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.

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. This 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.

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. This 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 interesting though. I'd wager it's a poor substitute for coherent, deliberate design throughout a project, though.

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. This is why, at great expense, AAA studios combine externally sourced photogrammetry assets and scouting operations with a large number of custom assets.

Simply put, gaussian splatting or any other approach to 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. While I'll happily concede the AI approach is pretty interesting, it's a poor substitute for consistent, deliberate design.