Valve has a geeky rundown of the design theory and rendering techniques in their recent game Team Fortress 2:

(High-res at Stage6)

The above video is an accompaniment to a white paper, “Illustrative Rendering in Team Fortress 2″.

It’s clear from this paper that the successful visual design in this game is not the result of precocious or ineffable artistic ability. It’s all intentional and well-reasoned.

Of note is their attention to the silhouette. Not only was each character designed to have a distinct and immediately-recognizable silhouette, but the colors and shapes of their costumes were designed to reinforce that silhouette. The characters also enjoy perpetual rim lighting, to that same end.

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This entry was posted on Monday, January 28th, 2008 at 10:07 am and is filed under 3D, Geekery, Illustration. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.