As part of our game-changing insights series, we’re delving into the Technicolor Games’ “easter egg” work behind your favourite games. We’ll be taking you through our arts services, stopping only to show you what we can do and why we’re the best to do it.
DID YOU KNOW?
Since 2021, the Technicolor Games character team has delivered over 9,000 assets including heads, wardrobes and crowds for EA Sports’ FIFA/FC franchise!
Led by Art Director, Vichar B N, let’s press play on the Technicolor Games character arc…
Setting the Scene: Our Character Service Line
Realistic Characters
Our team excels in creating realistic characters that are meticulously crafted to capture the nuances of human anatomy, expressions and emotions. From lifelike faces to detailed clothing and accessories, we ensure that every aspect of our characters are rendered with precision and authenticity.
Stylized Characters
We have the creative talent and technical expertise to bring stylized characters to life, imbuing them with personality and charm.
Creatures & Animals
From designing fantastical beasts to accurately portraying natural wildlife, our team has experience bringing a diverse range of creatures to your screens.
Specialized Expertise
Whether it’s expert sculptors who can bring your concepts to substance in 3D, skilled modellers who can create intricate meshes with precision, or talented texture artists who can add depth and detail to every surface, we have the talent, capacity and resources to handle every step of the process.
Final Game Look Development
We understand the importance of optimizing characters and creatures for real-time environments, ensuring that they not only look great in static renders but also perform well in-game.
The Making Of: Our Character Capabilities
Hyper Realistic – Scan Based Workflow: We leverage cutting-edge scanning technology to achieve unparalleled realism in our character designs.
Traditional – Conceptual Workflow: By combining traditional artistic techniques with modern digital tools we craft captivating character concepts.
Anatomy: Our deep understanding of anatomy ensures that our characters are not only visually striking but also anatomically accurate. We hold regular sessions to understand human anatomy, as well as design principles such as composition, color theory and storytelling.
Marvelous Designer Clothing: Proficiency in Marvelous Designer allows us to create dynamic and realistic clothing for our characters.
Hair – Alpha Card Based: We implement Alpha card-based techniques to achieve lifelike hair rendering and dynamics.
Lowpoly – Game-Ready Models: We deliver optimized, game-ready character models without compromising on quality. The efficiency of working with lowpoly models aids the smooth running of games across a broader range of platforms, from high-end gaming PCs to everyday mobiles.
Cinematic Workflow: Employing a cinematic approach to character creation ensures our characters are ready for the big screen.
Manual and Scan-Based Blendshapes: By meticulously crafting blendshapes either manually or through scanning, we achieve expressive and lifelike character animations.
High-End Sculpting: We utilize high-end sculpting software to refine every detail of our characters, from facial features to intricate props.
Photo-Realistic Star/Player Heads: Specializing in creating photo-realistic heads for stars and players, we see to it that every nuance and expression is captured.
LODs/Optimization: By implementing level of detail (LOD) systems and optimization techniques, we ensure optimal performance across platforms.
Interactive Character Accessories: We frequently design interactive accessories that enhance the overall character experience and immersion.
Reaching Boss Level: Our Core Strengths
For over 18 years we have built a reputation for our character service offering, in which time we are proud to have delivered a multitude of successful projects for a number of clients. We pride ourselves on building long-term relationships, some of which have seen collaborations for over 15 years.
We are known for our strong technical skills. Mastering tools such as Maya, Zbrush, Unreal Engine and 3dsMax, we continue to update ourselves in the latest tools, technologies, and platforms used in game development, so that we stay ahead of industry trends and most importantly, cater to clients’ needs.
Levelling Up:
Training
We conduct ongoing training for both new and existing artists within the team. Examples of the type of training we run include project-based training, upskilling, cross training for developing teams, and generalist, software and game engine training.
Honing Skills
We encourage our artists to experiment with different styles, mediums, and softwares to expand their repertoire and keep their personal portfolios updated. We often organise friendly art competitions, as a way to challenge the artists to come up with new ideas that showcase their skills.
Collaboration
Aside from regular feedback sessions, we assign artists with team members from other projects to share what they’ve been working on. This can provide valuable insight and help the artists learn new techniques and workflows.
But instead of just telling you, we like to let our characters do the talking. Take a look at our work in action below:
Final words from Art Director, Vichar:
Here at Technicolor Games, our goal is to foster an environment that encourages openness to learning, as well as the receptiveness to new technologies and storytelling techniques, where personal creative boundaries are constantly tested and exceeded. I am extremely fortunate to have a dedicated character team that can take all of this and turn it into a fantastic visual art experience. Thus giving our clients a creative edge, and allowing us to collaborate on the greatest games in the world, together.
If you would like to discuss your project or our services in more detail please contact us, we’d love to hear from you!
