'Raw Crude: Twists And Turns In The Concept Pipeline' is the latest in Gamasutra's discipline-targeted Game Developer reprints, covering
the tricky evolution of an enemy model from concept to final in-game asset.
Having trouble taking 2D art to final in-game assets without running into major issue? Steve Theodore, technical content director at Bungie, explores the pitfalls in the pipline process that takes sketches to fleshed out 3D concepts.
"The term 'pipeline' makes it all sound very rational and linear, the sort of high-tech industrial process that involves hard hats and jumpsuited henchmen," says Theodore. "But let's be honest. If what artists do fits into any pipeline, it's one of those that you find in Dr. Seuss books, full of crazy loopbacks, recirculations, and about-faces."
Discussing process, Theodore notes, "Each new question sent additional drawings flying back and forth as we tried to settle those questions early, and, it was hoped, cheaply. At this point we felt like we were just about ready to really start flowing through that pipeline like $100-per-barrel crude."
"Movement, gameplay, shader interactions -- there are innumerable ways in which a character can confound your plans," he observes.
To learn from his experiences, check out
the full Gamasutra-published feature.
