From VR to next-gen consoles and beyond, the gaming world has undergone a huge amount of change over the past decade or so. However, if one thing remains constant it’s the incredible popularity of action RPG series like Torchlight, which has at last gained a new instalment – Torchlight III.
Released October 2020, Torchlight III is a light-hearted and fast-paced dungeon crawler for casual and hardcore gamers alike. Developed by Echtra Games and published by Perfect World Entertainment, Torchlight III is set in a high fantasy world filled with epic weapons, magic spells, monsters, loot and landscapes.
Environment artist and level designer at Echtra Games, Dmitriy Golovinov, guides us through creating the art of Torchlight III – from storytelling to scale and playability.
BUILDING FROM SCRATCH
Dmitriy’s first course of action in development was to decide an aesthetic style. His team wanted to stay true to the established Torchlight series, but also use reflections, lighting and new technology like Unreal Engine to introduce high-fidelity art and bring this beloved franchise into the 21st century. This meant creating most environments completely from scratch.
“When building an environment from scratch, you first need to gather some reference materials,” says Dmitriy. “This helps you build a basic idea of what the scenery should look like – whether that’s a bustling medieval town, a picturesque beach or a rugged mountain top. After you get the reference, you’ll want to talk to the concept team, who start making loose sketches. Then we’ll start up a back-and-forth, iterating on those sketches, then we pick certain sketches and build a full art piece.
This story is from the Christmas 2020 edition of 3D World UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the Christmas 2020 edition of 3D World UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
HOW DO I QUICKLY ITERATE LIGHTING FOR LOOKDEV USING REDSHIFT AND CINEMA 4D?
3D rendering can be a massively time-consuming process for artists, which can tie their primary machine into render cycles.
Scanning the stars
Matthew McMillion discovers why artist Kazu Hiro turns to 3D scanners when creating special effects makeup for Hollywood's A-listers
HOW DO I CREATE CINEMATIC CAMERAS IN KEYSHOT?
KeyShot provides powerful yet simple-to-use rendering tools through both a standalone package and a plugin for all the best-known DCC applications.
ADD RAIN TO RENDERS IN POST-PRODUCTION
3D World Editor Rob Redman shows you how to build the storytelling in your scenes with dramatic rainstorm effects
FOR 10 MODO 17.0
How to get the most from Foundry's updated 3D package
MAKE AN ANIMATION FOR A MOVING VEHICLE
Get revved up with Oscar Juárez as he details how you can create a realistic animation with help from a 3ds Max plugin
CREATE STYLISH HAND-PAINTED CHARACTER ART
Video game artist Weston Reid reveals the process for building his stylised Wild West-inspired character
THE ART OF Surajit Sen
The digital sculptor speaks to Cesci Angell about his thought processes, work on major Indian films, and having a 3D obsession
REBELS WITH A CAUSE
Trevor Hogg embarks on a galactic journey to uncover the secrets behind Rebel Moon: Part One - A Child of Fire NEXT
DRAMA & SPECTACLE
Trevor Hogg gets dangerously close to kaiju to uncover the secrets behind Monarch: Legacy of Monsters