Regardless of what direction you take your eye, it’s incredibly valuable for modern game developers to learn about new and fresh takes on the art of 3D game art, and today’s renewed focus on the wild, different, and spectacular has produced countless visually spectacular gaming experiences no matter where your eye turns.
What is a 3D Game Art Style?
You can find 3D game art in almost everything modern video games. The tangible 3D objects that fill and create the game worlds are considered 3D game art, including character models, environmental elements, and special effects. A title created in the past decade would be hard to find without at least some use of 3D art, so its importance cannot be overstated. Apart from the code and idea of the game, video games are made of 3D game assets.
Each visual feature of the game forms a game art style, which is easy to understand and consistent with the project world and atmosphere and greatly allows the players to immerse themselves in it. It’s easy to tell what you’re getting into with high-quality video game 3D art. A strategically crafted game-style design sets the scene while also forming the foundation for the game’s gameplay and mechanics.
Your decision on how to create a game art style design can have a huge impact on the audience you can reach for your project, among other things. If you want to target younger players, then you should choose cartoon animation or hand-painted art. If you want to appeal to the first-person shooter audience, choose a realistic game style such as realism or fantasy realism.
Top 5 3D Game Art Styles
There are many types of 3D game art styles, some of which are completely different from one another or only differ based on how they are rendered or shaded. We will examine only the most common ones, which serve as a foundation for many branches and variations of 3D styles, as well as provide examples of their application in modern games.
Cartoons, Realism, Fantasy Realism, Low Poly, and Hand-Painted styles are the most popular and common types of 3D game design art.
Cartoon
A cartoon animation style is one of the most distinctive visual game design styles out there. It is believed that cartoon animation styles were in great demand at a time when systems were not mature enough to even contemplate realism or serious visual effects and physics. In order to make their products run on every possible platform, many game developers had to adopt a cartoonish approach with as little detail as possible.
As a result of powerful hardware and the proliferation of affordable technological gadgets, it seemed as if the cartoon style would lose its popularity, but it turned out to be the opposite. A new wave of cartoon-style art has emerged recently among unconventional, different 3D art styles, and it has managed to gain a steadfast following. Indie and AAA studios alike have opted for cartoon animation because of the lack of restrictions of realistic modeling, physics, and lighting. This freedom has allowed them to explore and create the most extraordinary and bizarre worlds.
A special mention goes to Asian game developers. The majority of JRPGs, adventures, and other games produced by Asian developers often use cartoon art in a variety of forms, including anime.
Representatives of cartoon-style games:
- Overwatch;
- Fortnite;
- Minecraft;
- Among Us.
Realism
A relatively new 3D game style, game realism, has appeared in recent years as a result of the continuous improvement of technical and hardware characteristics of the devices that are used to develop and play games. This has made it possible to create a game which looks realistic both from the perspective of the developer as well as the player. Models so perfect they can be viewed through a microscope, realistic lighting, and actual environmental effects are some features that make this 3D art style so popular, and advancements in VFX technology make every year the visual appearance of games designed in this style even more real-life like.
But realistic 3D modeling is not without its challenges. If you’re planning to create a game in the 3D realism art style, be prepared to put in a lot of hard work on the engine, object physics, lightning, and countless other factors. Regardless of which factor you choose, one mistake can ruin the whole project.
Representatives of realism-style games:
- Red Dead Redemption 2;
- GTA 5;
- Call of Duty series;
- The Last of Us.
Fantasy Realism
In terms of engine physics, attention to detail, and eye-catching performance, fantasy realism is similar to the previous game art design style. There is only one major difference between fantasy realism and other game art styles. It is not important for game developers to be able to follow the laws of the real world when they are creating their titles. In fantasy realism art, the portrayal of unknown creatures, undiscovered worlds, and alternate universes based on steampunk, sci-fi, or altered history is what defines this art style.
Representatives of fantasy realism-style games:
- Skyrim;
- The Witcher 3;
- Dark Souls;
- Bloodborne.
Low Poly/Cell Shading
When you want to make a spectacular game without having to overthink the photorealistic environment or the laws of physics, then you should consider a low poly art style. The games developed in this style are a sort of realism at minimal preferences, and this is the type of game you might find in the low poly/cell shading style of art.
In one sense, using cell shading art as part of your title can give you a bit more creative freedom, since it does not place as much demand on your hardware as the prior styles, but on the other hand, it retains the fantastic qualities inherent in realistic game design, and can even surpass them with some effort.
Representatives of low poly/cell shading style games:
- Borderlands 1,2,3;
- Torchlight;
- A Scanner Darkly.
Hand-Painted
A hand-painted game style can be described as a unique piece of art in itself. The characteristics of this style of 3D game design include bright colors, dynamic environments, and an ever-changing landscape. Each shot in this style represents an experience like no other.
The hand-painted style is much more time consuming and labor-intensive when compared to games that are created in a realism style, even if it might seem primitive. There are no pre-built assets or scripts in the hand-painted game. Each scene in the game is unique, and behind each frame there is a huge amount of effort and skill put into drawing every stroke perfectly.
Representatives of hand-painted style games:
- Ori and the blind forest;
- Darkest Dungeon;
- Hollow Knight.
Stages and Software Used for 3D Games Art Creation
You will have to go through the same stages of game art design development, regardless of what art style you choose:
- Idea and First Sketches and Concepts:
As the development of game art commences, the first step is to discover the piece and try out different interpretations of the brief or idea that is provided. The art is explored through rough sketches and exploration pieces that undergo several stages of refinement and modification throughout the process.
- Modeling:
As soon as the art concept has been approved, the 3D modelers start their work. It is exactly at this point when it will be decided what type of software will be used to complete the work. 3D art modeling can be accomplished with three different tools. Maya, Blender, and 3Ds Max are the three main tools available. All of these tools have their pros and cons, but they are all fully capable of creating high-quality 3D artwork that is suitable for a video game. - Texturing:
In this step, the final in-depth 3D model is created, which has a large file size. It’s called ‘high poly’. From here, the model will be converted to the ‘low poly’ version, with the high poly details backed as a texture, so the size is reduced without sacrificing the in-depth detail. - Shading:
Last but not least is the last stage which entails the modelers changing the color of the model to match the color of the materials that it’s made from, whether it’s metals, wood, or skin. Each of these object has a different texture and must react to the light in a unique way.
Final Words
Dedicated to being a one-stop powerhouse for the development of art and animation for games, Kreonit‘s team of talented professionals has the ability to tackle any genre or challenge and will leave our partners in game design, fully satisfied with the final product.
Want to see what we can make? Have a different style in mind, or eager to see more? Contact us!
