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drawers, cupboards, boxes –
wherever you look there seems to
be something else to see. Some of
these things definitely show their
age, but the staff that work there
are doing an incredible job of
preserving these items.”
It’s been well documented that
DICE used a technology known as
photogrammetry, a system that
is based on taking many pictures
with DSLR cameras from various
angles. These photos are then,
according to character artist Björn
Arvidsson, “stitched together
in a photogrammetry software
program that rebuilds the images
into 3D meshes."
“After that step it becomes
a 'regular' game asset creation
– lowpoly meshes and then, of
course, baking and texturing
before it shows up in the
game,” adds Arvidsson.
“Photogrammetry is in
no way a magic method
that solves all your
problems and doesn’t
create completed polished assets
from a few photos.
“It’s still a lot of work to get
them working and into the game
engine. The traditional way of
doing assets was still used in
the game, where we didn’t have
source material from the archives,
but what photogrammetry really
does for you is that you get a
really nice base (most of the time
at least) to start from.”
Design director Niklas Fegraeus
is also quick to outline that using
photogrammetry to capture the
models, equipment and props
at Skywalker Ranch had its
limitations.
“With photogrammetry, you
need to be able to get around
can create some issues if the
model is mounted.
“And the lighting can be
a big problem too. If you get
a lot of shadows it’s very
difficult to calculate the 3D
model, so you need very, very
good smooth lighting. If it’s
bright sunlight it’s going to be
problematic. If it’s too dark it’s
going to be problematic.
“So, that’s another thing
when you use photogrammetry
outdoors, lighting becomes this
issue. You like overcast. That’s the
best lighting you can have.”
The photogrammetry system
was also used to capture many of
the iconic locations players fight
through in the game. Obviously
expense was a major factor in
visiting these locations, so the
team had to get it right the first
time. Destinations included
the scorching deserts of Death
Valley for Tatooine, the Redwood
forests of California for Endor, the
snow-filled landscapes of Finse in
Norway for Hoth, and the barren
tundras of Iceland for Sullust. The
team took literally hundreds of
thousands of photos.
Environment artist Andrew
Hamilton was part of the team
who travelled to the locations for
the shoots.
“Capturing out in nature
introduced many unforeseen
differences from capturing in the
This is actually the third major Star Wars: Battlefront release.
Temuera Morrison voiced the Clone Troopers in the original
Star Wars:
Battlefront
Free Radical Design had begun work on
Star Wars: Battlefront III
but the game
was scrapped in 2008..
The
Star Wars: Battlefront
beta was played by nine and a half million players.
As a result of the beta, DICE added over 100 changes to the game.
Lucas Archives, such as the
varying weather and lighting
conditions,” says Hamilton.
“We first had to mentally
break down the environments
into smaller pieces to
understand how we could
reconstruct the environment
back home in Frostbite (game
engine). We would pick assets to
capture that would translate well
into the game, with bold shapes,
walls that could be repeated,
varying surface types, etc.
“By capturing the major
elements within the environments,
we could successfully recreate
the feeling and impression of
the environments while not
necessarily recreating it down to
the finest details.”
Once the photogrammetry was
completed (over a period of a
few weeks), the arduous task of
uploading the photos from the
location shoots and Skywalker
Ranch into the 3D engine began.
It took months to complete.
But to visit the locations and
to gain unlimited access to the
archives were experiences that the
team would never forget, eclipsing
all the hard work that followed in
creating the most authentic Star
Wars game yet to be released.
“On my second visit [to
Skywalker Ranch], we had a lot
more time to actually comprehend
where we were and what we were
actually doing,” recounts character
artist Björn Arvidsson.
“It was then that it hit me,
how amazing the place actually
is and what a once in a lifetime
experience this was. I will
definitely cherish this memory
forever.”
the object to get all the angles,
so, if there’s something like, for
example, the underside of a car,
then you are going to need to lift
the car up to get good pictures,”
he
says. “It’s the same with
capturing spaceships and the
like, and that obviously
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FEATURE