Hi, my name is Hito Matsudaira, I'm a character modeler for Nier: Automata.

Can you recall the famous character modelers? I can't - character makers these days rarely become famous. Fortunately, I was given this opportunity, so I want to talk about my thoughts and how I modeled a 2B character based on sketches.

I want to show that this process is not only about transferring artwork to 3D.

Model creation

In general, character modeling is performed as follows:

1. Creating a rough model to have an idea of ​​the finished form and the final image
2. High quality and accurate modeling
3. Implementation in the assembly of the model that will be used in the game

First of all, I started by creating a rough model based on a draft design received from character designer Akihiko Yoshida.



Thanks to the details hidden in the upper image, it was clear to me what style Yoshida-san was aiming for (don’t worry, there is nothing criminal there, I just don’t have the right to show this information). And so without even talking to him, I realized what he was trying to achieve. I like these moments.

Then I created a rough model. This was my first job after joining the NieR: Automata team. I spent one or two weeks on this rough model.



Then our game director, Yoko Taro, looked at the model and approved it. To create this model, I used a lot of reference sources, for example, Yoshida-san games that he worked on in the past (the character models for Final Fantasy XII were awesome ...).

When I talk about the rough model, you might think that it is very rough, but in fact I had to strain my brain pretty hard on her.

Will this silhouette be final? Will the model cause a lot of problems for the animators? How many bones will be in it and how will we control the moving parts?

2B is also a character who was supposed to become a symbol of the project, so I had to think about the foundation for body proportions and modeling, the shader design, and even the cost of mass production. And all this is in the process of creating this rough model.

It is difficult to simplify 3D models nowadays, therefore it is always necessary to manage data and take into account their possible impact on the project in the future.

The next part of the work was the most interesting: I added details to a high-quality model.



I created it digitally, as if sculpting from clay. I was completely absorbed in this process and I improved the character step by step.

And finally, I implemented the character as a game model:



In short, this work consists in arranging images on polygons, but the number of polygons and images increases with the release of each new generation of consoles.

The number of polygons for PS2 was estimated at only a few thousand, so only one or two types of images were needed. However, the number of polygons for PS4 is already approximately 100 thousand and they require eight types of images. And even more, if you need detailed details ...

In the image below, image data is added to the polygons.



Here's how it works: I take a “raw” polygonal model → add images with information about surface contours obtained from a high-quality model → assign textures using different types of images → assign color information using images → the last step of the creative process to complete the texture of the model, and boom! - the model is ready.

In addition, there is a dark side to 3D modeling. You need to adjust the appearance of the model and understand how to configure the model so that it becomes wet from the water, figure out how everything should move, and reduce the amount of data for the game so that it can work with 60fps ... but I will remember only an interesting work.

Character modeler work

I talked about what we do, but this is only that part of the process that is done by hand.

The most important task of the character modeler is to come up with an implementation of the 3D model moving in the game, which will not lose the charm of the original illustration.

The difficulty here is that the charm of the illustration is lost when the character’s design is transferred to 3D and becomes more realistic. In addition, the image of the characters in the eyes of the players is mainly based on illustrations, therefore, from the very beginning, players can experience negative feelings for character models. And this is very unpleasant.

But while modeling characters, I was thinking how to solve this problem.

Since the game has the previous part, my first decision was to create a model reminding that the two worlds Nier and Nier: Automata are connected (thanks to this we will receive the pardon of fans of the previous game).

At first I thought about what was the charm of the model from the previous part. Having studied this issue, I realized that it has fragile beauty. There is a feeling that its puppet shape is easy to break.



So I added the 2B model with weird details that you might not immediately notice. I will not reveal details, but with this touch of strangeness, the model looks much more beautiful.

My second decision was to give the 3D model its own unique charm, which can only be assessed by changing the perspective of the camera and what cannot be achieved from a two-dimensional image.

The 3D model can be viewed from any angle, its lighting and perspective can change. Therefore, you can create another character image that you will not see in the illustrations.

I think this way I managed to create a pretty high-quality model, right?

Total

Character models for games have unique quality.

Since the games are interactive, it is easy to enhance the character’s charm in the player’s eyes by linking the character’s control to the memories and feelings that arise during the game. I think this is what makes modeling for games an exciting process.

What do you think? Perhaps you never thought about this, but when I created the model I thought about a lot.

I will be happy if 2B becomes my favorite character.

Bonus

This is the official design of the pattern. (Use in cosplay!)