Inside the Art of WoW Live Stream
Senior 3D Animator Ian Lang and 3D Artist Kenny McBride are sitting down to discuss the wizardry behind World of Warcraft’s art development and animation.
Continue reading...
Senior 3D Animator Ian Lang and 3D Artist Kenny McBride are sitting down to discuss the wizardry behind World of Warcraft’s art development and animation.
- Kul Tiran Humans and Zandalari Trolls will be available the week of March 12th.
- Kul Tiran Human and Zandalari Troll Allied Races
- The team looked at lore and concept art for the respective locations when starting to design these allied races.
- Kul Tiran Art Design
- Tentacles and anchors became a motif for this race.
- The team wanted the architecture to resemble ships.
- Kul Tirans have a heavy, practical ascetic.
- Kul Tirans are seafaring and rustic.
- Kul Tiran stance reflects their pride is surviving in a harsh environment.
- Zandalari Troll Art Design
- The Zandalari have a more angular and regal design.
- They were inspired by Aztec and Mayan culture.
- They wanted the architecture to look like it had been build centuries ago.
- Zandalari culture is not quite as islandish or tribal as the other troll races.
- They made Zandalari Trolls stand tall to better reflect the more regal and proud attitude.
- Shape Language
- The Kul Tiran stance works well because of their size. It doesn't work as well on smaller frames like female blood elves.
- Kul Tiran and Zandalari Weapon Design
- Kul Tiran weapons and armor are very militant.
- Gun axes were a real thing in history.
- Zandalari weapon design is ornate and regal.
- Blood Troll Art Design
- The art design for the Blood Trolls is very gross, ritualistic and macabre.
- Druid Forms
- The team decided to use their experience from the druid skin forms from Legion to flesh out custom forms for the new allied races.
- The Zandalari feral form incorporated inspiration from may dinosaurs and lizards.
- Breaking the established druid lore felt weird at first, but it may sense for the two races' cultures.
- Drust magic is a more macabre version of druid magic and so it is reflected in their wicker druid forms.
- Color Importance
- The difference between color use in each continent better shows off the culture's ascetic. Gold in Zandalar is much brighter and more regal than the darker more rustic and militaristic gold in Kul Tiras.
- Stances
- Kul Tiran stances are more grounded while the Zandalari are more nimble.
- Miscellaneous
- Allied races flesh out the world and making them playable broadens the players inclusion in that world.
- Zandalari Trolls were originally about 10% shorter than the final height.
- Combat animations are more about visual clarification while emotes allow the artists to showcase the culture.
- New animations like guard poses, leaning, and carrying cargo makes the cities feel more alive.
- The art team is very passionate and likes to put things in the game that they and the fans are passionate about.
- The team decided to make a dwarf paladin mount when they designed the Dark Iron Dwarves.
Continue reading...