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GLBCreating Dynamic 3D Worlds from Pixels to Polygons
0Article by Aimee Gilmore
"The principle of true art is not to portray, but to evoke." (Jerry Kosinski)
Reference: Audrey Metelev at Unsplash
The transition of 2D to 3D graphics had unlimited creative possibilities, allowing developers to build immersive and dynamic worlds that react to the player's actions and evolve in real-time.
The Evolution from Pixels to Polygons
The advancement of 3D technology has transformed the game industry. It moved gaming worlds away from the hand-drawn basic 2D bitmap pixelated world or character sprites in the 1980s in games such as Pac-Man (1980) and Super Mario Bros. (1985) to outlined 3D graphics with Battlezone (1980).
It wasn't until Star Fox (1993) that polygons were introduced in 3D games, which allowed developers to wrap 2D textures onto low-poly models with game epics such as Final Fantasy VII (1997).
The focus shifted to real-time effects and light-affected textures in the 2000s, with games such as The Last of Us Part II (2020) and Cyberpunk 2077 utilizing ray tracing to simulate light as it would in real life.
Reference: Ella Don at Unsplash
Pixels - The Foundation Layer in Gaming
In the early days of video games, graphics were made up of individual pixels arranged in a fixed grid, with each pixel requiring careful placement due to the limitations of low-resolution hardware. Artists had to be strategic in their design, using techniques like dithering to create the illusion of depth and smooth transitions between colors.
Layering multiple elements helped create a sense of foreground, midground, and background, even in two-dimensional spaces. Color palettes, often constrained by hardware limitations, were meticulously chosen to enhance the atmosphere and draw attention to key elements.
Reference: Pascal Bernard at Unsplash
Early 3D Polygons - The Building Blocks for Virtual Worlds
Early 3D graphics were built on simple polygonal shapes, such as triangles and squares, which served as the foundation for creating 3D objects. These basic polygons were arranged to form wireframe models, where only the edges and vertices of the objects were visible, resulting in blocky and angular representations.
The wireframe style was prevalent during the 1980s and early 1990s, as it enabled quick visualizations of 3D models without the need for complex textures or shading, given the limited computational power of the time. Despite their simplistic appearance, these early polygonal models were essential for the development of 3D graphics.
Over time, as hardware improved, more advanced techniques like texture mapping, lighting, and shading were introduced, transforming the blocky wireframes into more detailed and realistic models. However, the fundamental use of polygons, particularly triangles, remains at the core of modern 3D graphics, shaping everything from video game environments to realistic virtual simulations.
Reference: Nischal Masand at Unsplash
Shift to Realistic High Definition 3D Polygons
Shifting to realistic high-definition polygons revolutionized 3D graphics, establishing them as a powerhouse in the gaming industry and transforming how virtual environments and characters were portrayed. By increasing the number of polygons, game designers were able to create far more intricate and detailed models than ever before. This advancement enabled more lifelike character designs, architectural elements, and complex animations that felt more natural and immersive.
With the ability to incorporate a higher polygon count, developers could now experiment with varying levels of texture detail, lighting effects, and surface properties, allowing for deeper realism in virtual worlds. Once limited by the constraints of lower polygon models, textures could now be applied with greater precision and complexity. This made surfaces, such as skin, clothing, and environments, appear smoother, more dynamic, and more believable.
High-definition polygons allowed for smoother, more fluid animations and movements. The additional detail provided designers with the flexibility to animate finer subtleties, such as muscle movements, facial expressions, and more realistic environmental interactions.
Reference: Pato Gonzalez at Unsplash
How to add depth and create dynamic 3D worlds?
The depth of a dynamic 3D world depends on how each visual element interacts with one another and how these details are woven into the storyline and evolving game mechanics. Depth can be added in the following ways.
Clever Use of Geometry to Build Scene Structure
Designers must carefully consider scene layout and asset organization. They will add depth using clean topology and subdivision surfaces to ensure smooth transitions between characters and animated elements.
Procedural terrain generation, utilizing algorithms such as Perlin or Simplex Noise, enables designers to scale up the world and create realistic, organic terrain and landscapes.
Including techniques such as Level of Detail (LOD) further enhances performance by rendering lower-poly versions of distant objects, optimizing resource usage without sacrificing the visual quality of the scene.
Creating Effects Using Light and Shadow
Lighting instantly adds depth and should be set up to react to the players actions and align with the game's day/night cycle. Designers can also add subtle light elements such as screen space reflections (SSR) or planar reflections to give water bodies or shiny surfaces a more realistic feel.
Implementing dynamic shadows using shadow maps, ray-traced shadows, or real-time shadows that change with the light or weather conditions will also make the world feel more natural and dynamic. This could also be tied to the effects of the virtual dynamic weather system.
Physics-Based World Effects
Developers can add depth through physics engines, such as Bullet Physics or NVIDIA PhysX, which handle realistic movement and interactive elements, including doors and objects that respond to player actions.
They can also experiment with destruction meshes or procedural mesh deformation to allow objects to break apart or be destroyed through mass world events or storyline arcs.
Implementing procedural content generation (PCG) for random encounters or treasure distribution can also make the 3D world feel constantly changing and unpredictable.
Reference: Anthony Hortin at Unsplash
What are the next steps in the evolution from pixels to polygons?
Digital 3D worlds are constantly transforming, and in the future, they will have the capability to create new worlds within minutes.
AI and Procedural Generation
AI and Procedural Generation will change the future of 3D world design because they can generate entire game ecosystems that are tailored to individual players choices and preferences.
Fluid Visuals and Advancements in Real-Time Rendering
The focus in 3D will shift to fluid visual stylization, where effects can incorporate artistic styles like watercolour or abstract surrealism.
Volumetric Pixels and Neural Rendering
3D technology, such as Neural Radiance Fields (NeRFs), will be able to create photo-realistic 3D scenes from 2D inputs, pushing the boundaries with polygons.
In conclusion, the continuous advancements in 3D modelling, real-time rendering, and innovative design techniques, such as sophisticated texturing, are playing a crucial role in shaping the future of digital worlds. These technologies work to ensure every detail is crafted with meticulous precision. As these tools evolve, they enable designers to produce environments that not only look realistic but feel alive, responding to changes in lighting, texture, and movement. With each leap forward, 3D design continues to push the boundaries of what's possible, bringing ever more lifelike, interactive experiences to a wide range of industries, from gaming and film to architecture and virtual reality.
