I’m in charge of the artistic direction for my game, not an artist at all, but when you’re indie you don’t get all the bonuses of a big company with a big budget so here I am.
Anyway I’m having a 3D artist recreate this concept in 3D: (concept image)
but as they convert it to 3D they are required to match this style: (reference image)
Here is what they have so far:
My question breaks into two parts: 1 Lighting, 2 Complexity
Lighting
It’s getting close enough now that I’m having a hard time knowing what my next step should be in terms of making this 3D tree match the look in the reference. Obviously the leaves aren’t correct but if you just look at the trunk, it looks like it’s getting pretty close but isn’t quite there. I’m wondering if the problem is all lighting or if there are still issues with the model and texture? Does Unity have a filter or renderer or something that would take it from the tree here to better match the softer look of the reference image?
Complexity
This image is 23.3k tris. I don’t know really if that’s a lot for a model of this complexity. Of course if it’s too much or not will be largely dependent on my target machine specs and what else is in the scene, but I’m just trying to get an idea for whether this asset would be considered low, med or high poly.
Thanks guys, I’m really just looking for as much advice / input as I can get because I want to make the best decision going forward but I don’t have enough experience to know how to move forward. If anything else jumps out at any of you I’d love input.
This is actually a really great question.
I’m going to answer with a little bit (a lot) of personal opinion, so take it as just that.
Lighting is going to play a major role in your final look. As the AD I’d say make sure the form and flow of the assets you get from your artists are good, that they match the look you desire.
The leaves might actually be correct - can’t really tell until you test it out in engine with all the final lighting and post fx setup to see how it looks. Judging the piece without knowing if the final lighting and fx is kind of like guessing. Until there is a scene that this asset can be put into with matching lighting and fx, it’s going to be hard to determine if the asset matches the concept. Setting up a test lighting scene would help you determine if the asset is acceptable or needs more iteration.
This might be a little harsh, so sorry in advance. It sounds like your artist needs to have better direction from you as to how you want the art piece to look. There are two options to choose. Either you want it to look exactly like the concept provided, or you want it to look similar to the concept. Those two options are different.
It looks like your artist is competent, so give him the information he needs and he will get it done.
If you want the art piece to look exactly like the concept - it looks like the model has slightly too much detail in the wood grain and a little too much small edge details. Less detail will smooth out the model, while still keeping some random detailed parts in the flat areas, will lend the model to look softer - as the concept image looks.
If your direction is to make the model look similar, I think the artist is pretty much spot on.
To get the look your are after is going to require a final lighting setup and post fx to soften the scene. Making the models less detailed will help achieve that look. Also softer shadows are needed to accurately judge the models look compared to the concept image. 3D by default is hard edges and hard lights.
Set up a test scene in Unity with as close to final lighting and post processes as you can get. This can be done with cubes spheres and planes if needed. Then when an asset is completed throw it in the scene to test out. Even better - provide it to the artist so he can test out the assets in scene.
Complexity all depends upon the type of game, and everything else you mentioned. If this tree is going to be duplicated 100 times I think it’s too heavy for that, unless LOD’s are used. If this is the only high resolution tree with lower resolution trees in the BG that is acceptable. If this is a main scene with the tree playing a prominent role in the scene I think the resolution it is acceptable.
Hope this helps a little.
Gosh I really appreciate all of your feedback. It’s very helpful.
I need the tree to be the same shape as the pink tree in the concept but the shading / lighting / texturing has to match the “reference” exactly. When I say exactly, I really just mean as close as is reasonable to expect someone to be able to do.I have told him this already. What advice would you give to this artist to get it closer to that? I don’t have the art technical skills to be able to clarify what I see as being different.
Knowing that, knowing that I’m looking for a scene that looks like the “reference” but with the shapes and colors of the “concept”, does that help you know whether this is where it needs to be given lighting and post FX functionality in Unity? Of course the preference would be to not do any realtime lighting or FX if something could be changed in the model instead.
I have imported the model into Unity and put a point light on it, messed with the shadow options and light color but I’d appreciate any advice on what else I should try. I have watched a few tutorials on lighting and read the lighting documentation but I don’t have any lighting experience at all. I’m literally a guy that has a picture that shows exactly what I want it to look like. That’s about it :).
Ooh also, there were two acronyms in your post that I didn’t know, AD and LOD. Oh, and do you have any FX libraries or tutorials you recommend that might give me a good idea on what FX options are available in Unity?
Reduce some of the surface ‘bark’ detail in the flat areas, he has pretty much nailed the shape and form. The leaves can only be edited after lighting and fx have been setup and the tree can be tested in engine.
The only thing left is to setup a scene in Unity with lights that simulate the concept piece. Not lighting in the 3D package, lighting in the engine.
I’m not a lighting artist so the only suggestion I can offer is to look for more information until you find what you are looking for. Setting up lighting to look as close to the concept as possible isn’t trivial. It’s going to take someone who knows what they are doing with lights, or you to bone up on how Enlighten works in Unity. Start here.
AD = Art Director
LOD = Level of Detail
When I say post fx I’m talking about Unity’s Image Effects. See here.
Check the Unity PBR scene and also dig into the Black Smith demo and Unity Labs. All these scenes are nowhere near your concept, but the information gathered will give you knowledge how to manipulate settings to eventually get the look you are after. Also there are several games in the WIP section that have a similar soft cartoon like lighting setup. May glean some useful information from searching around the forum a bit.
