Outcast Technology
taken from www.outcast-thegame.com

Creative Process

After Sketch and model sheet approval, polygonal models are created with Alias Power Animator running on SGI workstations. For each character, three models are created, all having a different polygon count, to improve frame rate performance. Models are then attached under Power Animator to a previously created skeleton to create a smoothly deformable skin. Texture map UV coordinates are then projected and adjusted using SkyMap proprietary software from Infogrames.

Color map and bump map are then painted real-time in 3D using 4DPaint from 4DVision to create realistic textures.

Keyframe animation is done under Power Animator.
Motion capture animation is done at our facility using MotionStar hardware from Ascension Technologies and MotionSampler3 software from Alias|Wavefront.

Models

In order to truly enjoy a game in today's market, the characters must be designed to fit the game. Since Outcast is such a vast expanse of graphical detail and lush design, the models had to blend in as well. To accomplish this, Appeal has designed several cutting edge technologies. Outcast uses top quality rendering for characters using techniques such as real time skin deformation, real time bump mapping, dual lighting and materials rendering. The end result is a smooth mixture of realistic world design and life-like creatures. .

Animations

On the basic level, the model motions are created using by-hand keyframing or motion capture at Appeal's own studio. This gives the characters the key elements of motion, but to truly make them simulate real beings, their motions needed to be adaptive to the situation. Thus, Outcast's characters use procedural animation. Appeal use a lot of procedural animations for the main character, (eg: targeting in real time with the joystick) and for all the other characters (eg: turning the head and torso in the direction of a sound). Real time inverse kinematics are also used for legs to follow bumpy grounds or stairs.

To make all the animations blend together, multiple cross blending and ponderated interpolation between animations is applied to the models. This allows Cutter's animation to glide seemlessly between walk, run, stop, etc.