Low-poly character creation was introduced in the middle of 1990s. At that time, due to underdeveloped technology, low-poly was not given that much importance. Till the end of 2010, low-poly achieved a dominant place in game art development world. Good amount of polygons can now easily be used to create the game characters and even the whole game environment.
What is Low Poly?
To understand Low Poly, you have to understand polygons first. Generally, polygon is meant to be a straight figure with 3+ sides or edges. A 3d model contains 4+ sided faces of polygons. For e.g. if a 3d model is said to be made up of 100 polygons, each of its polygon contain 3+ sided faces. And the art of creating such model is called low-poly art.
How Low Poly works?
3d models are made up of polygons. The more polygons a character contains, the more real it looks. Low poly is concerned with few polygons in a model or an object. It creates a simple looking abstract model, generally contains a low number of polygons, then the same is combined with render style which smooth out the facets of the model and give it an angular look.
Characters and objects of PC games are made of a high number of polygons and that is the reason why they are looking so real. Low poly art uses fewer polygons; it doesn’t mean that it has low-resolution. Smart and sophisticated rendering artistry, eye candy lightening effects, shadows, and many other things can be used to create a real looking object. And that’s why the low poly is also called a type of paper-craft or origami.
You can find the great live example of Low Poly in your favorite game named Subway Surfer. The runners, vegetation and other stuff , all made with few polygons.
Why Low Poly is a Conscious Choice for Game Art Development?
It was the time when everyone was looking for a PC game consists of high-quality graphics and delivers a real experience. No doubt, game developers are there to meet the demand. PCs and consoles contain high-power interface, enough to run a detailed game with complex rigs. But today, demand for mobile games is more than PC games. And mobiles are not as powerful as PCs are. They are made up of small interface, consist of less capacity than the one needed for complex games.
Low Poly has proved to be the best choice for mobile game developers. It uses big, but fewer triangles to convert the real image into an animated image. There is a restriction to use a low number of triangles; otherwise it will get stuck in mobiles. An artist with sufficient knowledge and high creativity knows very well how to use the lower number of triangles without comprising the quality at the same time to achieve the acceptable results.
Animation of characters and the environment demands for realistic looks and realistic movements as well. While animating characters, a constantly moving body requires a specific attention, especially those moving hands and fingers which must seem fluid. Low poly makes such things easier to animate.
In Conclusion
Low Poly will stay there, no matter how many new technologies emerged in the future. It has improved a lot and it continues the same for a long time, giving you each time the more easiness to create and deliver a real experience to the game lovers. It allows high-quality games to be developed for mobile platforms which are why it is the today’s trend.
Related: Learn and download the free source code to create your own infinite 2D map.
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