#Mario 64 CGI Model

[tpbandit05]

N64 Mario and Dreamcast Sonic

Just something I made a while ago that I felt like sharing on here. You can check more about this render on my Insta. I made both of these models btw.

[animationmodeling]

Sneak Peek into the Evolution of Video Game Development.

Video Games have come a long way from their pixelated beginnings due to technological advancements. Central to this transformation is CGI (Computer-Generated Imagery), which has made it possible to create visually stunning images, animations, and special effects using the latest cutting-edge tools and technologies. With rapid advancements in technology, 3D artists and game developers have pushed the boundaries of visual storytelling and developed captivating visual masterpieces.

In this blog post, we’ll dive into the fascinating history and evolution of CGI in video games.

A Brief Overview of the History of Video Games

The history of video games can be traced back to the days of arcade games and home consoles that relied on Pixel Art. Arcade games like Pong, Boot Hill, and Gotcha featured simple and monochromatic pixel graphics. As technology evolved, games like Namco’s Galaxian, Pac-Man, Space Invaders, and Super Mario Bros. used more attractive visuals with vibrant colours and different shapes. However, they had limited colour palettes, low resolutions, simple and block graphics, and relied on sprites and tiles for creating characters and environments. 

Further came the era of 16-bit consoles like Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis. These consoles offered more colours, larger sprites, and visual effects. Games such as Final Fantasy VI, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Donkey Kong Country showcased this new generation of consoles with detailed sprites, vibrant colours, and immersive worlds.

A major shift in game development came with CGI. This technology enabled detailed and realistic graphics in video games to enhance the overall gaming experience and engage them. Developers began using 3D computer graphics software Maya to create stunning 3D animations, realistic environments, and characters.

The Evolution of CGI in Video Gaming

Computer-generated imagery (CGI) is the use of computer software to create realistic characters, objects, and environments. Visionaries like Ivan Sutherland and Ed Catmull set the stage for this breakthrough in 3D graphics technology. Further, pioneering artists like Manfred Mohr and Vera Molnar integrated algorithms that changed the boundaries of visual storytelling.

Besides video games, CGI made an indelible impact on film production, with Steven Spielberg’s “Jurassic Park” (1993) becoming an iconic movie with its introduction of lively and animated dinosaurs. CGI was utilized in James Cameron’s Titanic (1997), the Matrix (1999), and Avatar (2009) to produce stunning visuals that changed the way stories were visually narrated. Pixar’s Toy Story (1995) won the hearts of audiences due to its astounding use of CGI and became the first fully CGI movie.

The 8-bit 2D Era (1972-1984)

Video games utilized basic 2D sprite-based graphics

Resolution of Arcade games: 320*240 pixels

Resolution of NES games: 256*240 pixels

Sega Master System; 256*192 pixels

Backgrounds designed by repeating tile patterns

Sprites: 8*8 or 16*16 block

Limited colours. Only 2-16 colours for full screen

Bright solid colours

Sharp pixelation

The 16-bit Era (1985-1994)

Detailed sprite-based graphics and visual effects

16-bit consoles

Larger sprites, Higher resolution, Multiple colours

New features like Scaling, Rotation, Parallax effects, Dynamic lighting, Transparency effects, and liquid physics

Super NES: 256×224 to 512×448 pixels

Sega Genesis: 320×224 to 640×448 pixels

Animation-based Gameplay

The 3D Graphics Era (1993-1996)

Introduction of consoles like PlayStation and Nintendo 64 and 3D-capable GPU chips

3D-capable GPU chips for real-time polygon rendering

Development of gameplay mechanics like platforming, puzzle-solving, and exploration

Low polygon counts, low-resolution textures, No lighting or shading effects

Game: Starfox (SNES) utilised simple 3D models and environments at 3–15 FPS.

Virtua Fighter (Arcade) used basic texture-mapped 3D characters

Super Mario 64 (N64) became the first fully 3D Mario game with free camera control

The 6th Generation Era (1997-2005)

Introduction of home consoles like Dreamcast, PS2, and Xbox.

High polygon counts, advanced lighting and shading, and texture filtering through mipmapping.

Resolutions: 640*480 and beyond.

Development of detailed normal maps, early per-pixel lighting, and shadow techniques like heat haze and reflective water.

The Cinematic Pre Rendered Graphics Era (1997-2006)

Utilizing FMW (full motion video), pre rendered CGI backgrounds, Quick Time Events (QTEs), and 3D rendered backgrounds.

Live-action video clips popularized by Night Trap (1992)

Scripted in-game actions for visual spectacle

Games: Resident Evil, Final Fantasy VII, and Soul Calibur

HD Gaming (2005)

Introduction of Xbox 360, PF3, and modern PCs

HD 720p and 1080p gaming

High-definition resolutions, Advanced lighting engines, photorealistic textures, real-time shadow mapping, and HDR lighting

Complex engines like Unreal 3 for dynamic lighting

Higher memory budgets for photorealistic textures

Detailed normal and specular maps for high-complexity

Filters like cinematic tone mapping, depth of field, motion blur, and more

The Current State of CGI in Video Games

Photogrammetry for realistic environments

PBR – Physically based rendering for realistic materials and lighting

Ray tracing for reflections, shadows, and lighting effects

Introduction of 4K gaming with PlayStation 4 Pro, Xbox One X, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X

Advanced rendering techniques like ray tracing, and global illumination.

Character realism with motion capture and facial animation.

Integration of AR in Video Gaming with AR headsets like HoloLens

Games: The Last of Us Part II, Red Dead Redemption 2, Cyberpunk

Convergence of video games in films, animation, and VR

The Future of Video Gaming

With the evolution of CGI, video games will be more realistic, immersive, and engaging than ever.

More realistic lighting, shadows, and reflections with Ray tracing and 8K resolution.

AI tools will be more adopted to generate environments and characters.

Games will approach photorealism, creating completely lifelike experiences.

More immersive Virtual reality gaming with Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and PlayStation VR headsets

 Integrating AI, machine learning, and real-time rendering

Cloud gaming and cloud computing.

The Best CGI Animation Studio

In this digital era, it is important to hire a CGI animation studio for your multimedia needs like animated 3D series: TV or Web, shorts, films, commercials, live-action videos, or anything else. CGI is a groundbreaking technology that has the potential to change the game for you with more audience engagement, higher downloads, and licensing.

Prismart is one of the best CGI animation studios in New Delhi and has been catering to clients for over a decade.  The company has a dedicated team of 150+ professionals, all experts in their respective fields, who are driven to hard work and results. The company is known for its fastest turnarounds, affordable budget, transparency, and client satisfaction.

[runawayspirits]

MarioKart N64 • Noé Vincent

[lowpolyparrot]

25?

25. Something your art has been compared to that you were NOT inspired by.

A lot of really specific videogames (Mario 64, MySims, Minecraft...). I don't try to match an specific style from a game, it is inspired by the general graphics of different devices and concepts (that does not only include videogame consoles), such as old internet graphics, old CGI, demoscene, CD-ROM games, DS and 3DS, psx, old mmd models and videos, etc.

The only specific game I can say that has actually influenced is DDR because when I started making character models the general shape was inspired by the dancers.

Ask game link

[kaiserdingus]

Sonic 3D Blast - 1996 Sega Genesis/Sega Saturn Retrospective

After Sonic & Knuckles launched in 1994, the original Sonic Team decided to hang up the towel on Sonic for a while. Sonic Team leader Yuji Naka wanted to return to Japan and explore new ideas for the Sega Saturn, but Sega still wanted more Sonic games. While Naka and Sonic Team worked on what would become NiGHTs into Dreams, Sega put plans into action for new Sonic titles for all of their consoles.

Sega’s in-house studio Sega Technical Institute, which was responsible for previous main line Sonic games and spin-offs, would handle Sonic X-Treme for the Sega Saturn. Traveller’s Tales, a British studio, were hired to produce an isometric Sonic game for the Sega Genesis to be released alongside X-Treme. When Sonic X-Treme was cancelled late in the game, Sega asked Traveller’s Tales to port 3D Blast to the Sega Saturn. What was supposed to be a spin-off game now graduated to a main Holiday release for Sega.

Sonic 3D Blast was released for the Sega Genesis in November 1996, with the Saturn version following in early 1997. The game was released exclusively in North America and Europe, until 1999 when the Saturn version was released in Japan alongside the International version of Sonic Adventure for Dreamcast. The game was promoted with a Christmas special called Sonic Christmas Blast, which was originally meant to promote Sonic X-Treme and was called “An X-Tremely Sonic Christmas” originally.

For the most part the Genesis and Saturn versions are the same game with the same levels. The first thing you’ll notice is that the Saturn version has a bigger CGI opening scene, as well as higher resolution graphics. The game’s art style was made in the same pre-rendered computer graphics that brought Donkey Kong Country to life. The Sega Saturn allows for more detailed character graphics and backgrounds, as well as weather effects.

Of course the Saturn version is fondly remembered for it’s Special Stage, a 3D recreation of the half-pipe from Sonic 2 with low-poly models of Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. This would be the first time Sonic would appear as a full 3D model instead of as a pre-rendered 3D image. These stages were developed by Sonic Team in Japan, lending a hand in the last minute shuffle after X-Treme’s cancellation.

The game puts a psuedo-3D pre-rendered Sonic into pseudo-3D isometric stages. Why do I say pseudo? Because the game isn’t actually in 3D. The game’s marketing emphasized the pre-rendered graphics and isometric play field relative to the 2D side-scrolling perspective of earlier games. 3D Blast was also up against Super Mario 64, so Sega was selling the idea to parents that a Super Mario 64 sized adventure was possible on older hardware. This, of course, isn’t exactly true.

Sega had a big presence at E3 1996 where they had their 3 major Sonic titles for the Holiday season on display. Sonic X-Treme for the Saturn, and Sonic Blast for the Sega Genesis and Game Gear. At this point they weren’t using the term 3D, and they were marketing both games with the same title. The Game Gear game Sonic Blast is largely unrelated from Sonic 3D Blast, as all Game Gear games that share a title with a Genesis game tend to be.

Sonic 3D Blast feels like a Sonic game from a different perspective, except instead of running through a stage and reaching a designated goal now Sonic has to collect Flickies and deliver them to a Goal Ring in the area. Each Flicky is contained within one of Robotnik’s robots, so Sonic has to destroy all the robots and lead all the Flickies to the goal. This is the sole focus of the game, and a major source of frustration for players.

When you release a Flicky it’ll follow you, and is then susceptible to the same dangers you are. If Sonic gets attacked the Flickies scatter in different directions, often going into areas Sonic can’t normally reach like in the Volcano stage. This combined with the game’s slippery controls make precise movement difficult, thus leaving the player open to mistakes. While there’s a degree of challenge to the game, most of the obstacles are more frustrating than difficult.

In 2017 Jon Burton, lead programmer for Sonic 3D Blast, released a free patch for the Genesis version of the game that fixes the game’s slippery controls, as well as adding a password save system, a time attack mode, and Super Sonic as a playable transformation. Burton made this update in his spare time, calling it a Director’s Cut. This marked the first time a Sonic game had a semi-official ROM hack from one of it’s original developers.

Sonic 3D Blast marked a low point in Sonic history, being the only mainline game released between Sonic & Knuckles in 1994 and Sonic Adventure in 1998. Even though it wasn’t intended to be a main series game, it was still marketed as such so for the purposes of this essay I’ll refer to it as one. I think if Sonic X-Treme had been released, 3D Blast would’ve been held in higher regard.

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