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Alex is a junior majoring in Computer Science Video Games. He was born in Moscow, but lived in China since he was 10. After he graduates, Alex hopes to stay in the US and work for a software development firm.

Phone: (213) 400-2585

Video Games, 3D Graphics, 3D rendering, polygon mesh, shader

A basic, 10 minute tutorial that demonstrates how to model a human hand: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1mExXURsWk

Euclideon’s Unlimited Detail presentation and comparison to traditional polygonal graphics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dWHsrRqUx4&feature=fvst

A demonstration of how a skeleton-based rig can move and animate a character’s limbs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2Uk-r0BNJE&feature=related

Video games are becoming an increasingly mainstream form of art and entertainment. At the same time, the medium’s visuals have evolved at a similarly exponential rate. Modern video games provide extremely immersive experience with detailed graphics that are progressively closing in on photorealistic quality. Despite these rapid improvements, the foundation of real-time 3D graphics has remained relatively constant. The 3D production pipeline still consists of 6 core stages: pre-production, 3D modeling, shading & texturing, animation, lighting and rendering & post-production. This paper will explore the modern methodologies that are employed during these stages to give an overview of how today’s video games deliver their incredible visuals.

Have you ever wondered how today’s amazing 3D graphics in games are possible? Modern real-time 3D computer graphics have evolved exponentially since the first primitive 3D games at the end of the 20^th century. However, the fundamentals of real-time 3D graphics have stayed relatively constant because the evolution of 3D technology has been mostly driven by improvements in computer hardware and integration of new algorithms within the traditional computer graphics pipeline. The computer graphics pipeline refers to the process of creating 3D assets and delivering them to the audience in their finished form. This process is broken down into 6 stages: pre-production, 3D modeling, shading & texturing, animation, lighting and rendering & post-production [1]. We need to explore these different stages to fully understand and appreciate the technology behind the incredible visuals in 3D games.

During the pre-production stage, the vision for a 3D asset is formed and finalized. Artists and engineers involved in the project brainstorm ideas to produce a design of the asset. The design’s aesthetics must be homogenous with the style of the whole project. At the same time, the design must be feasible within the project’s limited resources, such as time, personnel and technology. The design must also be fairly detailed, as it will guide the creation of the asset through the next 5 stages of its production. Consequently, the finished design usually contains concept art of the 3D asset, which is used as a reference to create the model of the 3D asset.

3D models are usually constructed using a modeling package - software specifically designed for creating 3D models for movies and games. There are many ways to represent models in 3D space, but the oldest and one of the most popular is using polygons. Because of their relatively low processing requirements, 3D polygon graphics are especially prevalent in projects that rely on real-time rendering, or on the fly graphics processing, such as video games and simulations. A polygon is defined as a “bounded region of a plane” [2]. These bounds are formed by lines that join together at points called vertices. Vertices are defined by their positions in 3D space expressed with positional vectors in relation to a predetermined origin of the 3D space. Consequently, a collection of all the vertices is the most basic way to express a 3D model constructed out of polygons, also known as a mesh [2]. This system allows 3D modelers Mark Allen 2007/ http://www.playtool.com/pages/basic3d/basics.html

Figure : A polygonal representation of a table

to create meshes that represent any object by approximating its shape with flat polygons (see Figure 1).

A model’s appearance can be improved with greater detail by using more polygons, thus raising the model’s polygon count. However, rendering more polygons requires more processing resources, which is particularly problematic for real-time rendering [3]. Consequently, artists are usually specifically informed about the planned poly count limits for each 3D asset and the whole 3D scene.

The improvements in 3D game graphics have been significantly driven by the increased poly counts of objects within games. This increased detail is made possible by the improvements of computer hardware, which allows computers and gaming consoles to process more polygons at a rate sufficient for real-time animation, which is at least 30 frames per second. Real-time animations must run at least with of 30 frames per second, or the animation will seem to lag as there will be enough time between each frame for an observer to be able to distinguish each individual frame. However, practically, real-time simulations must aim to run with much higher frame rates, because frame rates fluctuate sporadically depending on the present amount of detail on screen, and may consequently fall below the desired levels. At the same time, game developers are constantly thinking of new tricks to creatively overcome poly count limits. An example of this is swapping high-polygon versions of models by low-polygon versions when the models are far away from the camera. Similarly, objects very far away can simply be 2D planes with images, usually scenery, effectively serving as cardboard carvings surrounding the scene. These tricks conserve the polygon count in the entire scene and thereby allow higher polygon detail on objects closer to the camera. Consequently, the race for better graphics in games consists of discovery and improvement of such techniques in addition to the traditional rise of poly count limits using faster hardware. However, such tricks are far from perfect. In the first example, a player can notice the model swap if he or she pays attention. At the same time, many modern games allow players to use tools, such as binoculars, to look into the distance of virtual worlds, which can expose both the low poly versions of models and the aforementioned fake scenery. Consequently, programmers are constantly trying to invent ways to overcome problems plaguing these tricks and polygonal graphics in general. In fact, several individuals have proposed alternatives to polygons, such as voxels, which are 3D versions of pixels. However, while all proposed alternatives overcome some drawbacks of polygonal graphics, in general none have been found adequate to replace polygons completely. This is because after many years, hardware, algorithms and artistic techniques have been heavily optimized for polygonal graphics. The debate surrounding the Unlimited Detail technology embodies this conflict between traditional and new 3D methodologies.

Unlimited Detail is currently under development by Euclideon, a Brisbane-based company. Ueclideon promises that their technology will revolutionize graphics in 3D games using innovative application of voxels called point clouds. According to Euclidion, Unlimited Detail technology “can process unlimited point cloud data in real time, giving the highest level of geometry ever seen” [4]. Furthermore, Bruce Rober Dell, Euclideon’s CEO, has stated that Unlimited Detail can “do all this with modest, rather than excessive, processing power” to deliver graphics more detailed than traditional polygonal graphics “by a factor of 100,000 times” [5]. Naturally, industry experts have responded with much skepticism to Dell’s grandiose claims. One of these experts is John Carmack, who is the creator of the original Wolfenstein, Doom, and Quake 3D engines and consequently considered to be one of the “fathers” of 3D games. Carmack has expressed relatively moderate cynicism towards Ueclidion’s claims, as he has stated his belief that there is “no chance of a [Unlimited Detail] game on current gen systems, but maybe several years from now. Production issues will be challenging” [6]. On the other hand, Markus Alexej Persson, another influential individual in the game industry, has been much more critical of the new technology, going so far as to proclaim that “[Unlimited Detail is] a scam” [7]. Person has backed up his claim by stating that essentially “[Euclideon] made a voxel renderer”, which suffers from typical draw backs in voxel technology: limited number of unique objects in a scene and difficulties in applying traditional animation techniques to voxels [7]. Persson is known as “Notch” and is famous for developing Minecraft, which uses stylistically low detail voxel technology for terrain alongside traditional polygonal graphics for characters. Persson’s voxel related experience grants authority to his criticisms and conclusion that “[Euclideon is] carefully avoiding to mention any of the drawbacks” because the company is seeking funding [7]. Indeed, during an interview with Euro Gamer, Dell has shown an inability to directly confront the criticisms of Unlimited Detail, “often choosing to be humorously defensive in answering even basic technological questions, or simply evading them altogether” [8]. Dell has further eroded his credibility with his contradicting statements, saying that Euclidean has learnt from its past mistakes and will no longer show unfinished features, and yet “[attempting] to put the new video into context, saying that the decision to go ahead with a new demo only came a few weeks ago" [8]. This lack of credibility and lack of support from the games industry exemplifies the issues that challenge the development of alternative 3D graphics technologies. Consequently, in the last twenty years, polygonal modeling has been thoroughly entrenched within the traditional 3D production pipeline for games.

This allows the developers to conserve computational resources to only calculate the effects of dynamic lights on certain objects, particularly moving characters. However, it is impossible to use this technique to achieve the quality of a scene entirely lit by dynamic lights.

The underlying technology behind the amazing 3D graphics in games today is deeply-rooted within the techniques mastered during the birth of 3D games. In the past twenty years, 3D graphics in games have been mostly pushed by exponential improvements in hardware which allow greater polygon counts in scenes. However, no matter how high the poly count limits rise, they still constrain artists. Consequently, game developers have to rely on various engineering and artistic tricks, which are inherently flawed in one way or another. At the same time, no effective alternatives to polygonal graphics have been found. However, one great development in the area of 3D game graphics is the growing popularity of 3D displays. Because 3D games are inherently 3D, there is little effort in displaying games on 3D displays. There is still uncertainty about the technology’s impact on visual health, and a report by the American Optometric Association admits that visual health can be influenced by “poorly made 3D products”, poor equipment, or existing individual’s eye problems [12]. In spite of this, the technology is becoming increasingly popular, and soon the trend will bring consumers affordable large glasses-free 3D screens. These developments seem like a natural evolution of 3D graphics in games. 3D screens will allow us all to finally experience the worlds depicted in 3D games the way they are meant to be experienced – in 3D.

Works Cited