Brain Zoo Studios’ Mohammed Davoudian finds that vfx artists from film who are used to a high level of detail can flourish in the next-gen games. Above is Brain Zoo’s Darkwatch. Property of High Moon Studios.

One of the biggest challenges for videogame artists has always been working within the limitations of the hardware. “That’s not going to change,” warns Omernick. “That’s one of the misconceptions about the next-generation consoles.” He points out that while the next generation has probably 60 times the power of the current generation, “we don’t have 60 times the budget, 60 times the schedule or 60 times the people.”

The real paradigm shift, Omernick says, will come from figuring out how to make a better game — fulfilling consumers’ expectations for a grander environment with more characters — more efficiently, and still within the same two-year development cycle. “We don’t have 60 times the resources, so we have to completely think differently about how a game can be done,” he says. That will require additional tools, as well as more reliance on procedurals. “We’re looking for things the computer can do for us.”

Sony Europe recruits from the TV and movie postproduction houses in the nearby Soho district in London. The Getaway is one of its well-known properties. © 2002-2005 Sony Computer Ent. Inc., All rights reserved.

Training Issues
The evolution in next-gen console games will require training, of course, both for those with long experience within the videogame industry and for those coming over from film or other sectors.

For videogame artists, much of the focus will be on using the new tools being developed for gaming, as well as tools established in the film industry but now gaining favor within the game business. Many game companies have been standardized on Maya, Max or XSI, but are now adding tools such as endorphin or ZBrush to their pipelines. “ZBrush has changed how everyone does organic modeling, but it’s different from any tool these guys have used,” says O’Flaherty.

“Gone are the days where an artist can spend years working only in one central package,” Kitson reports. “We use multiple art software packages and many varieties of specialist in-house custom-built programs. Each individual needs to become comfortable with the concept of constant growth and the quest for better, faster and more reliable technology.”

Satchell notes that videogame artists not only need to learn to use new tools and technologies, such as parallax mapping, which are now standard, but they also must learn how to use them efficiently and cost-effectively. “You can do a lot of things now, but you have to be trained on when to use ZBrush for normal mapping or endorphin to speed up animation creation,” he says. “You can do all these things, but at what cost? There’s the issue of the sheer volume and cost of animation against the game budget.”

Artists with a film background, who have experience with high-res modeling and many of the software packages that are gaining traction in gaming, will be able to help with this transition. “We see them as mentors, almost,” says MacDonald. “They’ll help us raise the standard.”

Electronic Arts will release NBA Live 06 for the Xbox 360. © 2005 Electronic Arts Inc. All rights reserved.