This time, we are sharing the making-of video for Niraya of ■■, showcasing the process of capturing in-game textures.
We filmed the actual incense offerings and compiled the entire workflow—from creating textures from these materials to implementing them in the game—into a video. The device used for filming is a DIY all-black dome-shaped apparatus. The body is created with a 3D printer, and inside the dome are LEDs arranged at carefully adjusted angles and spacing. When the switch is pressed, the camera shutter and LEDs synchronize to capture the necessary photos for "photometric stereo※" within seconds.
※Photometric stereo is a method of creating textures from images. It generates bump information from multiple images taken from the same viewpoint under different lighting conditions.
By processing the captured photos with clipping and tiling using Adobe Substance 3D Sampler, the texture materials are completed. By arranging the lighting and using a high-quality camera, we can create very beautiful textures ourselves. Unfortunately, the incense burner using the textures created this time is small and only appears in one room... The large amount of assets required for modern games is tough for indie projects like ours.
At the end of the video, as a bonus, we included footage of this device being filmed alongside an Xbox controller—imagine the size. It’s quite large and completely occupies a spot in the studio (we might get in trouble for this someday).
Through realistic textures that cannot be expressed with store assets alone, we are working hard on creating the unique world of this game, building Niraya of ■■.