3D and Screenshot Analysis

Right, so time to dust of the ol’ blog!
This term we are starting the courses 3D I and Advanced Game Design, so mostly posts will be related to those.
And as it happens this first post will be about the first week in 3D I.

The week started with a lecture, and subsequent workshop, in picture theory.
The lecture brought up much that was similar to what had already been mentioned in 2D-classes last year, however I do welcome repetition on the subject as it is something fast overlooked unless fresh in memory. At the very least for my part.
During the lecture we went over a number of art elements, starting with lines, shapes, space, value, color and finishing with texture.

As for the workshop, we were then split into groups and asked to discuss a number of screenshots based on their composition and the elements that we had just discussed.
Each person was given a batch of 4 screenshots and asked to discuss these in a group with others that had also been given the same batch.

Here is a screenshot from the batch that I found rather interesting:

I actually haven’t played Far Cry 3, but there is quite a bit of information in this picture for the player.

The first thing I want to point out in this picture is the lines of the hang glider. As pointed out in the lecture, diagonal lines have a tendency to give a feeling of action and tension to the viewer, in this instance conveying agency (assuming that one would be playing of course).

Another quickly obvious point is the contrast between organic and geometric shapes. Organic shapes, that is the soft vegetation and curved hills and shorelines, give a very idyllic feel to the environment, making it quite inviting and seemingly harmless. These shapes also have a very natural color palette, using mostly greens and blues.

Contrasting these, we immediately notice the more geometric shapes of the burning structure by the river and the vehicle below. These use an immediately contrasting color palette as well, focusing mainly on red. And as we link these shapes to the column of smoke from the burning building, we can immediately assume that they are not necessarily too friendly. So basically: Red + Vehicle = Bad. Check.

Also, notice the building on the mountaintop at the top of the picture? It is positioned on top of the mountain to be clearly visible, but it also has a clearly visible stretch of road leading towards it, further giving the impression that it is a location that is accessible, and you should go there.

In addition to this, if you look at the landmass and the cliff in front of the mountain, they almost appear to form a crude arrow, “pointing” towards the structure, creating another, a bit more subliminal, layer to convey information.
This same type of subliminal manner of luring the eye can also be seen down in the river where the rocks form an arc, leading the eye towards the burning structure.

And also, I would like to claim, on the very far right where the shore points off to the side (which by its cozy looks also makes me want to visit it).

We also had our first introduction to the world of 3D modeling!

After an introduction to the software we will be using, that is 3D Studio Max 2014, our very first challenge was to create a street-sign from some of the basic building blocks. Not a gargantuan task by any standard, but slightly tricky since 3D software is new entirely to me. I was however quite pleased with the result. Not to mention how pleased I became when discovering that there was a tool specifically for creating teapots!

However advancing rapidly from that, we were asked to create an entire scene. Not necessarily the most complex scene imaginable, but still a radical step up from a single sign. This scene was supposed to be inspired by both a game and a word intended to set the tone. Unlike most of the class that chose Journey from the allotted list of games, I decided on Mass Effect. On the describing word however I did go quite along with most of the others in choosing Desolate. But with a bit of danger. A tiny bit.

Below is a screenshot of the scene I made, complete with clueless bystander:

Going for the desolate feel I decided upon a structure atop a cliff by the ocean. The first thing that came to mind was something along the lines of an old lighthouse.

To make the cliffs more inhospitable I decided on quite sharp edges and a drop from the structure into the ocean. Also I reasoned that having the structure elevated, and attempting to make a winding land bridge towards it, would draw the eye and make it an interesting destination for (non clueless) explorers.

At the very end I decided to add the pillar-like structures in the water, and tilting them ever so slightly to create ancient, yet decaying man-made monoliths.

I did however notice that I had been a little bit silly with the ground plane. Instead of making a rough ground plane and adding rocks and cliffs unto that base, I had modeled the cliffs directly from the ground. Had I made them separate I could have just duplicated them, rotated them a little and had a brand new cliff. Silly me.