Guide To Isometric 3d Pixel Art

[BaDToaD]

I've just stumbled accross this complete guide to isometric 3D Pixel Art.

I don't think it's one of the ones I've seen mentioned here before. It's obviously going to be of use to both GP32 and GP2X pixel artists.

I'm not sure if I've posted this in the right place so Mods feel free to move it if necessary.

ToaD

 

[Mr.Jabberwocky]

Thanks for this. I would have thought any half decent pixel artist could adapt to the isometric perspective. The restraints it imposes actually make it easier to get better results in my opinion. Hopefully some will be inspired to have a go.
I may be wrong - there may be someone out there this very moment devving an iso engine - but the big problem is we don't seem to have any programmers who are both interested and capable of devving an isometric engine.
A useful partner to this article would be an overview of how an isometric engine works. I am searching for such a description but have not had any luck yet.

 

[yacullo]

There's a couple articles on isometric engines at Amit's Game Programming (a great site for lots of different game programming stuff actually).

One of the links there is now dead although you can find an archived version (without graphics) at archive.org.

 

[namco]

excellent, I was looking for something more along the lines of artwork concerning Iso games

 

[paulobecker]

Pretty cool, thanks for the link! I might give it a try now that I'm on vacations from college and actually have some free time.

 

[TheMinder]

I'm pretty sure it was this tute that made me finally sit down and actually complete an image a few years back (as opposed to starting an image which happened a lot more frequently)

For nostlagic purposes here it is

 

[Ranma13]

Wow, nice guide, bookmarked. Great for making Earthbound-like games.

 

[DrDerekDoctors]

Hmm, not sure it's really complete though. It seems to be dealing purely with stuff that mimics e-boy's e-city style of art rather than the (imho) infinitely more beautiful stuff that the likes of The Bitmap Brothers (http://www.abandonware-france.org/images_jeux/scr-cadaver2.jpg) or Henk Neiborg (http://www.henknieborg.nl/gfx_potter2/potter2_01.gif, http://www.henknieborg.nl/gfx_potter2/potter2_06.gif) produced. It's coffee-table isometric, at best.

Isometric that people who can't draw, can draw.

 

[Magnulus]

Isometric that people who can't draw, can draw.

I have to say I agree, but if it helps someone who lacks artists to make a game that looks okayish, that's all right with me!

 

[yacullo]

PixelFreak has iso art tutorials.

SpriteArt has some excellent (though strangely organized) pixel art tutorials including making different styles of characters.

 

[Aninhumer]

@TheMinder: Great picture, but could you have cropped off some of that whitespace?

 

[Ranma13]

Isometric that people who can't draw, can draw.

It's just a different art style. The simplicity of the design and clarity of detail makes it visually appealing, at least to me. You can't say that it's for people who can't draw though, because it still takes some amount of skill to create.

 

[DrDerekDoctors]

If you hung about the pixelation and pixelopolis forums and saw how many people started producing generic stuff like this when e-city was at its height, you'd probably revise that statement.

 

[Ranma13]

You can't use that as a blanket statement though. There are obviously cut-off points for what can be considered to be acceptable artwork, but you can't say that because 90% of people who create art a certain style really suck at it, the remaining 10% must also suck. Any practice in this world will have its crappy contributors and its great artists.

 

[Winterkid]

Sorry Ranma, read your post wrong

I prefer to think of them as less talented. Even the worst artists occasionally come up with good work.

 

[DrDerekDoctors]

You can't use that as a blanket statement though. There are obviously cut-off points for what can be considered to be acceptable artwork, but you can't say that because 90% of people who create art a certain style really suck at it, the remaining 10% must also suck.

I didn't say it sucked, I said it was generic due to the overabundance of work on the internet in that style. I said it's "isometric that people who can't draw, can draw.". ie, it's a cakewalk to draw in that style, and I stand by that.

 

[Ranma13]

Oh, I thought you meant to say "Isometric is for people who can't draw, so they can draw."

By the way, do you have links to sites that show isometric drawings?

 

[yacullo]

Here's a good article at GameDev about isometric and hex maps.

 

[DrDerekDoctors]

Oh at I thought you meant to say "Isometric is for people who can't draw, so they can draw."

Haha, hardly! I've done some isometric stuff myself: http://retrospec.sgn.net/screenshots.php?link=hoh

By the way, do you have links to sites that show isometric drawings?

Well, if you like that style, then I'd recommend http://hello.eboy.com/eboy/index.php for a start.