Image source: Buzzon.biz
Most art forms don’t allow you to reuse the same stuff over and over. Take writing, for example. I’d love to be able to use the same paragraphs whenever I write a new article because it would save me a ton of time, but writing really doesn’t work that way.
But 3D art does! You can reuse the same data time and time again. You may have to make a few adjustments here and there, but for the most part reusing old data can save you a ton of time in the future.
Image source: Maniacworld.com
Yeah, I know it feels kind of cheap and lazy, but you’d be surprised by how many big name companies reuse old data. After creating The Croods, DreamWorks archived 70TB worth of data. They didn’t store things like character models, obviously, because you can’t take the main character from one movie, give him a new hairdo, and plop him in another movie without anybody noticing. Less important objects like trees swaying in the breeze, grass, distant mountains, clouds, and rock formations are all fair game. Would anybody notice if you used the same tree in two different art pieces? Would anybody care?
The key to reusing data is that you have to find the right balance between old ideas and innovation. If a client has hired you to make a 3D monster, then you definitely don’t want to rehash old models because the client is paying you for originality. This is extremely unprofessional and in some cases illegal (depending on who owns the data). The best time to reuse data is when you’re recycling data within the same company or project.
This strategy works best in larger productions like video games. Video game companies are known for reusing models to create different types of monsters. Take a look at the crocolisk and basilisk from World of Warcraft — similar yet different.
Image source: Wowwiki.com
They saved time by tweaking one character model to create the other, and they also get to save time and money be using the same animations for both creatures.
If you do reuse data, make sure that you change something about it. The folks over at Blizzard didn’t just copy the crocolisk, hit ctrl+v, give the creature a new paint job, and then call it a day (unless you’re talking about armor sets, in which case they do that all the time). There are notable distinctions between the two monsters — one has armor plates and the other has scales, one has whiskers and the other has fins.
Image source: Mmosite.com
In fact, you can use this strategy to your advantage. By reusing the same model with minor tweaks, you create visual symmetry between characters. It makes it seem like these creatures are somehow related, kind of like how German shepherds are related to poodles, or how gorillas are related to chimpanzees. This relationship implies a story. The crocolisk and basilisk had the same origins, but one evolved to survive in lakes and rivers while the other adapted for caves and jungles.
Just be sure to use a light touch. There’s a fine line between cleverly reusing old ideas in new ways and being unoriginal. Don’t do what that the environment artists did on Final Fantasy XIV. They got a lot of bad attention because the artists pasted the exact same terrain over and over. You can tell that the character is in a new position each time because of his position on the minimap in the upper right hand corner of the screen.