For our 4th case study, we watched the Diablo 3 video on the making of the Black Soulstone Cinematic, with commentary from the Blizzard Entertainment design team.
Question#1: What was the most impressive or suprising thing you saw in their design process and why?
The most impressive part of Blizzard’s design process was the time and iterations that were put into each character, texture and scene. It surprised me to hear that they painted literally hundreds of texture maps, and tried just as many lights to ensure that their shaders and textures were going to hold up under different lighting. The time that they spent on the close-ups of human skin alone was amazing, especially when they realized that it had less to do with the texture of the skin, but the lighting that was needed to pull off the authentic look of human skin. This goes for the hair as well. CG hair is something that has always interested me, and to see them break it down into several layers, each more complex than the one before was really cool because it showed how something as complex as hair can be broken down into simpler parts, and still give the illusion of complexity.
Question#2: As an artist, what would be something that you can take from this video and add it to your design process and why ?
I feel like I can take a lot from this video, starting with the camera angles. Their shots, such as the low angles and wide frames used to show the vastness of the underground cavern, make a huge difference in conveying a specific feeling. The way they used light to their advantage was an important aspect to the whole scene, and something I’ll definitely bring to my own work. Creating multiple layers of lights, then tweaking them and mixing them at the right ratios seemed to make all the difference in the mood of the scene.
One thing that Blizzard had, was good reference, and I feel like this is something all artists can learn from. They spent a lot of time taking High Res. pictures and videos, not to copy what the pictures showed, but to learn from them so they could create more realistic textures and animations. I think this is something that is extremely important in designing artwork for large productions like this.
One last lesson I learned from this video is this: Particle effects such as smoke and fog can make a scene, or drown it. This is something that I’ll never forget. These kind of effects can offer a great twist on mood and atmosphere, but must be used with subtlety in order to pull them off 100%
Question#3: What was something that you didn’t understand or don’t think would help you in your ways as an artist and why? Make an example.
While I think the scene turned out amazing, the only thing I didn’t understand was why they would have individually animated the chunks of the crumbling wall if a simulation could have been used in its place (as Mike mentions at 52:30). It seems to me, that if there were a faster or easier way to animate this part of the scene, that they would have done it. However, I haven’t had any experience hands-on with simulations such as this, so I can’t really speak on the subject. The design team at Blizzard Entertainment are obviously professional artists, so I trust that they probably made the best decision.
iadtgame225_Texturing and Lighting 