How To Build Worlds

Creative Assembly and Spin VFX discuss their approach to CG world building in Total War: Warhammer and The Expanse

3D artists are highly skilled digital builders, combining creativity with their software of choice to build anything, from robots to entire cityscapes. World building, however, is an entirely different discipline – one that exists at the intersection of artistry, storytelling and technicality. 3D World has gathered experts in production design across film, television and video games to lift the lid on the art of building worlds.

BELIEVABLE IMMERSION

“World building in VFX means that we are creating an environment that looks and feels naturalistic to our viewers,” explains Paul DeOliveira, a VFX supervisor at Spin VFX. DeOliveira and the team at Spin have been behind VFX for The Expanse since its first season in 2015. He adds: “The audience needs to identify with the concept, and believe in the photorealism of the world.”

Part of DeOliveira and his team’s role on The Expanse is to help create a lived-in world. “The devil is in the details to completely immerse the viewer in the story,” he continues. “From the way we create new and old sections that establish a gritty look and feel, to the subtle details of a city block or an entire planetary landscape, we engage the audience as they move seamlessly between practical sets and CG environments without being distracted.”

The cinematics team at Creative Assembly are responsible for much of the world building in the studio’s Total War: Warhammer series, which takes place in a fictional universe steeped in lore and mythology. Lead cinematic artist Carl Allen tells 3D World: “It’s important to understand the characters we’re depicting: Where did they come from? What are they trying to achieve? Do they share a common theme?”