The following contains the text found within the introduction and the first part of The Art of Mass Effect, published in 2007. The commentary was written entirely by Casey Hudson.[1]
Introduction[]
Casey Hudson, Project Director, Mass Effect: It's not easy building a universe. In fact, we invested a good portion of Mass Effect's several hundred man-years of development into defining the galaxy of life-forms, technologies, and locations that would provide the setting for this epic videogame. [sic] As intimidating as that was, it was made even more difficult by the stunning level of detail that would be made possible by the coming generation of hardware and software. Art concepts would now have to consider complex material properties, subtleties in lighting and shadow, and details as fine as individual pores on an alien's skin. For the first time, a videogame [sic] had the potential to rival the visual quality and cinematic drama of a live-action motion picture. With that in mind, we set forth on a journey that would not only challenge the limits of our creativity, but also our ability to transform the fruits of our imagination into a believable reality.
The process began with more questions than answers. We asked ourselves some fundamental questions about what "space adventure" really meant to us. In an ideal space adventure, what would we want to do? Where would we want to go? What amazing things would we hope to see there? Our earliest ideas came from things that inspired us on our youth: the exploits of real-life astronauts, spectacular paintings that adorned science-fiction book covers, and the movies of the late 70s and early 80s that immersed us in thickly atmospheric visions of the future.
From that starting point, we began to resolve a clear vision for the art style of Mass Effect. It would be a seemingly idyllic future-a [sic] bright universe, with the darkest of secrets. The civilizations of the galaxy would enjoy architecture and vehicles of elegant beauty, making use of simple geometry: compass arcs intersecting straight lines to create shapes that seemed to result from engineering as much as from art. And we would carefully age and weather their surfaces to anchor them in a realistic setting.
Free of the limitations of conventional cinema, where alien costumes often need to fit over the form of a human actor, we explored the full range of possibilities for alien anatomy. But as wild as some of the ideas were, we knew that each of our alien characters had to be capable of projecting the human emotion that would give impact to their part of story. Therefore they would not only have to look plausible as living creatures, but they would need physical features and movements that would allow them to realistically express a range of emotions.
And to pull it all together in a unified visual style, we added a soft, film-like quality to the rendering of the game. As in real-life photography, we would use depth-of-field effects to focus on a character's face, against a softly blurred background. Light would bloom from brightly-lit edges, and a subtle vignetting effect would darken the corners of the image, as though the scene had been filmed with real cameras and projected in a theatre. Finally, a light film grain was introduced to lend a soft analog feel to an otherwise harsh digital image.
In the role of Director, it was my honor to work with a tremendously talented team of artists who spent several years realizing this challenging vision. The requirements of our storyline frequently offered a new aspect of the universe to design, and Art Director Derek Watts and I would discuss ideas for direction. In turn, Derek and his concept artists quickly produced a multitude of images that each visualized our thoughts in exciting new ways. Then, as a team of artists and writers, we would springboard off of great ideas and infuse them with new twists as we moved towards final designs. Once approved, the final concept would then be meticulously sculpted as a 3D model, painted with a complex layering of materials, and then brought to life through the most advanced programming and animation methods we had ever developed. Most satisfying of all, these complex art pieces ultimately came together to immerse players in a single picture: a living, breathing vision of the future.
The art in this book reveals how this process resulted in the imagery you see in the game, including the wealth of compelling artwork that represents the steps made along the way. We hope you enjoy it.
Heroes and Villains[]
With an intense focus on capturing the human emotion of its powerful story, Mass Effect™ required a cast of digital actors of unprecedented realism. Much like the cast of a major motion picture, the detailed appearances of Mass Effect's digital actors would have to capture the very spirit of their characters. For humans, the concepting stage led to the casting of real-life models that were scanned to create 3-D models of their characters' faces. Alien characters, however, had to be meticulously hand-sculpted by artists at BioWare®. In either case, these characters would ultimately go through a process to add dynamic wrinkles, eye movements, and facial expressions, turning them into beings that live and breathe inside a futuristic universe.
Main Human Characters[]
In early sketches of Ashley (1), Kaidan (2), Captain Anderson (3), and Joker (4), BioWare artists explored archetypal ideas about the character's appearances. Joker, the starship Normandy's confident pilot, was originally meant to look sickly, but he was ultimately given a more muscular build. Though these concepts were highly stylized, they gave each character an iconic look that would enable the casting of real-life human models.
Early Promotional Shots of Commander Shepard[]
The first images of Commander Shepard put him in white armor, which didn't fully capture his character. The "N7" suit was designed to portray Shepard's experience more accurately. The final version, with its darker, weathered material represents Shepard's experience and gritty determination, while its scarlet stripe symbolizes human blood-something [sic] he would be willing to sacrifice, when needed.
Matriarch Benezia[]
The Matriarch's appearance was designed to capture the beauty and mystical power of the asari, while bearing the dark and mysterious qualities that helped associate her with Saren.
Tali'Zorah nar Rayya and Liara[]
As the sole quarian in Mass Effect, Tali (top) embodies her species' nomadic spirit. Though this concept shows a glimpse of what her face might look like under her visor, her true appearance is never revealed. Liara's face (bottom) did not have a specific design, but rather it was based on original concepts for the asari.
Garrus[]
Numerous ideas for facial patterns were evaluated (top) before settling on Garrus' final appearance (bottom).
Wrex[]
A fiery red pattern was chosen for Wrex's skull plate, creating a unique and menacing appearance. A deep scar cuts across his face, implying that he survived a near-fatal assault.
Saren[]
Initial concepts of Saren's costume relied on robes and cloaks to lend mystery to his appearance. As Saren's background as a rogue Spectre was developed, however, a more armored appearance was created, one appropriate for an elite turian soldier.
A very early concept of Saren (top) and promotional images taken of his near-final design (bottom).
This painting was developed to help visualize Saren's personality and wardrobe ideas. In several early concepts, Saren carried a cane or sword, providing opportunities for a unique acting performance.
Final concepts for Saren and his monstrous form (opposite) symbolize his cooperation with synthetic life forms. A geth arm was grafted into his left side. With his organic flesh burned away, the full extent of Saren's mechanical implants is revealed.
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References[]
- ↑ Beyond the Game, Derek Watts section