Hand Painted Games - UDK

Final year Honours submission for Computer Arts, Studied at The University Of Abertay Dundee.
This project focused on finding new ways to approach computer game aesthetics. One solution, shown in this video, was to build a game level and to hand paint each texture you see, using traditional mediums such as oils, watercolours, acrylics, pens, pencils, etc...
all content is created by me over the semester while learning the wonderful UDK made by Epic.
You will be glad to know that the concept art for this level was created long before the release of avatar, and that the tree of life symbol is a common one among many cultures. I hope you enjoy, and thanks for watching.
A MASSIVE thanks to the following people, who's constant inspiration and sharing of knowledge kept me sane and high-spirited:
Hourences - http://hourences.com/ - a true mastercraftsman of the UDK
Raven 67854 - http://thumbaxisstudios.com/community/ - Well explained and well spoken supplier of tutorials.
Chris Cook - http://www.piranhi.com/ - Excellent level designer and sharer of great tips.

And a thanks to EPIC games for releasing such a powerful and wonderful tool!!

Category:

Gaming

Tags:

• UDK
• game design
• art
• natural
• nature
• games
• paint
• traditional
• aesthetic
• level design
• levels
• coursework
• unreal
• engine
• graphics
• ut3

[Nothingreallyexists]

Would have been awesome with some Matinee camera moves and a high quality moviedump. Its unfortunate that most of the quality is lost.

[Loakers]

@Nothingreallyexists

I totally agree, at the time though I was learning as I go, the deadline didn't allow time for me to work out the matinee stuff! But I'm thinking of revisiting this soon so going to do a lot of reworking.

[brent2008w]

It's a concept I think works very well.

Games like Okami and Borderlands begin to show what can really be done towards making a game look hand painted or drawn.

I especially enjoyed the way the cross-hatched shading looked on some objects in Borderlands.

Unfortunately sometimes it's hard to tell the difference when at a distance from the texture. You really have to get up close to appreciate the work put into some textures.

[Loakers]

@brent2008w

your absolutly correct. The effect of the textures really requires well lit and high resolution conditions to show itself off more. This was my first attempt at this stuff but I do intend on furthering it. I'd love to see a playable painting :D Maybe one day realistic paint simulation could even be possible :D such things exist on corel painted, which do very well to simulate real media - surely some genious will apply this to a 3d engine one day :D

[ncshuriken]

Nice stuff man! I take it you were inspired Zelda?

[RamboBlades]

Thanks for a nice moody trip through your map, keep up the great work!

[BlackFox0]

wow. im trying to explain why i think this style of graphics is so beautiful but i just cant come up with the words.

[Leinerus]

@zawette it's obviously a map dude. Not a game

[Skebberz]

I looovvee this :D I remember seeing this and your sketchbooks at the degree show last year.

Thanks for the talk yesterday at Abertay! Made me more excited about studying computer arts :)

[Nightmare1066]

@Loakers So basically you HAND PAINTED all of the textures? Like you bought some colors from a store, drew some pictures, scanned it and imported into UDK?

[zawette]

u should port ure game to the iphone

there is an unreal engine for the iphone

im a sound artist i can help u whit sounds

check out my videos :D