__necessaryDetails is a series about the questionably important elements of game art for detailed assets, more specifically those used in first-person. I want to document some techniques and thought processes I regularly use and talk about some traps people fall into. There is still loads to learn for me, so feel free to disagree or discuss.
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In all types of representational art Form is one of the key fundamentals, using our knowledge of form we are trying to convince the viewer that what they see is in fact the object it represents. To this end edges and contours are absolutely key to convincing the viewer that this isn't just a representation this is the object.
Macro Photograph of an airsoft Beretta 92
Convincing edges can describe more than simply the form of the object they can present the material and the process used in its creation. This can give the viewer a sort of "empathetic tactile response" in as much as the viewer isn't able to actually touch or hold the object but you can convince them that they know what it would be like to touch or hold the object. When you look at a photo often you can feel what it would be like to be in that space, or touch that object, our goal is to give the viewer a real sense that they could reach out and hold the object we are making. It is incredible that this is possible and so we should aim to use this to our advantage and make our objects seem as tactile as possible.
Macro Photograph of a Ti2 Parabiner - Machined Titanium
To do this one of the main things to bare in mind is how the object is made in the real world. Different components should be separate components in your model too, they should be separated in the same way. That is to say, you shouldn't have one manifold mesh with plastic metal and wood, in the real world those components would have to have been fastened together somehow so make sure you understand how and follow the same principles.
After this you should then be looking at how you can make an effective visual separation between the components in the modelling stage, so that the viewer can interpret visually what they would normally interpret via touch. This often comes down to edge widths. As an example having a contrast between a tight edge and a soft edge can show the difference between two components or having the same edge width can show that there is a separation but they are made of the same material using the same process.
What edge width should I use where?
This comes primarily down to "how was this edge created?" this question is more than simply "what material is this component?" because the same material can be manipulated in numerous ways and within the same component different processes can create different edge widths. If industrial processes were involved there can be different reasons for the way that different edges are formed. There is value in learning and understanding these differences and my next blog post will be specifically looking at manufacturing processes and how they affect us as 3D artists.
Reference is everything when it comes to what edge widths however I've found to get a good representation of the contrast of materials you can loosely categorise them.
Due to the nature of digital art (for the moment) we are limited in numerous different ways from texture compression, texture size, tri-count, screen resolution...etc, these limitations require us to take some liberties in order to maintain the artistic quality and tactile readability. On a technical level it can be good to exaggerate your sharpest edge so that it bakes well and catches the light in the way you want. This means you know the "minimum edge width" for the in game viewing distance of the object and then create your wider edges relative to that edge. Perhaps not being exact to real world forms but you are being consistent within your own model. This should result in a model that has clear separation of materials when looking at a clay render and whose edges will hold up to being baked. Furthermore this helps with texture size/compression where you can often get artifacts or "game-y edges" from not having enough space on the texture to sufficiently represent the curve of the edge.
Checklist:
- Minimum edge width
- Consistency within piece
- Consistency of material/manufacturing types
- Visible material separation
Some really nice examples of edge widths showing material definition can be seen in Pedro Amorim's work here.
The photo references in this blog are macro photographs taken by me. I upload similar types of images regularly on my Instagram if you are interested in seeing more.