Yes. It's cheaper to build film sets and fly scouting teams to multiple exotic locations for months on end to capture approximations of your art direction, than hand author assets.
We just use an iPhone and gaussian splatting. You don't even have to go outside, you can even use AR captured imagery as well:
https://youtu.be/UdCKeO4c_xM
EDIT: Just wanted to address this part because I forgot something...
Production has changed in a way that not only stifles creativity, but lends itself to poorly polished and poorly performing games. All in the pursuit of "realism", where many prefer the aesthetics of last generation. That's the definition of diminishing returns
This is true, and part of the point, but also we see that on the flip side we have games like Bodycam, made by two guys, one of whom was 17 at the time when they started, and it looks more realistic than any AAA shooter and most people are none the wiser to how it was made. Mostly UE5 Blueprints and asset packs made from laser-scanned entities.
In this regard, they managed to make a top-selling game that fools a lot of people into thinking it looks "real" without having spent an arm and a leg to do so.
It's possible to get creative, push boundaries and make use of these tools to build out fascinating, unique, or groundbreaking games using these tools and techniques, but as you stated, most studios do not do this.
Fidelity and design are fundamentally different concepts. Films with memorable visual identity that are remembered decades after their release aren't a product of fidelity. The same is largely true for games or any other visual medium. Architectural styles, furniture, clothing, weapons, foliage and entire biomes where designed, with much thought by talented people, to maximize interest/appeal. Even in the case of realistic settings, set designers curate and build specialized props to maximize appeal. Scanning your immediate vicinity is the antithesis of this, which is why, at great expense, AAA studios combine externally sourced photogrammetry assets and scouting operations with a large number of custom assets.
Simply put, photogrammetry may provide a shortcut to fidelity. But fixation on fidelity over design is a shortcut to churning out a generic and visually uninteresting product. There are settings that get away with this. Most do not. And I'd rather play an interesting game than a realistic one.
The generative AI/photogrammetry approach is really interesting. I'd wager it's a poor substitute for coherent, deliberate design throughout a project though. Good design involves intent, understanding and consistency. AI, for the time being, lacks all of the above.
The generative AI/photogrammetry approach is really interesting. I'd wager it's a poor substitute for coherent, deliberate design throughout a project though.
My thoughts exactly.
In ten years, when a bunch of people are using AI to build shoddy asset flips, I imagine Nintendo will still be churning out blockbusters that sell millions using deliberate design decisions featuring timeless art direction.
In ten years, when a bunch of people are using AI to build shoddy asset flips, I imagine Nintendo will still be churning out blockbusters that sell millions using deliberate design decisions featuring timeless art direction.
Agreed. Still, a useful tool and it'll be interesting to see how things progress in the coming years. The more menial tasks that can be assisted/eliminated, the better; More time spent on things that actually matter. My experience with generative AI is limited - I primarily use it to add rendering to hand-drawn designs, given that I'm slow as shit in 2D, and as a random idea generator within existing contexts. It already excels at that.
on the flip side we have games like Bodycam, made by two guys, one of whom was 17 at the time when they started, and it looks more realistic than any AAA shooter and most people are none the wiser to how it was made
Missed your edit. I think selling games on graphics will become less viable in subsequent generations, and as more and more "generic" looking titles release on the back of easy access to photogrammetry/asset libraries, gamers will likely become less forgiving of them. That's not to take anything away from Bodycam. Execution counts for more than most things, they did an excellent job and deserve every bit of success. Palworld is another interesting example.
It's possible to get creative, push boundaries and make use of these tools to build out fascinating, unique, or groundbreaking games using these tools and techniques, but as you stated, most studios do not do this.
I left AAA before the activism got out of hand, but not before it became a joyless, bureaucratic slog. AAA is too rigid, and more understandably, less willing to commit to untried approaches given the disproportionate cost of failure. The indie scene is a great incubator for new ideas and approaches. AA adopting the battle tested ones strikes me as the best of both worlds.
We just use an iPhone and gaussian splatting. You don't even have to go outside, you can even use AR captured imagery as well: https://youtu.be/UdCKeO4c_xM
EDIT: Just wanted to address this part because I forgot something...
This is true, and part of the point, but also we see that on the flip side we have games like Bodycam, made by two guys, one of whom was 17 at the time when they started, and it looks more realistic than any AAA shooter and most people are none the wiser to how it was made. Mostly UE5 Blueprints and asset packs made from laser-scanned entities.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/_Gh0x9mtIuQ?feature=share
In this regard, they managed to make a top-selling game that fools a lot of people into thinking it looks "real" without having spent an arm and a leg to do so.
It's possible to get creative, push boundaries and make use of these tools to build out fascinating, unique, or groundbreaking games using these tools and techniques, but as you stated, most studios do not do this.
Fidelity and design are fundamentally different concepts. Films with memorable visual identity that are remembered decades after their release aren't a product of fidelity. The same is largely true for games or any other visual medium. Architectural styles, furniture, clothing, weapons, foliage and entire biomes where designed, with much thought by talented people, to maximize interest/appeal. Even in the case of realistic settings, set designers curate and build specialized props to maximize appeal. Scanning your immediate vicinity is the antithesis of this, which is why, at great expense, AAA studios combine externally sourced photogrammetry assets and scouting operations with a large number of custom assets.
Simply put, photogrammetry may provide a shortcut to fidelity. But fixation on fidelity over design is a shortcut to churning out a generic and visually uninteresting product. There are settings that get away with this. Most do not. And I'd rather play an interesting game than a realistic one.
The generative AI/photogrammetry approach is really interesting. I'd wager it's a poor substitute for coherent, deliberate design throughout a project though. Good design involves intent, understanding and consistency. AI, for the time being, lacks all of the above.
My thoughts exactly.
In ten years, when a bunch of people are using AI to build shoddy asset flips, I imagine Nintendo will still be churning out blockbusters that sell millions using deliberate design decisions featuring timeless art direction.
Agreed. Still, a useful tool and it'll be interesting to see how things progress in the coming years. The more menial tasks that can be assisted/eliminated, the better; More time spent on things that actually matter. My experience with generative AI is limited - I primarily use it to add rendering to hand-drawn designs, given that I'm slow as shit in 2D, and as a random idea generator within existing contexts. It already excels at that.
Missed your edit. I think selling games on graphics will become less viable in subsequent generations, and as more and more "generic" looking titles release on the back of easy access to photogrammetry/asset libraries, gamers will likely become less forgiving of them. That's not to take anything away from Bodycam. Execution counts for more than most things, they did an excellent job and deserve every bit of success. Palworld is another interesting example.
I left AAA before the activism got out of hand, but not before it became a joyless, bureaucratic slog. AAA is too rigid, and more understandably, less willing to commit to untried approaches given the disproportionate cost of failure. The indie scene is a great incubator for new ideas and approaches. AA adopting the battle tested ones strikes me as the best of both worlds.