Evaluation

This module has proved useful to me, as I have learned what makes characters in games memorable and stand out from others; be it colours, graphic style, or just nostalgia. The 3D industry is ever changing and with new technology comes new opportunities to create something new and unique. I have learned a lot of valuable information about the field of character design in the CG games industry and feel this module has helped me further my understanding of it.

My Practical Work

In the past 2 years within the period of this animation course I have produced numerous works that relate to character design. I found that one of my key strengths in animation is character design. I have produced plenty of characters and models throughout using an array of mediums to do so with. Click HERE for my latest work in CG character design.

These are some 3D models I made from plasticine and other Sculpting materials.




I think sculpting 3D characters is more useful than drawing them out prior to modelling them in CG programs like maya. This is because 3d models carry more information about the form itself.

New developments

Recently most of the popularity in terms of game characters belong to characters like Miyamoto's Mario and Link from the Zelda series, who started in a retro 2d format. This makes me wonder if it's the nostalgia that these retro made modern characters bring to the table that makes these characters so successful, as oppose to good design. Today with the rapid advance in gaming technology, we are moving from an era of motion controls to an era of 3d technology, with Sony showing 3D games requiring 3D glasses for the PS3 home console at the last E3 games convention. At the same convention Nintendo revealed the show stealing 3DS that they had previously announced - their latest hand held video game console boasting 3D technology without the use of expensive glasses.
With these recent events, CG character designers will have to think of what will look good in this new 3d environment, and so changes will be inevitable in character design with a whole new dimension that has to be put into consideration.

Case Study

Every game needs a character designer but only few game characters are memorable and even less of them are iconic. Here is a list of a few 3D game characters and their designers:

Shigeru Miyamoto:
Miyamoto is one of the most famous character designers, famed for creating the faces Nintendo, one of the biggest game companies. He has created some of the most charming and memorable characters within the gaming industry. Miyamoto's most famed character is probably Mario, who has starred in a large number of video game titles. Miyamoto first created Mario in an old retro arcade game called Donkey Kong. When Mario was first made he consisted of just a couple of pixels. He and the other characters have developed into into 3d characters since.

Masahiro Sakurai:
Sakurai is responsible for the simple designs of Kirby who is also a hugely loved video game character. Like Mario, Kirby is another famous "mascot" of Nintendo with plenty of charm. Also like Miyimoto's characters Kirby also started out as a 2d pixelated character who then moved on to 3d games titles.

Clover Studios:
The game designers of clover studios designed many popular titles with vibrant characters who made their games really stand out from other games. Characters like Viewtiful Joe and Ameterasu (Okami) were very popular. Viewtiful Joe was widely adored for his toon shaded style with thick black outlines that made him look like he came straight out of a comic book. Ameterasu is a white wolf with red markings on her body who could be recognised as she bolts from village to village in the game Okami. The visual style of Okami on the playstation 2 and Wii consoles have a style similar to the to the toon shading of Viewtiful Joe, but instead looks like an old Japanese watercolour painting come to life which I find stunning.

Overview

I have decided to look into character design of animation for 3D, CG games. I have chosen this as an area of the industry to research and discuss because I would like to find work in this field. I find character design for a 3d video game an interesting subject because I feel the designers require a lot more consideration for the animators and CG model makers. Designers must think about what kind of character would look good in certain environments, what looks too simple, what looks overdone and what gives characters charm and makes them memorable. There are many approaches to Designing these characters such as simple 2d drawings and sketches, sculpting 3d models out of clay or plasticine or even CG modelling right off the bat.