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How Firewatch translated 2D concept art into a 3D open world
Eric Bartelson The article bellow is from https://ctrl500.com/art/how-firewatch-translated-2d-concept-art-into-a-3d-open-world/ This Micro Mortem is based on the talk that Jane Ng’s, Lead Artist at Campo Santo, gave at GDC 2016 Graphic designer Olly Moss designed the striking 2D concept art for Firewatch. But how did the team of Campo Santo translated his designs into a 3D open world game? Environment and Lighting Artist Jane Ng explains. “We released a poster with an image of a lookout tower set in a forest as an announcement of the game. The picture was actually also the key art for our game. We knew what story we wanted to tell, but visually this was all we had. The next three elements were key in the transition from 2D to 3D. 1) Layers of colors There are beautiful and bold colors here and they are in very distinct layers. And the color palette really sets the right tone for a mystery in the woods, but just lifting the colors of the concept art and apply them to the game is really out of the question. So we needed a dynamic solution. Since the game is set in the outdoors, the largest chunk of color is determined by the sky. We developed our own tool to generate procedural skies. Sky is also important because we derive a lot of game lighting from it. And lighting is a huge factor in determining color on screen. But how do we create these layers leading up to the sky? The answer is atmospheric fog. With this we can actually control the color of the fog in the different layers. When the fog intensity is high it really hits close to the graphic artstyle in the poster. 2) Strong shapes Much of the composition of the key art is made with flat shaped but strong distinctive silhouettes. Since Firewatch is set in the realistisch natural world of Wyoming there are hardly no handmade iconic shapes to be found. Instead lots and lots of trees and rocks everywhere. When creating trees I focus mostly on the silhouette they create in the distance. They still have to look good from up close of course but I just make sure that the lower branches are up to snuff because usually the rest of the tree is way beyond players’ reach. They are realistically proportioned so they are around 20 to 30 metres tall. We use the landscape to create landmarks that the player can recognize. An overhanging cliff or a set of very pointy rocks for instance. We made just a handful of rocks that we place all around in the world in different sizes and angles. By keeping this number small we had less data to manage. 3) Narrative details You may not notice at first glance but if you look closer, the story is actually hinted at in the little details in the key image. Now we kept the trees and rocks relatively standard because they only set the stage, but we put a lot of design, love and thought in the props because they help build narrative. And narrative is the core of our game. It establishes a visual language that helps the player navigate through the world. Any object with a certain level of texture detail is something that adds to the story. 
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Concept Art
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Concept art is a form of illustration used to convey an idea for use in films, video games, animation, comic books, or other media before it is put into the final product. Concept art usually refers to world-building artwork used to inspire the development of media products. Concept Artists work on big budget sci-fi, fantasy or historical films where visual and special effects create design spectacles, fantastical creatures or other invented elements. There are usually a number of Concept Artists, each working on a specific element, e.g., a fantastical creature and/or scene.
Concept Artists start work at the beginning of pre-production, up to six months before filming is due to begin. If the screenplay is an adaptation (for example, of a book), they analyse the descriptions in the original source material. They may work with Specialist Researchers who also help source and supply relevant information and materials. Concept Artists work in the art department studio alongside Draughtsmen and Specialist Researchers and often produce their drawings on a computer using Painter or Photoshop software. |
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Digital LANDSCAPES: concept Fantasy Landscapes
just like the concept artist for movies we are going to envision a unique world landscape and create a digital lanscape from it. To begin let's brainstorm in google classroom answer these question bellow
1)What is concept art?
2)What was fire watch and what how were olly mosses artwork used in this creation?
3)What were the three art characteristics that were important to his style and fire watch art.
4)Is your concept location of this world?
5)It is of your imagination?
6)What is the climate?
7)Who lives there?
What are some special features of this land?
1)What is concept art?
2)What was fire watch and what how were olly mosses artwork used in this creation?
3)What were the three art characteristics that were important to his style and fire watch art.
4)Is your concept location of this world?
5)It is of your imagination?
6)What is the climate?
7)Who lives there?
What are some special features of this land?
Gallery
AssignmentCreate a Concept landscape of a location from your own perspective. These digital landscapes should be original, monochromatic Created by using Adobe Photoshop.
Project requirements ~ a range of values with the lightest value receding into space. ~ A focal point; somewhere the viewer's eye automatically goes to which helps narrate your story ~ the concept is a clearly believable place. This can be fantastical. ~ A sense of space and depth is achieved by the use of appropriate value, scale, and layering ~ Creativity and effort is clearly displayed |
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