Mini Models for Detail

March 10, 2017

The thing I like most about developing my own games is the variety of tasks I get to do. From story plotting, to dialog writing, to drawing, to animating, to programming, to software design, to audio recording, to level design, to 3D modeling and more. It’s the last of these I’ve been dabbling in a bit this week (um, the “3D modeling”, not the “and more”, although I’ve done some of that to).

This week in the development adventures of Robyn HUD I’ve started creating “background” 3D models to populate the different game levels with. These are miscellaneous objects that can be placed into environments so they’ll feel more real and less empty. These background models are one way to add more detail into the game levels.

[A simple rectangular desk, perhaps to hold computer equipment or important documents (as separate models).]
A simple rectangular desk, perhaps to hold computer equipment or important documents (as separate models).

[Coffee for those late night hacking sessions.]
Coffee for those late night hacking sessions.

[An office garbage can (or recycle bin?) to find letters or other papers (or even garbage) in.]
An office garbage can (or recycle bin?) to find letters or other papers (or even garbage) in.

[A screwdriver because tools are cool.]
A screwdriver because tools are cool.

[A TV for distracting guards with their favourite shows.]
A TV for distracting guards with their favourite shows.

Admittedly, it’s a fairly random assortment of items right now. There is an official list of all the items I expect to include in the game. Over one hundred of them! Right now, I’m just picking ones off the list that either strike my fancy or that are quick to build. Of course, modeling them is only half the job. The second half is texturing them to be coloured and have the visual detail one would expect. And then the third half is incorporating them into the game levels themselves.