How are rocks in the game made?

There are game developers in the world who go on business trips abroad in search of cool rocks. Recently, the depiction of rocks in 3D games may be of great importance. How are 3D models of rocks used in 3D games created?

The person in the video is a Quixel expert who provides a 3D asset library. Quixel became part of Epic Games in 2019 and is known for providing many high-quality assets to the Epic Games game engine, Unreal Engine.

To shoot high-resolution scans of rocks, Quixel says high-resolution scans of rocks are important for advancing video games and all 3D art. Primarily for rock scans, rock high resolution scans are important to advancing any 3D art.

To do this, find a rock with an atmosphere to use for demonstrating skills in the game. I take a high-resolution photo of the target rock by changing the angle, but one of the important tools at that time is the awning tent. Take pictures in a tent so that the contrast is not too strong. It also puts a measuring scale marker next to the object and allows you to determine the size from the photo.

The rock photos taken in this way are read in the software and a 3D model is created by joining the photos from various angles. Such 3D modeling software provides a function to grasp the overall image by overlapping the common part of the subject in several photos. This process is the same for rocks as well as rocks. Rocks and valleys use drones for shooting.

It is said that it is difficult to select a location when actually shooting. It’s not a place you’re in, but considering whether it’s a place you can actually use, the first impression quickly fades away, and in most cases, it’s time that’s limited. .

The valley 3D model created in this way can be found by searching in Unreal Engine. In addition to capturing real-world images, there is also a way to create a 3D model from scratch. There was a time when rocks were drawn with dot drawings, but in modern times, dedicated software for 3D modeling exists.

Such 3D modeling software is also capable of handling textures and 3D models downloaded from the marketplace. The 3D model provided in the marketplace contains data converted from the XYZ coordinate system for the 3D shape such as an object irregularity or groove called a normal map into an RGB color system.

Using Capturing Reality, a 3D modeling assistant for Epic Games smartphones, it is also possible to 3D model stones shot in a nearby park. There are also convenient services such as Poly Haven, a high-quality public domain 3D model asset distribution library.

Epic Games has Quixel under its umbrella to provide high-quality 3D model assets, improve the quality of games made in Unreal Engine 5 with high-quality 3D model assets, and appeal to developers. For this reason, rock photos are taken by experts in other fields, not even geologists.