layer of realism that’s lacking in Unreal Engine 4. 

While Unreal Engine 4 offers basic audio occlusion, it can be inconsistent and often struggles with complex environments. Unreal Engine 5’s system significantly improves upon this, adding another layer of engagement and realism to the gameplay experience.

Commercial Success: Attracting Wider Audiences and Driving Sales

The visual and gameplay advancements of Unreal 5 can undoubtedly translate into commercial success. Nanite and Lumen enable us to produce stunning visuals that attract a wider audience and raise the bar for graphical fidelity in gaming.

However, Unreal Engine 4 shouldn’t be underestimated. Its vast library of free and paid assets, established workflow, and familiarity among developers can still make it a cost-effective and efficient choice for certain projects. Additionally, mature engines like UE4 typically have fewer bugs and compatibility issues, which can be crucial for some publishers.

Ultimately, the choice between UE4 and UE5 depends on the specific needs and resources of the development team. For those seeking to create cutting-edge, visually striking, and immersive experiences, the latest interaction of the engine offers unprecedented potential. However, Unreal 4 remains a robust and reliable option for projects where cost-effectiveness, stability, and a familiar workflow are crucial.

Other Features Worth Mentioning When Comparing Unreal 4 vs Unreal 5

PCG (Procedural Content Generation). PCG is a set of tools and techniques for automatically generating game content, such as terrain, dungeons, and enemies. UE5’s PCG instruments make it easier to create vast and varied worlds with greater efficiency, reducing the amount of manual work required and allowing us to focus on more creative aspects of game development.

MetaHuman Creator. MetaHuman Creator is a Unreal 5’s tool for creating high-fidelity 3D characters in a matter of minutes. It eliminates the need for traditional character modeling and rigging, allowing developers to create diverse and realistic characters quickly and easily.

Unreal Engine 5 vs 4 Comparison: Concluding Words

In conclusion, Unreal Engine 5 represents a significant leap forward in game engine technology, offering a vast array of advancements that empower developers to create truly immersive and groundbreaking experiences. Its advanced features, such as Nanite, Lumen, Niagara, PCG, and MetaHuman Creator, have the potential to revolutionize the way games are developed and played. 

While Unreal Engine 4 remains a viable choice for many developers due to its maturity, stability, and extensive asset library, the latest version is poised to set a new standard for game development, offering developers the tools and technologies they need to create a completely new breed of visually stunning, and engaging games.

Elevate your gaming experience with our unparalleled Unreal game development services. Specializing in both UE4 and the cutting-edge UE5, we harness the most sophisticated and advanced technologies to bring your vision to life. Whether you crave the innovative features of UE5 or require the stability of the older UE4, we are here to craft extraordinary gaming solutions tailored to your needs.

When people talk about VFX in games, they typically mean real-time visual effects, which serve as a crucial building block for creating captivating interactive experiences. At a fundamental level, we consider visual effects to be ‘good’ when elements like fires, crashes, explosions, lightning, and more enhance the visual appeal without compromising gameplay fluidity, all while appearing visually striking and realistic.

Real-Time Rendering vs. Pre-rendered Visual Effects

Gaming VFX often have real-time rendering requirements, making them distinct from meticulously crafted pre-rendered effects commonly seen in movies.

In cinematic visual effects, elements are artfully layered together beforehand to choreograph dynamic visual sequences that captivate audiences during screenings. However, in games, regardless of whether they run at 60, 122, or 144 frames per second (FPS), VFX artists must ensure that the effects seamlessly integrate with the dynamic flow of the title, support interactivity, enhance gameplay mechanics, and enable flexibility for adaptive experiences.

Why VFX in Games Are Hard

When it comes to VFX, there are many ways to do the same thing. Each effect presents its own unique challenge, and VFX artists have a wide variety of techniques and workflows at their disposal to address it.

Technical and artistic balance in game development process

To create visual effects properly, game developers and VFX artists must consistently strive to balance their artistic vision with the technical constraints of both hardware and the game development engine being used.

This can be challenging because, in order for a title to stand out, it must possess a degree of uniqueness that requires clear communication of the VFX artist’s intent in terms of theme, emotion, and gameplay narrative. However, to reach a broader audience and provide an engaging gaming experience for all players, it should be as computationally efficient as possible. Finding the sweet spot is critical here: the technical aspects, such as graphics and sound, should support and complement the artistic vision. Only in this way can truly immersive game worlds and emotionally resonant experiences be created while avoiding any performance issues.

Interactivity, visual quality, and dynamic game environment

As an extension of the previous point, visual effects must not only look good but also seamlessly adapt to the game’s dynamic and changing environment without compromising gameplay fluidity.

This means that VFX should accurately reflect different lighting scenarios, weather conditions, terrain changes, and more, all while maintaining the title’s overall visual quality. Even a single visual imperfection can significantly worsen the overall impression of the game.

The same principle applies to player actions, which, within game worlds, must also influence how VFX are displayed and their resulting outcomes. Therefore, game developers and VFX artists must account for a multitude of interactions and their corresponding scenarios, which can considerably complicate VFX implementation.

VFX testing in video game development

To ensure interactive visual effects seamlessly integrate into the title’s environment, both in appearance and functionality, an extensive and iterative testing strategy is required.

Therefore, Stepico’s experienced game developers, VFX artists, and testers work in unison on each project. Having years of experience, we have established a set of practices that enable our specialists to complement each other’s efforts. Our experts always ensure that the effects meet the client’s quality standards, perform well across various platforms, and enhance gameplay while sharpening the game’s aesthetics.

Particle effects, character, environmental, post-processing, and more VFX types

Another reason visual effects are challenging is that they are typically quite diverse, even in non-complex games. Whether it involves explosions, projectiles, character animations, certain particle effects, UI design, post-processing, or any other type of VFX, they all possess specific properties and constraints related to physics simulation, dynamics, and artistic direction. 

Experienced VFX artists must, therefore, have the ability to identify the most suitable techniques and tools for each specific project and adjust their preferred toolset to meet the specific requirements of the title. This leads us to the next section.

Plethora of tools used in VFX

Game development and VFX creation can encompass 3D modeling, UV mapping, Physically Based Rendering (PBR) materials, texture creation, noise and normal mapping, procedural noise generation, 2D and 3D animation, semiotics, color theory, shape timing theory, etc. 

However, within this extensive toolkit, the central element tends to be the particle system. In fact, particle systems are powerful and versatile enough that entire games of decent quality can be created by using them alone. 

In a nutshell, particle systems’ function is to ‘throw out’ various entities and seamlessly integrate them into the game’s environment. These entities could include textures, meshes, ribbons, decals, lines, shaders, points, and so on.

How Are Particle Systems Used to Create Visual Effects?

At the core of each particle system is an emitter. In simple terms, an emitter is an invisible point in space that can ‘launch’ elements into an environment.

They come with a variety of parameters and options. VFX artists can fine-tune and manipulate emitters’ settings to create different object movements. These movements can range from a droplet falling from the sky, splashing against the ground, and breaking into a thousand tiny pieces to something as simple as a static image of an object, like an animal, always positioned in one place within the game and barely moving.

Fireball as an Example of an Effective VFX in Games

One of the most commonly utilized visual effects in modern games is projectiles, such as fireballs. Let’s use them as an example of how skilled VFX artists build a sophisticated effect.

Fireballs consist of three parts: the primary, secondary, and tertiary components. A viewer’s eye follows these elements in order, starting with the primary component at the top. Therefore, it’s crucial to make it visually captivating. That’s why the heads of fireballs are designed to stand out – they typically have a vibrant glowing texture on a camera-facing card. Once we’ve created something ‘special,’ the glow can be enclosed within a mesh, resembling half of a sphere, and an animated fire texture can scroll across this mesh, creating the impression of dynamic, brightly burning fire.

Next, it’s time to enhance the fireball with finer details using a secondary component. Typically, this involves adding a tail – a ribbon extending from the head of the mesh, usually composed of a single texture scrolling from left to right.

Finally, there’s the third, tertiary read, which consists of sparks bursting from the fireball. A skilled VFX expert will shape them to complement the projectile theme, but also ensure that they aren’t overly pronounced to avoid distracting viewers from the two main elements of the effect and hampering its clarity.

Creating VFX, Avoiding Clutter

When creating VFX, it’s essential to exercise some restraint. What we mean is, if all the effects are flashy and there’s lots of action packed into each of them, none will stand out. The environment will simply feel cluttered. 

The purpose of these effects is to communicate gameplay, and for this communication to happen, clear contrasts must be implemented between essential and non-essential VFX.

How Stepico’s Game Development Experts Establish Contrast, Visual Hierarchies, and Realistic Environments

The tools our experts typically use for these purposes are shape, color, and timing. 

How VFX artists use shapes

All visual effects consist of shapes, such as lines, squares, stars, circles, spheres, and so on. They could be geometrically correct or, at times, VFX artists will purposely make them odd and irregular. 

In each game Stepico creates, there’s a consistent shape language. We always take the time to establish a certain standardization of how shapes are used throughout the title. This is necessary for several reasons. Firstly, each complex game will probably have hundreds of effects, each with its own meaning. And a consistent shape language helps us clearly communicate to the user what the effect does, thereby conveying the game’s narrative.

A plus sign, for instance, can signify the restoration of a character’s health. A sphere that encapsulates an object may indicate that a shield has been activated to protect the character or another entity from danger. 

Secondly, distinct shapes language is even more important when the colors of different visual effects are similar – it allows the player to easily differentiate between them.

How VFX artists use color

Color is just as vital for VFX as shapes. Properly chosen colors serve as powerful communication devices, conveying essential information about the effect. For example, in combination with shapes, colors can be used to indicate the severity of damage a character is dealing or receiving. You’ve probably encountered this in first-person shooters when sudden blood spatters appear, and the screen turns bright red after severe hits. The shapes show what happened, and the color communicates the level of intensity.

Additionally, colors can be utilized by VFX artists to create atmosphere and mood. If the game’s environment is mainly black or gray, the player is likely to feel a sense of uneasiness and anticipate danger. On the other hand, when the screen is dominated by various shades of yellow, blue, and green, they will perceive the colors as signs of safety. 

Visual effects in games are not static. They have a lifespan, and colors can reflect that. The beginning, or the phase of the effect that has the most energy, should be highlighted by the brightest and most intense colors. For example, when a grenade explodes, the user sees a bright flash that gradually subsides, transitioning into a warmer, less vivid color. Finally, at the last stage, smoke may appear, usually dark gray or black, before the effect dissipates completely.

This transition from bright to medium intensity to dark clearly demonstrates how the stages of the effect’s lifecycle change one another.

Some games, like our upcoming first-person shooter Discovery, feature hundreds of visual effects. And in such cases, a well-thought-out color strategy is particularly important for game development.

At Stepico, our first step is to define the main and supporting colors. We designate essential parts of VFX with the main colors—brightest and most saturated—while secondary parts are distinguished by supporting colors, which are more subdued. Sometimes, we make the less critical colors somewhat translucent to blend them into the environment. We also carefully consider how we utilize hues, which, too, are essential for gameplay. Accidentally blending two contrasting hues together can severely impact the game’s readability. 

Color saturation is also a great tool for defining the effect’s meaning. High saturation is typically utilized when we want to draw the player’s attention to something, whereas lower saturation conveys a sense of calmness, signifies the absence of urgency, and thus indicates that this part of the effect is less important. Generally, we advise against having too many saturated colors in a game as it can lead to clashes. Experienced VFX professionals will always leverage their profound knowledge of color theory to create harmonious schemes, construct highly aesthetic compositions, guide the user’s attention, ensure captivating gameplay, and reinforce a title’s unique identity.

How VFX artists use timing

The third important aspect of VFX that we’ll cover in this article is the speed and timing of various effect components. Let’s once again consider an explosion effect as an example. 

An explosion is essentially just a circle that rapidly expands at first and then comes to a halt after reaching its maximum size. Although this may seem simple, the effect’s progression cannot be executed in a linear way, as that would make it look both unrealistic and unexciting. 

There are distinct phases to this VFX. The initial stage, during which the circle enlarges, must be the most rapid. Then, as the expansion nears its end, the tempo of enlargement needs to slow down. The buildup to the explosion can also be timed in an interesting and inventive manner. These variations in timing can evoke awe, fear, surprise, or other emotions in players, thereby strengthening their emotional connection to the game. 

The timing of properly executed effects must align perfectly with the rhythm and pacing of the title’s narrative. However, it is quite easy to mess up, and, if done incorrectly, it can completely disrupt the fluidity and seamlessness of the storytelling. Just as with shapes and colors, timing can be an excellent auxiliary tool when constructing an atmosphere, whether it’s one of suspense, tension, or another mood.

Furthermore, it is crucial for creating realism within the game. Each digital element must interact realistically with the game’s environment, especially in terms of lighting and shadows. In action sequences, the timing of VFX is what either makes or breaks the feeling of authenticity. In general, if any of the VFX are timed incorrectly, the illusion of reality and the immersion of users will be completely shattered.

Summing Up

VFX can seem vast, daunting, and downright intimidating to inexperienced artists. And yet, it’s impossible to create realistic environments and immersive gaming experiences without powerful and well-timed effects. That’s why Stepico’s experts, who have honed their skills over years of practice, always pay special attention to meticulously plan, craft, and execute VFX on each project.

VFX largely shape a player’s experience. Their role is not limited to adding flair to the title’s aesthetics; they’re tools used to make the game’s world immersive and exciting so that the players can completely lose themselves in it for hours on end. The fiery explosions in an action-packed, high-octane first-person shooter, the subtle character expressions in a narrative-driven adventure game, and the projectiles signifying magic spells in a fantasy RPG – these are all elements that help a skilled VFX artist truly bring game worlds to life.

Our game developers and VFX artists are well-versed in the latest VFX techniques, tools, and methodologies. We always make sure to apply our vast knowledge to make the effects in our clients’ games enhance immersion by providing striking visuals and creating the necessary atmosphere, driving the storyline by drawing the player’s attention to game elements at certain times, and establishing top-notch visual aesthetics overall.

Want to learn more about how to use VFX to entice, engage, and captivate your audience? Want to build a new visually striking game? Reach out to us right now for a quick consultation!

Without further ado, let’s explore the fascinating world of modeling games in 3D – discover how it brings gaming experiences to life and allows players to embark on thrilling adventures in mesmerizing virtual worlds. 

What Is 3D Video Game Modeling, and How Is It Used in Game Development?

Let’s start by understanding what 3D modeling is and how it benefits the gaming industry.

Simply put, 3D video game modeling involves creating three-dimensional representations of objects or surfaces. This process is carried out using specialized software tools designed for 3D modeling.

During 3D modeling, an object’s size, shape, and texture are defined. Specialists use vertices three of which are built the simplest, triangle, and four for polygons to construct 3D shapes. The software uses coordinate data to determine the precise location of each point in relation to a visual reference.

The process of 3D video game modeling goes through several stages to create a polished final product.

Key stages of 3D modeling

Modeling: creating 3D objects and character models by shaping their structure and form using specialized software.

Texturing: adding colors, patterns, and surface details to the models to make them look more realistic and visually appealing.

Rigging: creating a virtual skeleton for a hero or objects to enable realistic movements and deformations.

Animation: bringing the models to life by animating them with movements, actions, and expressions.

Rendering: generating the final images or frames from the 3D scene, including lighting, shading, and reflections.

Compositing: combining different elements, like animations, and visual effects, to create the final image or footage. This stage also includes adjusting colors and adding special effects to enhance the overall visual quality.

These stages are combined to transform 3D models for games into fully realized and visually captivating assets for games, the film industry – you name it. Each stage requires specific skills and software tools, and collaboration among different professionals is essential to achieve the desired results. The market is growing, so experts are always in demand. 

Application in the Video Game Industry: What Makes 3D Modeling so Special?

3D modeling often finds applications in various industries without us even realizing it. Its versatility allows it to be employed in countless ways. However, one of the most prominent and well-known applications is PC, game consol, VR, and mobile gaming.

In video game design, 3D models help create unique heroes, environments, objects, and entire virtual worlds. Immersion is key to delivering an exceptional gaming experience, and 3D modeling for video games is crucial. 

This is particularly significant in virtual reality gaming, an intriguing and rapidly growing industry. Virtual reality games fully immerse players in three-dimensional environments, allowing them to explore and interact with captivating digital worlds.

Making games more realistic with 3D video game modeling

Games used to have the simplest pixelated worlds. But today, thanks to 3D modeling for video games, artists can create detailed and lifelike environments that truly immerse players. They use advanced techniques and textures to make landscapes, buildings, and objects look amazingly realistic.

3D video game modeling also helps to make favorite games more immersive by adding things like true-to-life lighting, dynamic weather effects, and natural movements. You can explore vast cities, lush forests, or post-apocalyptic wastelands that feel authentic and exciting.

Creating game heroes with personality

The player avatars are a vital part of games, and 3D character modeling has revolutionized how they’re brought to life. Instead of being just a few pixels, the heroes now have depth, personality, and realistic features. 

Artists use techniques like motion capture to register real actors’ movements and expressions, making the heroes feel genuine and relatable. They also pay attention to details like facial animation, skin shading, and body physics to make the player avatars look and move realistically.

Creating realistic visuals with texturing

To make 3D modeling in video games look more lifelike, texturing is employed as a key part of the design process. It’s like adding detailed touches to bring the game world to life. All in all, adding textures gives depth and richness to the game’s graphics.

Texturing is set off right after the basic 3D models are made. Designers use these models as guides to decide how the surfaces should look. They can choose from a variety of textures to make game heroes and environments stand out. Texturing is the subsequent stage of modeling, and the designer must often go back and forth (from textures to basic models and vice versa), polishing out a model until it all looks just right. 

During the texturing phase, designers use a range of tools – from Adobe Photoshop and Blender (to design, draw, and retouch textures as well as render, rig, and all-around work with 3D models) to ArmorPaint and SelfCAD (for custom texturing using complex colors and bump maps as well as the creation of 3D models from scratch right in the browser). 

The final goal is to add more layers of detail to the models and grant a visually stunning player experience.

Accurate representation of real life

Sometimes, video games need to recreate real-life objects and places. For example, think of the ancient ruins in Tomb Raider or the historical locations in Assassin’s Creed. While these places are adjusted to fit the game’s style, they are based on real-world destinations.

This is where 3D models are most beneficial. Game developers use drones to capture detailed information about buildings and locations. Then, they use the right software to turn those images into precise 3D models. This allows players to explore and experience realistic versions of these real-life places within the game.

Advancing technology for better graphics

3D modeling has pushed the limits of gaming graphics. Developers always strive to make 3D modeling in video games more visually stunning, so they keep improving the technology. One example is ray tracing, which creates realistic lighting and shadows. It makes reflections, refractions, and shadows look truly lifelike, enhancing the overall visual experience and making the game more immersive.

3D modeling for games has also opened up possibilities for virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) games. Game developers can transport players into new worlds that blur the line between reality and the game by creating realistic environments and heroes.

Furthermore, AI has grown into an efficient designer’s assistant, enabling the automation of routine tasks and speeding up modeling projects dramatically (solutions like StudioGPT, Meshy, and Pixela AI come to mind as vivid examples of how you can automatically generate high-quality 3D assets).

Some other major 3D modeling technologies used in 3D modeling game development today also include:

1. Motion capture: the technology to capture real-life movements for realistic animations in games/movies.

2. Lighting and rendering: creating realistic lighting effects and high-quality images/videos.

3. Level design: crafting immersive game levels with layouts, terrains, obstacles, and interactive inputs.

4. VR modeling: creating optimized 3D models for virtual reality experiences.

5. AR modeling: integrating 3D models into augmented reality games/apps.

6. UI design: designing attractive and user-friendly interfaces for games.

7. Particle effects: creating stunning visual effects for games (explosions, fire, etc.).

8. Concept sculpting: developing initial 3D sculptures for further design exploration.

9. Cutscenes: crafting cinematic sequences for games with animations and effects.

10. Low-poly modeling: optimizing 3D models for mobile devices or lower graphics capabilities.

11. High-poly modeling: creating detailed 3D models for advanced gaming platforms.

12. Photogrammetry: creating detailed 3D models using photographs for virtual environments.

13. VFX: enhancing game/movie visuals with explosions, weather effects, etc.

14. Prototyping: creating functional 3D models to test game mechanics/interactions.

The Importance of High-Quality 3D Models for Video Game Development

As the world of 3D gaming technology advances, the quality standards for 3D models grow exponentially. So whether you’re new to 3D modeling or an experienced developer, focusing on the end quality is crucial. And an up-to-date take on 3D game modeling gives you all the tools and opportunities to achieve the top results.

Namely, the top reasons why opt for 3D modeling for video games include the following:

Improved visuals. While pixel art still has its charm, the gaming industry is rapidly progressing. Consider creating impressive and distinctive effects to make your game stand out and offer an immersive experience. Utilizing 3D modeling with the help of powerful game engines can elevate your game’s visuals to new heights.

Enhanced user experience. Remember, real people will be playing your game. So prioritizing user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design is essential. Rather than attempting to create a perfect interface from the start, release a beta version, gather user feedback, and iterate. Clear icons, intuitive menus, and captivating visuals will help players fall in love with your game.

Increased engagement. The highest-quality 3D modeling game with captivating visuals will attract a larger audience. From character portraits to objects, icons, and game environments, optimizing 3D models contributes to the ultimate popularity of your game. Engaging visuals can keep players immersed and invested in your gaming experience.

Boosted sales. If your game stands out from the competition, investors and gaming companies will take notice. Utilizing 3D modeling techniques allows you to differentiate your product in the market. The more impressive your models, objects, and other game elements are, the greater the potential for success and increased sales.

3D Modeling: Making the Game World Truly Special

All in all, 3D modeling for video games is essential for immersive experiences. It brings realism, interactivity, and captivating visuals to games, elevating them beyond reality. With endless artistic possibilities, game designers can create visually stunning and engaging worlds that captivate players’ imaginations, making the gaming experience unforgettable.

If you’re in need of high-quality 3D modeling services, Stepico is the right vendor to turn to. Our game art studio has vast experience working with renowned game publishers like Immutable, Gameloft, and 1×2 Gaming and helped produce successful solutions for large titles. Contact us now, we’ll gladly help elevate your game with top-notch 3D video game modeling.

Concept art establishes the look and feel of the game by transforming an abstract idea into a well-thought-out design. Without it, a game could feel unpolished and incomplete to even the most casual gamer. 

This article takes a closer look at gaming concept art as a discipline and explains why it is so crucial to the success of your project.

An Overview of Video Game Concept Art

Game development requires setting the tone and style to communicate the game’s vision to the audience. This becomes possible with concept art, the first stage of the creative process in which artists take an idea and create its visual representation.

Creating concept art in games starts with raw sketches that help designers choose between different versions and settle upon the most promising piece during the pre-development stage. The selected sketch is then sent to the production for further enhancements and approval. Your ultimate task here is to engage an experienced team of concept artists in your project that can contribute to your game vision.

Importance of video game concept art

Our favourite games wouldn’t exist as we know them without concept art. Being a vital stage of video game pre-production, it is crucial for:

Setting the tone 

Visualize the game’s aesthetics early on to bring the concept to life. It also expresses the look and feel of the game through the prism of settings and characters.

Reference points 

Design basic elements of the game, including weapons, costumes, or scenes. This provides the development team with references to build on during production.

Maintaining consistency 

Create an engaging gaming experience involving well-thought-out character costumes and color schemes denoting different areas. Video game concept art helps to build a consistent style from the outset so designers and developers move in the right direction during production.

Presenting to stakeholders 

Visualize how the game will look at the pre-production stage. Stakeholders involved in the project can make comments before the development stage begins.

Main Concept Art Styles

The video game industry is highly saturated, so game developers must adopt new strategies to stand out from the crowd. For instance, they may utilize three main concept game art styles. A variety of other styles originate from this trio. So we will focus on the basics here:

Abstract

This concept art style uses abstract shapes and forms in various combinations. It makes players guess the purpose of elements without providing them with any context. The functions are revealed once the player progresses within the game. As for the characters, they can be depicted as simple geometric figures like eclipses or triangles.

Stylized

This style draws inspiration from comic books and caricatures, which means exaggerated graphics. It often operates outside the boundaries of the real world, although it can also create quite realistic content.

Realistic

The most common art style that is widely used in high-ticket AAA and simulator games. Concept artists replicate characters, stories, and environments from real life as closely as possible. Generally, two main things make concept art realistic: game elements that are reminiscent of their real-life counterparts and the behavioral patterns of these objects that obey real-world physics.

Types of Video Game Concept Art

Each art form within game development is created by concept artists of separate specializations. There are several types of concept art for games, such as:

Character Concept Art

Character designers depict the game’s characters. They should know human anatomy and be familiar with physical traits. What do they look like? What kind of personality do they have? How do they behave within the gameplay environment?

Environment Concept Art

Concept artists create a unique game setting so that the players have a little context of where they are before starting. Every single element within the scene should look believable and cohesive to be visually interesting to explore.

Prop Art

Decorated items, magic potions, and pieces of furniture are all examples of smaller objects known as props. Prop concept artists make sure that every little element of the setting is in synergy with the design concept of the game.

Equipment Art

Artists that draw weapons provide more information about the world where the action takes place. Also, the favorite protagonist’s armor or gear can say a lot about their traits and preferences, providing a more comprehensive feel to the final product.

Who Are Concept Artists?

Similar to all other artists, concept artists haveare creative personalities and can think outside the box. They possess a keen eye for designs and visuals, although they usually specialize in a single element. While some create impressive characters, others add different backgrounds to those characters. Not many artists may be able to develop characters, props, and environments all at once.

Concept artists have become a crucial force in the large media industry of video games, board games, comics, etc. Some of the leading gaming studios across the world have real talents in their games concept art team. 

The set of requirements can be quite different based on technology, budget, and deadline limitations. Throughout the creative process, concept artists collaborate with other specialists such as art directors, 3D modellers, designers, and developers.

Skills and responsibilities of a concept artist

To become a professional video game concept artist, it is necessary to master a wide range of fundamental art and drawing art skills. These include:

• Anatomy;
• Proportion;
• Texture;
• Lighting and shadow;
• Sketching;
• Digital drawing;
• Use of color, etc.

The average concept artist does not necessarily have a degree in art. But obtaining an academic degree is highly recommended to build and expand all of the above skills.

A good grasp of digital software packages is also a must when creating digital game design art. For instance, using Adobe applications contribute to creating captivating artwork.

In terms of soft skills, concept artists should be able to:

• Solve problems;
• Communicate clearly, both verbally and in writing;
• Work independently and within a team;
• Do thorough research, etc.

Concept artists are responsible for the initial sketches and designs, giving an overall look and feel of the fantasy world created by the design and production team. But it’s not all about sketching, coloring, and rendering. Concept artists have even more responsibilities to handle, like:

• Researching architecture, people, scenes, and more to use for drawings;
• Creating a visual representation of particular moods within a video game;
• Giving context and direction to the production team;
• Representing video game characters’ personalities, backgrounds and behaviors;
• Checking feedback and updating designs to meet public demands.

Conclusion

Video game concept art helps players get lost in magical, dramatic, and often captivating worlds. To create dynamic and cohesive visuals, concept artists use their in-depth understanding of both art and game design. So when you require artwork and concepts for your next game, hire a professional team that can take care of the entire project. Make sure your game feels polished and complete to even the most demanding gamer.

Stepico can provide expert concept art services as well as cover the entire game art and development process for you. Having created more than 65 successful titles, we know how to transform your idea into a beautiful game. Let’s talk!

Attention to detail is crucial. And your game’s 3D environment makes up the foundation that drives players’ engagement

This article delves into the essence of game environment modeling and its intricacies to help you discover the main stages of environmental design and learn how to achieve flawless results with your project.

But first, let’s see what’s what.

What Is Environment Design All About?

Designing and constructing a playable environment that serves as the backdrop for the story is the essence of creating a seamless virtual world. This complex process encompasses several stages, including overall game design, level design, level brief, and concept art ideation, as well as the outline of future animations, character, object, and background models, renders, and rigs. 

But it all starts with the main design document that outlines the basics. This is then followed with an art guide document that turns general points into more actionable tasks for designers and artists. Environments usually start to get their shapes when designers draw up storyboards filled with early concept arts, visual schemes, and future animation sketches. 

It’s important to consider the scale of the game you’re creating. Will it be a side-scrolling platformer with a few level mechanics or a massive open-world RPG with free exploration and no linear narrative? There will be limitations to consider, both positive and negative, and it is best done early on. 

Where Does Game Environment Modeling Start?

With all the task reference docs in hand, a level designer may come in to start planning levels and conceptualize more pinpointed details (e.g., separate screens and scenes, plot twists, content fillers, etc.). And only then an environment artist joins in to kick off full-on environment modeling. 

The environment artist’s job is to breathe life into all the sketches, concepts, and storyboards. They segment the flow of the planned game environment into comprehensive bits and scenes and shape a sizable, structured world with proper transitions and level of immersion.

Shaping Your Game Environment: How to Get the Most

An overwhelming number of game environments we see in modern games are 3-dimensional. Even when setting out to work on a simple indie side-scroller, chances are you will eventually tap into 3D environments or assets along the way. 

That is because many developers approach environmental design from two different angles. By separating world foregrounds from more intricately detailed local environments, you can keep the workflow balanced and handle the ranging-complexity tasks with the right tools.

In simple words, you can combine low-poly and high-poly modeling approaches to shape models at different levels of detail and visualization requirements. 

Low-poly game assets

Low-poly game environments involve the use of fewer polygons and less detail, making it an ideal choice for simple backgrounds and secondary assets. Creating a low-poly model requires less time and effort. Developers get to quickly execute their ideas using an engine like Unity, which offers great low-poly and low-code “building blocks” in its asset store.

High-poly game assets

On the other hand, high-poly game environments require more detail and fidelity to create a natural and aesthetically pleasing appearance. This type of modeling is suitable for foreground environments and assets that require greater attention to detail and realism – characters, moving objects, and everything that must stand out properly.

To strike a perfect balance, aim for an eye-candy of a visual “wrapper” for your game while supporting it with low-poly assets in places where performance is a higher priority than sheer visuals.

Modeling the Game Environment

Suppose the initial ideation is out of the way, and you are ready to kick off a game development project. The following set of stages is the most common way you carry original game environments through to their implementation. 

These fundamental principles will help you organize the workflow or, at the very least, understand the general process.

So make sure to start with:

Location concept

Before setting off any production, it is essential to gather references and create concepts for the vision of the location you want to replicate, such as photos of rock from different angles, to create a realistic model. 

The concept artist prepares a collection of concepts and references to outline the overall vision, atmosphere, mood, and key objects in the location. By carefully curating this visual framework, the concept artist sets the tone for the entire art production process, ensuring a cohesive and captivating experience for the players.

Level blockout

Next stage is creating a blockout based on concepts, references, and level design documents. Blockout can be used after gathering references and forming a clear vision of the final model.

This process allows building rough blockout versions of levels first, adding more details to them step-by-step. Level blockout makes creating a layout easier while freeing specialists from the common difficulties of early fine editing.

3D drafting and design

Specialized 3D design software solutions such as Maya or Blender are essential tools for creating a 3D model of the object required in the final product. An environment artist starts by creating a mesh in the shape of the object. 

Secondary and filler objects can be generated automatically, but you will need some manual C++ coding for unique and high-quality models. Maya with Unity or Unreal Engine picked for 3D modeling is the best option for animating the completed sculpture.

UV & texture map design

UV and texture mapping is crucial to the modeling process, as it breathes life into the environment. The fundamental principle behind texturing is to craft a material design that complements the subject matter. UV mapping makes texturing easier by allowing the model to be edited in an expanded form. 

In this way, the 2D graphics can be overlaid onto the 3D model, resulting in a seamless and finished asset. This stage can be efficiently handled through either Unreal Engine Texturing or the Unity UV editor.

Lighting and VFX as a final touch

Lighting plays a vital role in creating a more realistic and immersive environment. Shadows and light can be used to highlight different parts of the image, making the subject appear more accurate. 

The addition of rain, wind, and smog can change the entire atmosphere of a game, setting the mood, pleasing the eye with contrast, and introducing dynamic vibes to it all. There’s a lot of Unreal Engine and Unity documentation available to help you with lighting and post-effects of all sorts.

Hot Tips for Building 3D Environments Efficiently from the Get-Go

In order to create a visually stunning and intricate game environment, and do it in terms of a smooth, time- and cost-efficient workflow, you need two supporting pillars:

1. A well-planned stage-by-stage project roadmap;
2. Best practices and competitive pro-tips.

You should be fine handling the first point by referring to the stages highlighted just above. As for the second pillar, here are some recommendations from our firsthand project experience. 

Get your tools right

This goes for the main engine and all auxiliary tools you might need – take your time to consider options, experiment, and switch toolsets. Keep in mind – Unity can give you more creative freedom at the expense of premium quality and complexity of assets that you can achieve with Unreal Engine.

As for some other pro tips:

• The Media & Entertainment Collection by Autodesk offers a range of top-of-the-line 3D modeling and sculpting tools that are optimized to help you work faster and more efficiently while maintaining a good range of creativity.
• A lot of the overall success of the project depends on its rendering approach – Arnold offers an artist-friendly UI and intuitive controls to quickly see high-quality previews and iterate changes so that you can bring your creations to life in no time.
• And don’t forget the classics that just keep on getting better – 3ds Max is still the best tool for shaping any 3D objects, while Maya helps to pack it all up into scenes and Mudbox – to sculpt, structure, and refine model textures. 

Focus on optimization

This is one of the most buzzing topics in today’s gamedev. Game environments can be complex and resource-intensive. To ensure smooth performance, optimize your assets and level design. This is what eager players look forward to the most in upcoming new games.

To keep in line with the demand, use LOD (Level of Detail) techniques to reduce polygon count in distant objects, utilize occlusion culling to avoid rendering unnecessary objects, and bake lighting and shadows whenever possible to improve performance.

Pay attention to scale and proportion

Maintain a sense of scale and proportion in your game environments. This helps create a realistic and immersive experience for players. Consider the relationships between different objects and elements within the game environment, and make sure they are visually coherent and match the overall aesthetic of the game.

Play with lighting

Experiment with different lighting techniques, such as dynamic lighting, ambient occlusion, and global illumination. Pay attention to the color palette and the way light interacts with different materials to create visually appealing and realistic scenes. Keep in mind that warm, pastel tones invite and calm a player down, while sharper color schemes with distinct hints of red fit action–packed scenes better.

Conclusion

Designing expansive game environments is a doable yet expertise-intensive task. Instead of starting from scratch, consider working with a game development studio that has proven reliable with hundreds of projects. 

At Stepico, we have creative professionals with years of experience in building custom projects, including custom environmental modeling and asset creation. The art you’ve seen in this article is from our newest project Discovery, a sci-fi shooter built on Unreal Engine.

With just an idea, we have everything needed to bring your project to life and ensure it takes off like a rocket into space. To ensure the players appreciate all aspects of your future game’s high-quality visuals, we offer Unreal game development services along with our art production for you.

Ready to bring your game environment design to life? Contact us today to discuss your needs and receive an excellent product in record time.

Game art plays a huge role in the game’s reputation. Despite its simplicity, 2D art remains highly popular in the game world. Google Trends statistics show that the demand for such art remains stably high in the gaming industry. Data also shows that the worldwide interest in 2D games has grown over the last five years, reaching its peak popularity at the beginning of 2023.

Hence, 2D game art is a hot topic in 2023 and years to come. So, we decided to share our step-by-step tutorial on how to create good 2D art for a game. Having interviewed two 2D Art Leads at Stepico, we’re ready to give you a glimpse into our creative process. 

The ways of creating 2D game art differ depending on the game genre; therefore, this tutorial is based on Match 3 and RPG genres. Let’s dive in!

But first, let’s define 2D art.

What Is 2D Game Art?

2D art creates environments, characters, and objects in just two dimensions – height and width. 2D art is widely used in making 2D games and even 3D ones. Game artists use it as an auxiliary tool to do the job more efficiently. 

2D Game Art Styles

With a wide variety of styles used for 2D games, everyone can find something to their liking. Artists from Stepico work with a lot of different art styles. Here are some of them:

• Pixel art;
• Vector art;
• Cel shading art;
• Monochromatic art;
• Flat art;
• Realism;
• Cartoon art.

Step-By-Step 2D Game Art Tutorial

Before getting to game art creation, the team can compile a guide that describes the pipeline and the sequence of tasks. This way, the artists know the phasing of the work and can ensure a fast and high-quality process.

So, how is the game art created? The interviewed Team Leads have pointed out several crucial steps of developing 2D game art based on Match 3 and RPG game genres.

Choosing a Game Style

The first step is picking a 2D art style. The client either comes to us with a pre-made concept and stylistics or entirely relies on our vision. In the latter situation, our game designers set the processes themselves. Based on this idea, the experts bring out optimal game characteristics according to the genre of the game and its mechanics. When everything is sorted out, the team proceeds to the visuals. 

Sometimes the client’s and game designer’s ideas on game style differ. For example, hidden objects games usually use realism art, while there isn’t a lot of casual art in such a genre. In this case, the game designer offers other game genres to flourish the plot.

What game genres are best suited to 2D art? In general, 2D art fits almost all game genres. Some of them, such as pixel art, puzzle games, visual novels, or platformers, are ideal for 2D. The creation of 3D art is more appropriate for other game genres, such as first-person shooters. Even so, 2D art can be used even by shooters (for creating concepts). 

Concept Art

Concept art is the initial step in the search for an idea and visualization of specific tasks. At this stage, Project Managers and Team Leads discuss all ideas and later distribute tasks among the 2D art team. Then, 2D artists come up with various drafts.

Draft

The first stage of creating art includes finding a composition, form, and initial silhouette. A mood board with references is of great help here. Artists hastily make thumbnails (brief, compact, simplified drawings typically drawn quickly and not requiring any adjustments). The idea is to quickly show all potential options to better understand in which direction to move further. One of many thumbnails is selected, refined, and turned into a sketch.

Sketch

The sketch stage emphasizes design and a certain level of detail. There are two main attributes in a sketch, line and tone. The first allows you to visualize design ideas and materials accurately, and the second helps show depth and lighting. After successful sketching, assets are sent to the client. Once approved, the concept is brought to better detail.

Color Concept

Often after the client approves of concept art, artists work on a color palette. Color concept is used to show the atmosphere and general color scheme. Concepts can be both black & white and colored, depending on their purpose. If the game is casual, the concepts are often drawn by hand. If the game genre is more complex (like RPG), then when making a concept, the artist can use a photo collage, 3D images, and more advanced instruments. 

Character Design

Time to let your imagination wild in creating your unique game characters. You can portray a human, animal, robot, or any non-existent form of life you can imagine. 

But before the artist starts drawing a character, a game designer creates the lore. The hero lives in a particular world, has a unique history, performs certain functions, and it’s the game designer’s task to describe it all. Next comes the stage of finding references to help emphasize the character’s peculiarities and finding suitable objects and attributes to portray their history. For example, if the game character is a knight-errant, his clothes will be tattered from a long journey, and he may have a food-filled travel sack.

Now the artist can move on to the drawing itself. They search for a suitable form and silhouette of the character with the help of linear drawing, sets of primitive shapes (e.g., triangles), or matte painting. When creating a concept, it is decided whether the hero will move and how it will do so. Depending on this decision, artists use different design options and choose suitable static or dynamic poses for the character.

Environment Design

Environment design is an excellent chance for artists to show their creativity and skills. Locations in games are a general environment in which there is a large number of objects that interact with each other and are affected by perspective and light. 

• Draft stage – the artist draws up a general composition; 
• Sketching stage – they refine various elements and add small details to the layout; 
• Color concept stage – the artist sets the general color scheme, atmosphere, and light effect;
• Render – the artist refines various elements and components, shows what material the objects are made of, all light interactions, and adds additional effects (e.g., highlighting an element that needs to draw the player’s attention).

How Do Artists Come Up With Location Ideas?

The client sends either an abstract or an accurate description of what they expect to see. In the case of an abstract description, the art team generates the idea itself. For example, the client requests a snowy mountain background. Artists understand that, first of all, they have to depict winter, mountains, and lots of snow lying around. Next, they develop the idea, deciding where and how to put mountains in the frame, what atmosphere should prevail, what props to add, etc.

Here’re some examples. 

One of our cases with abstract description was to portray Santa a bit differently, in a bad manner. The idea was to make him a hooligan and drunkard. Therefore, we created an abandoned city with a bar, abandoned cars, garbage and bottles on the pavement, etc., to convey the atmosphere as much as possible. An example of an accurate description of this case would be as follows – a store on the right, a local bar up ahead, a broken-down car with a crack in the left headlight (if it plays a significant role in the plot), a lost Santa’s shoe, and two brown bottles of port wine on the left.

Another of our vivid cases is called Mummy Frogs. The game takes place in Ancient Egypt. Such a place and time are usually associated with sand, pyramids, sarcophagi, and lots of gold and jewels. Stepico artists masterfully combined the idea of Egypt and frogs, creating unforgettable locations with classic Egyptian statues with frog heads decorated with extraordinary jewelry according to the theme.

How Do Artists Make Their Locations Unique?

Real locations, such as a forest or mountains, are pretty commonplace. So, how to make your game environment special? Let’s take mountains as an example. When creating a location, the team is guided by the art style and theme of the game. There may be the ruins of some crypt amid mountains or a ski lift that hint at the place of action, be it an old world filled with magical relics or a modern ski resort. If, for instance, some small tracks are added to the mountain slopes along the giant ones, players can witness a recent Yeti chase.

“With the help of visual add-ons, we tell a story to the players,” says our 2D Art Lead, Serhiy. Thus, the creation of a location must be approached thoroughly. Even the smallest detail can change the entire setting and cause deviation from the original theme.

A Dwarf village can be located in woods with short, stout trees with heavy leaves. If the game displays an elven forest, the trees will look tall and elegant, with standout leaves. If the game style is steampunk, the forest can consist of trees made of iron pipes with leaves made of metal sheets. Instead of leaves, there can even be circular saws, which will let the player know that the area is dangerous.

2D Game Icons & Items

Creating and discreetly combining buttons, badges, status bars, and other noticeable stuff in the game menu and between levels – it’s a task of a UI/UX designer. It doesn’t matter how good 2D art the game has whenever the UI/UX isn’t up to standard. If navigating a game is cumbersome, players won’t stay for long. A good UX is all about convenience and clarity. It should evoke positive emotions in the user after using the product. A good UI should reflect the essence of the functions that rely on elements. It should be within the general art concept and not stick out like a sore thumb.

In UI/UX, quantitative quality applies, ensuring that the user achieves the goal as quickly as possible within the screen frame. The UI/UX designer also handles the color code, following the core principles (e.g., green is a positive action or a CTA, and red is a negative one). 

Where to Find a Good 2D Game Art Studio?

Outsourcing 2D game art is a great way to save time and lower expenses. But when it comes to it, who to choose, a freelance artist or a 2D game art studio?

1. First and foremost, when getting game art services from an outsourcing studio, you get access to a broader pool of expertise. Instead of one person, you have a full and coordinated team at your disposal. A team comprises artists of various profiles, including UI/UX designers, animation designers, and others. By choosing a 2D game art studio and its extensive experience, you can rest assured that your idea will be brought to life regardless of complexity.

2. You don’t burden yourself with management. A game art studio does all handling on their side with the help of Project Managers and 2D Team Leads. Thus, you can focus on other important matters and leave the task to the professionals.

3. Last but not least, you don’t take unnecessary risks. 2D game art outsourcing studios care about their reputation; therefore, they deliver art of high quality and constantly provide feedback. Compared to most freelancers, studios pride themselves on having smooth workflows and delivering great solutions fast.

So, where to find a good 2D game art studio? Check out online platforms like ArtStation, GoodFirms, Behance, and Clutch. There, you can take a look at successful cases and various art vendors created. Therefore, you can see if the selected studio has the expertise in the game art style and genre you need. Plus, you can check reviews and learn how the company interacts with customers.

The Bottom Line

Creating unique art is the key to success. However, in today’s world, it is increasingly difficult to create something one-of-a-kind. “New cool ideas are made from the old and the apparent combo. The best idea is a mix of what you’ve already seen,” says Volodymyr, Stepico’s 2D Art Lead.
When it comes to talent and knowledge, there’s no match for Stepico’s 2D artists. We expertly combine creativity with 9+ years of experience to create flawless 2D game art of any style. Having worked with industry leaders like Gameloft, Immutable, and DreamWorks, we know how to create art that captures everyone’s hearts. Contact us now to get your perfect 2D art!

In the last decade, the developers rethought the algorithm of games with hidden objects many times but never reached the ideal version. Let’s try to figure out how to create such an interesting game.

Genre

Games with hidden objects are attractive because they allow gamers to slow down and relax, which is very far from action games. Also, one of the features of this genre is the atmosphere. Often, games of this type are not limited to PC and mobile devices. There are many console versions in which you can lure friends to find items.

The step-by-step game creation process

Step 1. Create a document that describes the gameplay mechanics and the desired amount of content (levels, pictures, objects, final parts, etc.).

Step 2. Here you need to concentrate and come up with a target game style and a theme around which you can focus the game. You should check out other successful games in this genre to make sure that you will not copy their style and theme. You should collect your picture of the game and view it against the background of others. All objects in the game must be in contrast so that they can be distinguished from each other.

Step 3. Invent a story that will interest everyone and make them download the game.

Step 4. Create the first level and let it be tested by any people who are unfamiliar with your game. At this stage, you need to carefully collect all the reviews and look for key issues and advice.

Step 5. Scale and continue to improve the one that is already working. Do not forget to periodically make playtests so as not to deviate from the main course of development.

Advanced Fine-Tuning Options

Make sure players have enough space to explore new areas without getting stuck in tight spots.
Create rooms, doors, and zones inside the main level—this will help to divide the level into several zones or mini-games.
Always be ready to experiment by adding fresh ideas such as new types of hidden objects, different layouts of rooms, etc.
Keep in mind that the best way to learn which new elements work is to test them.

Storytelling

Now, depending on the chosen protagonist, you can search for different objects. These items can be radically different, from colors of the same color to patterns on the ceiling. Always finding such hidden details should lead to rewards. Therefore, when you create a story, you should interest the player in each character and his stories.

Creating an unforgettable art environment

When creating a game, you should understand that, in addition to an interesting story, the player should be interested in the design and their contributions to the development of the story. The environment should be simple: a good option is to divide the environment into smaller sections in which to look. This will help players quickly determine where they are going and what to do. But you should watch for balance, so as not to become too bored or, vice versa, heavy.

The importance of illustrations and artistic style

Which is preferable, cartoon or realism? First of all, you need to understand that players should be able to quickly identify items. Here you can scam and choose to search for more common things such as a winch, table, cup, etc. Because if players can’t figure out which items to find, they will quickly abandon the game and be disappointed. Therefore, when choosing visual elements, it is better to define the target artistic style at the stage of preparation for production, so that all graphic objects observe the same style and work together as one.

Create in-game animation without rebooting

Games with hidden objects allow you to get an exciting experience while being in the same room for a long time. But here too, there are disadvantages, because the game may start to annoy you.

One way to avoid this is to create a large animated sequence that loops. This will help dilute the monotony of the room a little.

The most common type of animation in games with hidden objects is when the user finds something that may be difficult to see. When you click on the object to be found, it shows a fun animation for each object. The most common animations are things that come out of the scene or rotating elements until they cannot be identified as what you are looking for.

It is also common to encounter animations that are used during transitions between rooms or scenes. These can vary depending on the items found, screen movement, player area, etc.

The importance of adaptive game design

Screen sizes vary across all platforms and devices. This should be considered part of game development. To avoid creating items that are only available on a particular device.

Game atmosphere

The power of object-seeking games is their ability to relax players in their atmosphere and make them feel safe for a long time.

If you want to create your own exciting game – contact us. We will discuss your idea and make it a reality.

The difference between concept art and the character design

The typical question that most people ask is whether there is a difference between them and what it is.

Concept art is the visualization of the idea, the concept of the future project. It is an important step before creating a project. It helps the artist create a template document and check whether all the installed details and features of the object work as needed. For example, concept art of video game characters requires visualization of main and secondary game characters.

Character design is the process of creating the final version of the character that can be used in the project as it is at this stage. While concept art is a sketch, character design is a detailed and polished image ready for use. 

Most designers use various professional software to draw 2D characters, such as Adobe Illustrator, 3D character modeling, ZBrush, and 3Ds Max.

Creating 2D characters requires the use of a digital pen and other associated drawing tools, starting with coloring and 2D rendering.

Creating concept art characters

The overall process of creating concept art for characters consists of five stages. Usually, the best approach is to create a character with a visible and attractive appearance to attract more attention.

Research and links. Concept art development is the gathering of the necessary information from the Internet and from the client.

Character contour. When an artist creates a character in his head, he looks a little less realistic than in reality. Therefore, when creating it, you should start with a simple silhouette and then draw the contours of anatomy and topology.

The main details. Artists usually define the unique features of the character’s appearance at this stage of creation.

Colors. Looking at the theme, artists choose a color scheme for the character.

Visualization. The final stage of concept development. Artists use the method of hatching. They create a range of darkness that helps to make the character more natural and voluminous.

Concept art examples

It all depends on the purpose, style, and genre of the project.

Fantastic character concept art

In the worlds of development and gaming, Avatar, Witcher, Dragons, and werewolves are among the most popular fantasy characters. The players adore them because they are very atypical.

Human concept art

People like to watch people and play them as the main characters in the games. It is easier for players to draw parallels and find a connection with the character.

Character from a cartoon

Creating concept art of mil thick characters is often very fun and inspires some children’s students. Whether you’re creating 3D or 2D concept art characters, most designs for kids are bright, cute, and focused on raising a positive mood.

Concept art of animal characters

Characters based on animals need to determine whether they will be normal animals or characters similar to animals with human characteristics.

Concept art of comic book characters. Comic book characters are not just superheroes. Concept art, created in the comic book style, shows a special way of drawing and creating characters controlled by the main archetypes: a robber, hero, magician, explorer, or sage.

Environment concept art

The concept of the environment is created for outdoor and indoor experiences.

The concept art environment distinguishes itself from the traditional forms of art in screen animation.

It focuses on creating an environment that will be used in concept design or illustrations for games, and it helps to expand and define the look of the game plot.

The artist must have an excellent look at architectural design, perspective, and composition because every touch in the creation of the scene must match the sequence of the plot.

Because of this, most environmental concepts are created using 3D software. Thanks to the professionalism of the artists and technologies, we get the atmosphere necessary for the game.

How to delegate character concept development to a third party

For the most part, developing professional concept art is an important task to attract your target audience and create a product. But in order to create conceptual art, you need high artistic skills and rich experience.

Stepico will be your best partner when creating a conceptual character for your product.

• Concepting
• Blocking 
• Sculpting
• Retopology 
• UV unwrapping
• Baking
• Texturing 
• Rigging & Skinning 
• Animation 
• Rendering

Today we will rely on our personal experience to show you what a 3D model of a character is in great detail, how it works, how it’s created, and a few designer secrets and lifehacks.

How does 3D modeling work?

To choose the right pipeline, you will first need to understand what exactly you want to achieve and what your expectations are of a result (needed to choose the right realization technique).

There are many techniques for creating 3D characters. For example, we can highlight the 2 biggest ones. To start, let’s choose a pre-render of characters, and then a true 3D model. In addition, these areas of creation can be more detailed or less detailed. Remember which game engine is used with which rendering pipeline – everything depends on the result you need.

The character is usually a human, animal, robot, or mythical creature. Plus, they can be either the main character (the player controls it during the game) or a secondary character (the creatures with whom the player interacts) or can even exist on the periphery alone.

So, let’s focus on our version, where we need to create a 3D character model for a 3rd-person camera view for PBR. PBR stands for Physically Based Rendering. The main idea is to use multiple texture maps to control the different properties of the material, determining how the material reacts to light. This method of material creation is widely used in rendering.

What is Polygonal modeling?

It is divided into a highly polygonal (detailed model with a large number of polygons) and a low-polygonal (schematic model with a small number of polygons), making it optimal for use in games.

Polygonal modeling is a low-level simulation that visualizes an object using a polygonal grid. It may often seem easy to work with them. It has a clearly defined external and internal area, and no additional parameters and calculations need to be made.

However, this method requires a lot of patience and perseverance because to create even the simplest three-dimensional model, it is necessary to make thousands of clicks with a mouse. The smallest error can spoil all your hard work, and it is difficult to remake the finished object. Because of this, it is important to be as careful and accurate as possible.

Polygonal grids consist of such sub-objects:

• Vertex (the point of joining the edges. There can be any number of them);
• Edges (lines protruding from face borders);
• Polygons (grid cells, plane sections, that are most often triangular or quadrangular in shape).

Detailed step-by-step 3D character design process 

Designing a 3D character is complex, yet fun! Let’s have a closer look at each step of this process.

3D character concept

Before you start creating a character, you need to brainstorm about their story and how to picture it through this person. To do this, collect a variety of references to understand who you’re going to create and how. Plus, it’s much better to work on a playable character when you know their history and background and what makes them unique. 

When you collect the ideas and the necessary references, concept artists come into play. Their main goal is to give the primary look to game characters and set the tone for their further development.

3D character Blocking

Tip: You can begin to create your 3D model by combining the primitive forms into the desired character form. This will give you an idea of what your character will look like.

3D character sculpting

When you start sculpting a character, you have a smooth model that doesn’t have the features yet, and it’s the 3D artist’s job to create them.

Creating a 3D Character Retopology

The topology of the game character is a surface structure that defines the model’s visual characteristics.

Most often, the topology of the 3D model is created using polygon modeling. Because polygons can have multiple angles, it is essential to choose a shape that allows you to easily edit and animate individual pieces of the shape.

Nowadays, there is constant development in automatic programs and plugins, alleviating 3D artists’ work. Creating 3D animations is an engaging yet complex process. Should you feel uncertain about your current skill level, it’s advisable to seek assistance from experts or invest in specialized training programs. Regardless, mastering 3D modeling demands consistent dedication and hard work.

UV unwrapping

Baking is the process of saving information from a 3D mesh, to a texture file (bitmap).

Most of the time, this process involves two meshes, a high poly mesh and a low poly mesh:

• A high poly mesh has many polygons (often millions) which means it can display high-resolution 3D detail.
• The low poly mesh has far fewer polygons (usually only a few thousand), so it is cheaper to store and render.

Baking textures allow you to get the best of both worlds: the high level of detail from the high poly mesh and the low performance costs of the low poly mesh. In the baking process, the information of the high poly mesh is transferred onto the low poly mesh and is saved into a texture.

General mesh maps are Normal map, world space normal, ID, Ambient Occlusion, Curvature, Position, Thickness, and Emissive.

Texturing 3D models

It would seem that it is too difficult and uninteresting to create textures. But most artists will disagree with you. Texturing is one of the most important steps in the construction of a 3D model. At this stage, the surfaces of the object model are given the necessary properties to make it more realistic.

Most textures are used to demonstrate the physical capabilities of the created model, make the object natural-looking and revitalize the game. One of the main functions is to create small details (folds on clothes, wrinkles, shadows, facial features, etc.). We at Stepico actively use substance painter and designer packages for creating the best visuals for our clients.

Tip: Use MIP texture is a texture application method (3D mapping) that uses multiple copies of a single texture image but with different levels of detail.

Rigging and skinning 3D character models

The rigging process involves creating a character skeleton. This is necessary in order to animate a separate skeleton or bone in the future and thus make the 3D model of a person move.

After the rigging, the skinning comes. In other words, at this stage, the skeleton becomes part of the character, which means that they can now move.

Character Animation in 3D

Model animation is an important final step in character creation. Artists animate the body movements of the characters, as well as create facial expressions to breathe life into them. When working on facial expressions, gestures, and movements, special tools are often used to manipulate parts of the body.

The best result in animating movements can be obtained using motion capture. We have extensive experience working with ready-made mockups and keyframe-animation.

Lighting 3D character

Effective lighting can heighten a scene by depicting the position, time of day, emotions, mood, and behavior of the shot. The idea is to make the 3D model look more realistic and satisfying. A lighting artist can use lighting to manipulate the bystander on where to concentrate when exploring the game terrain or the 3D character model.

Tip: Use Ambient occlusion to make deep parts of our render more lifelike and emphasize light parts. But do not exaggerate.

3D character rendering

It’s a process where an artist creates a scene for a 3D model using computer graphics and converts it into a 2D image. Artists adjust the illumination of the image, the direction of the camera, and the texture of the frame.

LifeHack. Some 3D artists use separate hardware for rendering – this allows them to continue work with another modeling on the main computer, while the rendering can take hours on the secondary one.

Export to the game engine

The final stage is the export of the finished game model to the engine (Unreal, Unity, etc.). The common file types 3D artists use are FBX and OBJ.

Tip. If you want to preserve the object hierarchy in one intact package, use the FBX file type. This is crucial if your mesh has movable elements or if you need certain pieces that can be divided in the game.

What is the best software for 3D character modeling?

For designing a 3D character, developers use a wide range of software for 3D modeling and rendering. The perfect match for some of them is:

• 3ds Max
• Autodesk Maya
• Houdini
• Daz Studio
• ZBrush
• Blender

How Much Does It Cost to Create a 3D Game Character?

So, you’ve decided to create your own signature character, but you’re not sure where to begin or how much it will cost. Let’s figure out what is what.

The trademark character is usually an enthusiastic hero who has unique traits, appearance, and habits. Through their interaction with the consumer, they express the image of the protagonist, company, or brand. If we’re talking about 3D characters, they’re more realistic and dynamic, compared to 2D characters. They are used in games and often in the vast expanse of Internet advertising. 

The characters can be:

• рeople;
• аnimals and plants;
• invented and non-existent creatures (for example, monsters or aliens);
• machinery (robots);
• mythic creatures;
• other inanimate objects.

The price of the game character depends on the complexity of the model, quality of the character, presence of additional artifacts, skins, and variety of movements. 

How long does it take to 3d model a character?

The time to produce a 3D character depends on numerous factors, like the position of complexity, the experience of the modeler, etc. Keeping in mind these factors, it can take roughly 100 to 200 hours. Let’s see the steps you have to take to model your character.

Five steps of character modeling

1. Model simulation or geometry

It’s about creating a three-dimensional geometric model, without taking into account the object’s physical properties. 

2. Texturizing an object

The level of realism of the future model depends directly on the choice of materials when creating the textures. Professional programs for working with 3D graphics are almost unlimited in their ability to create a realistic picture.

3. Light and observation point

The choice of light tone, level of brightness, sharpness, and depth of shadows. This directly depends on the realistic perception of the image. In addition, you must select a monitoring point for the object. This can be a bird’s-eye view or a scaling of space to achieve a presence effect. 

4. 3D visualization or export to a game engine

The final stage of 3D modeling. It consists of detailing the display settings of the 3D model. That is the addition of graphic special effects such as glare, fog, glow, and others. 

5. Post-production

This is the processing of images and videos with the help of media editors. Post-production is about giving media files original visual effects. The main goal of this stage is to arouse the consciousness of the potential consumer: to impress, to stir interest, and to be remembered for a long time.

Benefits of game art outsourcing

It is quite common for game companies to lack experienced, competent artists and designers who can do top-notch art. This is why it is important to delegate this part of the vendor. One of the biggest advantages is that you get a complete game art & design solution, and a professional team in one place. Here is an example of the tasks that you can cover if you outsource art production:

• Make creative, artistic content

A team of professionals will be able to highlight your product among other games, regardless of which genre you choose. They can even come up with a completely new genre for your project so that it will impress your audience beyond any doubt.

• Accelerate art creation

Vendors fully understand that you may not have enough time and other resources to complete the project on time. Therefore, these teams are ready to accelerate the process on-demand, thanks to their extensive experience in the field.

• Increase your team’s creativity

Most outsourcing companies work on a large number of projects of different genres, so they are usually willing to share their ideas and skills to make your product the best on the market.

• Get a niche expertise

If you choose an expert company, they will cherrypick the developers and artists to make a 100% skill match for your project. Cooperating with large and well-known outsourcing companies like Stepico immediately increases your authority and expertise.

3D character design services with Stepico 

Nowadays, in a large talent pool, it is difficult to hire adept character designers who will be able to create the desired model quickly and efficiently. A good option is to look for a 3D design studio, which is no easy task. 

This is where Stepico steps up. Our studio is actively developing different types of models for games in various genres. You can see our bright artwork in our game art portfolio. Also, you can visit our Behance and ArtStation and get a portion of inspiration. Our designers and developers are among the best professionals in the world, having worked with leading game distributors like Gameloft, Universal, Immutable, DreamWorks, and others. 

Let’s discuss your project and bring your most exciting ideas to life! Be sure that you will achieve your creative vision in the shortest period with us.