Opinion on 3D Backgrounds

[Fenrir34]

I've found some cool looking backgrounds for a Fantasy Novel but they are 3D. Do people hate those kind of backgrounds images?


Here's an example

[SundownKid]

On the scale of backgrounds, I'd have to say that:

Drawn > 3D > Filtered picture

Unless the 3D background is of rather high quality it will look somewhat unprofessional, but it's better than nothing. Unlike 3D characters, which usually look pretty bad unless they're animated, that background should be ok for a non-commercial work, I think.

It's not the highest quality, it looks more like a game screenshot than a render, though - so it wouldn't fare well on anything professional.

[Fenrir34]

On the scale of backgrounds, I'd have to say that:

Drawn > 3D > Filtered picture

Unless the 3D background is of rather high quality it will look somewhat unprofessional, but it's better than nothing. Unlike 3D characters, which usually look pretty bad unless they're animated, that background should be ok for a non-commercial work, I think.

It's not the highest quality, it looks more like a game screenshot than a render, though - so it wouldn't fare well on anything professional.

Thank for your opinion. I have to agree with you that it's not the best background. I'll just have to find some good 2d Fantasy ones. Anyway thanks again

[SHiNKiROU]

3D backgrounds suffers two extremes.

The first extreme is too unrealistic and looks highly unprofessional. Your background falls into this zone, but is somewhat better than that.
Here is an example: http://psp-news.dcemu.co.uk/mario64works.JPG
It's not unprofessional, just with outdated technology.

The second extreme is too photorealistic: The uncanny valley.
Do Mass Effect sceneries (http://zaewen.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/citadel.png ) work well as visual novel backgrounds?

There are people trying to make 3D backgrounds look as anime as possible. They apply shaders and complicated postprocessing. Here is an example: http://blenderartists.org/forum/showthr ... of-Blender
3D CGIs are present in anime. Just look at Gundam (released after 2000) and Initial D.

[fleet]

Not everybody hates 3D backgrounds. I don't hate them; I use them.
In my opinion most folks here who express an opinion will not play a VN with 3D art.

[Auro-Cyanide]

At the end of the day, 3D is just another medium, and as such is just as valid as every other. But it still has to follow the same rules of 2D. For instance, the primary problem with this render is the lighting. For 3D, it looks very flat to the eyes because everything is kind of blending in. That can be fixed with editing software though. Here is a quick example of how so lighting and colours can make it feel more like a space.

[Fenrir34]

3D backgrounds suffers two extremes.

The first extreme is too unrealistic and looks highly unprofessional. Your background falls into this zone, but is somewhat better than that.
Here is an example: http://psp-news.dcemu.co.uk/mario64works.JPG
It's not unprofessional, just with outdated technology.

The second extreme is too photorealistic: The uncanny valley.
Do Mass Effect sceneries (http://zaewen.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/citadel.png ) work well as visual novel backgrounds?

There are people trying to make 3D backgrounds look as anime as possible. They apply shaders and complicated postprocessing. Here is an example: http://blenderartists.org/forum/showthr ... of-Blender
3D CGIs are present in anime. Just look at Gundam (released after 2000) and Initial D.

I understand and actually this isn't mind. I found it on a site that gives a lot of 3d backgrounds. I just wanted some opinions on how they looked. Thanks

[Fenrir34]

At the end of the day, 3D is just another medium, and as such is just as valid as every other. But it still has to follow the same rules of 2D. For instance, the primary problem with this render is the lighting. For 3D, it looks very flat to the eyes because everything is kind of blending in. That can be fixed with editing software though. Here is a quick example of how so lighting and colours can make it feel more like a space.

The lighting really does help it look different . Thanks .

[Fenrir34]

Not everybody hates 3D backgrounds. I don't hate them; I use them.
In my opinion most folks here who express an opinion will not play a VN with 3D art.

Not all the 3D art from that site is bad. Some are okay but this one I have to admit is a little blech...I don't mind 3d much just as long as it looks good with the character sprites. That's my other problem with this pick as well....Does look good with the character sprites I have

[fleet]

If, in YOUR opinion, it looks good with the sprites, and YOU are happy with it, go for it.

[Fenrir34]

If, in YOUR opinion, it looks good with the sprites, and YOU are happy with it, go for it.

That's how I feel with it. I mean some did fit so I'll use them for the fantasy but others were really plain.

[15nick]

It really depends on how much effort you're willing to put in.
Both these links are examples of 3D backgrounds with a ton of work put in both the modeling and the photoshop effects done afterwards to it.
http://s.vndb.org/sf/69/6569.jpg
http://s.vndb.org/sf/70/6570.jpg

If I was going with that background you found, I'd try to add some more shadows and lighting effects, maybe add detail to that window. Also maybe try outlining everything with a layer on top of it and seeing if that helps make it a little less jarring and match any sprites you use.

[sendo]

I don't hate 3D backgrounds, I love them! In fact, I use 3D to setup my perspective and the over all shot, but I paint over it because I enjoy painting. That and I also don't know how to render properly :'D

Some points to consider when you take a 3D background:
* Lighting as everyone pointed out

* Shadows (a result of not having proper lighting) There is no sense of depth in it. For example I have a hard time separating the bed ladder from the bed itself and the candlestick and plate are floating...

* Another thing is the texture of the objects, the bed is quite fine (you can see the grains of the wood, the bed mattress is properly textured) but the window, walls, and even those things hanging from the ceiling really needs a finer texture, it's jarring when objects don't have consistent textures.

It really depends on how much effort you're willing to put in.
Both these links are examples of 3D backgrounds with a ton of work put in both the modeling and the photoshop effects done afterwards to it.
http://s.vndb.org/sf/69/6569.jpg
http://s.vndb.org/sf/70/6570.jpg

If I was going with that background you found, I'd try to add some more shadows and lighting effects, maybe add detail to that window. Also maybe try outlining everything with a layer on top of it and seeing if that helps make it a little less jarring and match any sprites you use.

Can i have a link to the VN? As it happens, I'm following the artist who did the backgrounds.

[15nick]

Can i have a link to the VN? As it happens, I'm following the artist who did the backgrounds.

http://vndb.org/v3126
I mainly just know about it because I saw someone posting the backgrounds on a different site and thought they looked super good. It's a russian VN called Everlasting Summer. I want to say the artist did a couple of backgrounds for it that got released publicly at the very beginning, and people used them for making mock screencaps of VNs like this one, so it was kind of deja vu when I first saw them.

[Tempus]

At the end of the day, 3D is just another medium, and as such is just as valid as every other.

Exactly. Whether you're drawing on paper, digital painting or doing a 3D render the same artistic principles apply. The reason you see so much bad 3D art is not because it is inherently more difficult to learn than digital painting, it's because many 3D modellers focus on getting the shapes and sometimes materials right with little heed for composition, lighting, and so on. Also, if you don't know how to render properly you'll get shit results. Render settings alone can butcher a scene. There's other things that are telltale signs of bad 3D but I'll keep the post short.

Good 3D takes just as much effort to learn as digital painting, the difference is that many of the absolute basics of digital painting (using a mouse as a brush / eraser, using colour palettes, rotating images, etc.) have already been learned at a young age via primitive tools like MS Paint for most people. Don't underestimate the time and intimidation factor you're saved from already knowing this stuff. Whereas when someone approaches 3D for the first time, absolutely everything is new in a fully featured program. Basic stuff like navigating 3D space and thinking in 3D need to be learned. I remember the first time I opened Blender I gave up after about 30 minutes because I found moving around frustrating.

They take the same amount of effort to learn. The difference is most people have already unwittingly begun learning digital painting before they try it. They're both mediums as Auro said. You still need to know the principles of art that apply to both.