Master the Tools
Video game art production is all about creating beautiful, high-resolution assets. Streamline Studios, a leading global video game art production house, understands that there is much more to producing superior quality 3D artwork than meets the eye.
Usually when people think of video game art production, they think of creating beautiful, high-resolution assets. However Streamline knows that engaging and entertaining players in a virtual world requires a lot more imagination and effort. It’s about understanding how to bring vision alive by combining a range of different disciplines and technologies while scaling efficiently. it's about mastering the tools: UE5, Unity, Perforce, Jira, Streamframe, VFX, motion capture, animation. The process is complex and time-consuming.
Most people have a basic understanding of the process behind getting a product from idea to market, but in reality the journey is typically longer and more complex than expected.
Concept to completion
From concept to completion, there is an enormous amount of time and effort involved by every team member throughout the entire process. By understanding the challenges involved in video game art production, you can optimize your workflow to improve efficiency.
Developing video game art is a complex process. It requires knowledge of software, computing platforms and a creative approach to integrated art design. To overcome the challenges of developing innovative ways to display art in video games, we needed to build a global production pipeline. This helps us define expectation levels and plan what steps need to be taken at each stage during the creation process.
Additionally, understanding technologies such as 3D modeling and animation help eliminate redundant tasks and optimize workflow throughout the project.
Communication is key
Knowing how artists communicate with others involved in production ensures greater clarity in our approach. A clear, concise brief on each aspect of the projects helps artists find their way through to breakthrough ideas.
The goal is to apply newfound insights into effective art production strategies tailored to each project's unique needs. Managing an artistic process is a delicate balance between time and space.
Our process
Here are a few things about our video game art production:
• The end result should look simple, straightforward, effortless, but the planning, designing and development behind it is anything but.
• Your initial inspiration is often your freshest inspiration.
• The line and flow in your sketch art is often the original flare that makes your art memorable.
• When creating art for video games, planning and prototyping are essential steps that should not be ignored.
• Understand all the necessary components of the game, from character design to levels and even gameplay mechanics.
• Give yourself enough time to test and play around with your finished piece – even if it looks close to perfect on paper guidelines won’t always translate seamlessly into digital form.
Prepare and test
There’s a lot of trial and error involved in finding the right look for each game. Creating the look of a video game is an important part of the overall design. Every element, from character models to landscapes, must be carefully crafted to ensure a unique and immersive gaming experience. Character silhouettes, color palettes, light sources, reflections, environment complexity, weather patterns all play a part on the impact of the video game art.
From experimenting with textures and lighting effects to tweaking camera angles and props, developers must test countless combinations before settling on the right combination for each game. With the right process, though, the look of a game can be successfully crafted into something that's both visually alluring and realistic, and in the best cases, iconic.
Impacting a video game through art is so satisfying. The very best art ends up on people's walls, in the ultimate tribute to the artist.
Through careful experimentation, leveling up of skills, insight, understanding, and inspiration, video game artists create virtual worlds and incredible characters that draw players in and keep them immersed for hours at a time.
If you want to create beautiful, high-resolution video game assets, you need to understand the challenges involved in video game art production. By optimizing your workflow and considering things like texture resolution and hardware requirements, you can improve your efficiency and produce better results.
Have you ever created artwork for a video game?
What tips would you add to this list?
