Time to Save
A big part of semester two would be efficiently managing time and optimizing workflow. Texturing can be tedious and time consuming so before semester two starts, I wanted to understand different methods of texturing and introduce an efficient technique of texturing to my team members.
Flat Shading
The first optimal solution to this problem that came into my head was Flat Shading. This techniques just uses flat colours that gets painted on the 3D models. But this technique was a little dull for what we are trying to go for. Our game is whimsical and vibrant and even though this is a very efficient solution, it does not speak for our game.
Gradient Shading
When I first came across this technique through twitter, I did not really know that the texturing is just done through gradients. It was incredible to see how people have used this simple technique to create a completely different style.
I have been following this person on twitter for a while and have been watching her game development livestreams to get a better understanding of her workflow. I was definitely feeling like this was a great idea to take forward for semester 2 and took this idea to Kerris and Abbie. They both agreed with me and were as excited about this as I was.
I went ahead and did some quick experimentation before semester two to see how fast this process is. During the process of testing this technique, I also helped Abbie learn this technique with me so we could both test this together.
In one day, we were able to finish modelling all of these assets and texture them at the same time. It was incredible how quickly we managed to finish these. The process of gradient texturing includes:
1) Designing a gradient in Photoshop
2) Putting it in blender and applying it on an object
3) Unwrapping the UV's of an object from view
4) Selecting different parts of an object and applying the gradient that you want