The Intersection of Concept Art and Animation in Games: A Closer Look

Deny Smith Friday, January 20, 2023 Content Leave a comment

Hand in hand with the art of the game is animation because game objects are rarely stationary. Simply put, animation in games, movies or television is a way to bring an image to life by showing objects in motion. Therefore, even the concept art for animation in games has the most stringent requirements when reproducing the movement of living beings.

Gamers like to watch realistic (or not) character movements, body physics, arm bends, etc. Still, not everyone realizes how long and laborious the process of creating concept art for animation is. Yes, that’s right, a concept for animation. For us, it’s already clear how the arms or legs move, but inside the game, the developers teach the characters this. For this, concept art animation is being created, which we will discuss in more detail in our blog.

Concept Art Animation: Features and Foundation

Concept art in animation is also one of the main aspects of the development of any game. But, of course, one of the most difficult areas of animation is modeling the movements of living beings, especially of a person. When animating a person, it will immediately catch your eye if you pay insufficient attention to the smallest gestures or move away from the animation art style.

First of all, the game is cur Drious because of the control features of the main character, which is just fun to watch. The game would hardly have been so successful if the authors had adhered to standard principles when animating Mario’s movements. For example, the action is greatly animated by his outstanding abilities in the field of long and high jumps.

The animators managed to make Mario extremely lively and mobile, but at the same time, his movements are not so fast that it interferes with their normal perception. Animation concept art creates the basis for implementing any idea but requires deep knowledge and understanding of the style of the game. Drawing concept art for animation is not easy, and only experienced and professional artists + animators can handle it.

3 Main Types of Animation

Animation is divided into three main groups: 2D, 3D, and VFX animations. The modern concept artist for games focuses mainly on one type, but some skillfully master all three.

2D Animation

2D animation implies the creation of two-dimensional images in the editor, after which, by changing the original image and the rapid appearance of the resulting frames, a 2D animation is obtained. In this method, different pictures are created for each moving object, but they often combine objects that exist only in the aggregate, forming a single animation. This is most often done with the background or scenery of the location.

To create 2D animation, 2 types of computer graphics can be used: raster (pixel) and vector (graphics of mathematical calculations). Each type of computer graphic has its advantages and disadvantages.

Such games are created based on images and a set of mathematical formulas. These formulas, denoting the positions of objects and their colors, create an image shown to the viewer by concept art animation or a full-fledged result of the artist’s work. The main advantages of 2D animation are that animation is controlled by a person, which provides flexibility and speed of work, and this method is also one of the most inexpensive in terms of production. But there are some downsides to this type. As a result, it is not uncommon for such concept art animation to be outsourced or freelanced.

3D Animation

3D animation represents the possibility of an image in three-dimensional space, where, in addition to the two main axes, there is also a depth axis, which makes objects for the brain more believable and dynamic. 3D animation uses completely different technologies to create movement than 2D. This model consists of a skeleton to which all the features of the character’s image are added. Making animation for games in three-dimensional space consists of 3 stages:

modeling;
layout and animation;
rendering.

This is how easily 3D animation is created in simple games. Still, if you look at full-fledged 3D games, many small movements superimposed on each other and created an extraordinary liveliness of the object. In particular, all this is the merit of video game concept artists who created the basis of all the movements in the game.

VFX Animation

Another type of animation in games is VFX, or animation using visual effects. Viewed as a whole, VFX is a combination of the real world, i.e., photographs and videos, and designer-created 2D or 3D objects, depending on the purpose of the animation. This technology is often used in films or photography, but this did not prevent her from finding an application in the gaming industry.

Often this kind of animation is used, for example, in visual novels for smartphones, when a 2D animation is superimposed on top of a real image. Unfortunately, this type of animation is not very common. It is usually combined with 2D and 3D, but the best concept artists still have the basics of VFX for unusual projects.

Animation Game Concept Artists: Challenges and Goals

In addition to realistic body mechanics, the game tells a fascinating story for the gamer, capable of capturing the attention completely. In modern high-tech games, this approach is increasingly common. Concept artists for games perform one of the biggest jobs in the early stages of any game development. Of the 1000 options for the appearance of a character, animations, or objects, 1-2 can get into the final version. For them, skills are important in drawing and knowledge of biology, physics, human or animal anatomy, or even psychology.

In the era of AAA games, even indies are treated with special appreciation and expect at least average animation, story, and gameplay. Animations help gamers to immerse themselves in the gameplay better. But for this to happen as quickly and efficiently as possible, this must be done by artists and animators.

Afterword

When creating concept art animation, all the features of the future project should be considered, and the rhythm of the main processes should be set. Often, in order not to waste a lot of time on the conceptual part, this process is outsourced to teams like https://retrostylegames.com/. As a result, the company can save the budget, time to create concept art for animation, and energy from implementing even the craziest ideas. Outsourcing is quite a useful tool and has long been a standard and a separate category in game development.