In the universe where war consumes entire worlds and humanity defends itself from threats unimaginable, the setting’s atmosphere matters most. And what contributes to that atmosphere alongside the lighting, music, and thrilling narrative? Of course, the graphics and 3D models of the characters.
In Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy, we took a step forward and greatly enhanced the characters' visuals. The brutality and grandeur of Warhammer 40,000 will be sculpted in millions of polygons and textured with the grime of countless battles.
Together with Anton Osipov, the lead of the 3D character production department, we have prepared a detailed article for you. We will delve into the hidden archives of game development to uncover how 2D and 3D artists breathe life into characters from worlds ravaged by war. We’ll study what the improved graphics in Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy will look like and how the prayers to the Omnissiah help us with its optimization. From the initial concept to a ready 3D model, we'll witness the birth of the characters that will be part of the Calixis Sector.
Don’t forget to add Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy to your wishlist on Steam and let’s dive into the world of concepts, sculpting, retopology, and texturing!
It all starts with the concept
Intricate is the way of a 3D model, from its conception to a final look that will shine in the game. The first stage of any work is creating a concept, and 3D modelling is no exception to the rule. To begin, our experienced 2D artists prepare the concept art of the future character.
While developing Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, we’ve encountered all the creative challenges of this new setting. After our two previous fantasy projects, we dove into a world of unusual character elements such as augments, pipes, gas masks connected by hoses to backpacks, and massive armour plates. We were not ready for the intricacies they brought, and it has taken us some time to adjust.
This time, when working with Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy, we took all these difficulties into account right away and corrected the pipeline. From the start, 2D artists work closely with the 3D team to find and correct nuances that can create technical problems during their implementation. Thus, the potentially problematic places of armour bends, attachment of augments, and joints of gloves and boots are immediately determined and adjusted.
Here comes the blocking stage
After the 2D concept is ready, 3D artists answer the call of duty and start the blocking phase. But what is blocking exactly? The blocking phase is one of the earliest and most crucial steps in asset creation.
Using simple shapes, the artist establishes the basic proportions and silhouette of our character. You can see how a sketch of Aeldari Corsair becomes a model ready to be textured and sculpted in more detail.
The rough and low-detailed version of the model allows the artist to assess the scale of the model compared to other game assets and environments and check the silhouette. At this stage, we can also see potential technical problems, then make significant changes to the structure of the model to correct them. This is not always possible at the stage of 2D concepting, but blocking solves this problem, which makes it one of the most important stages in creating a model.
Art of sculpting and why we need more polygons
When all the checks with the low poly asset are done, we’re good to go! Now it’s time to proceed to sculpting and create the high poly details for our model. During this stage, 3D artists “sculpt” digital clay — they bend forms, create details, add wrinkles, pores, scars and spice everything up with surface imperfections.
As part of the overall graphics and detail improvements for our models in Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy, we've paid special attention to more thorough materials design. Many hours of painstaking work have been spent on improving the look of fabric, leather, rubber and metal. The artist's aim is to make the materials visually distinguishable at this stage, even when the model has not yet been textured.
Once the sculpting is complete, the retopology must be conducted. To put it simply, the model is being cleaned of excessive polygons that are not needed. Retopology is optimizing sculpts for in-game performance without losing visual accuracy.
Probably the most important change that came to Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy is the increased number of polygons in the final model. More polygons allow us to create a more complicated silhouette, reduce the angularity of the models, and allow light sources to cast more realistic shadows. However, it is important to maintain a balance here, because a large number of polygons will load the system and can result in problems with the game's performance on various devices.
In this picture, you can see how different the final Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader model is from the new model from Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy. According to our calculations, the polygon count has doubled!
We would like to emphasize how we reworked the approach to the characters’ hair creation in Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy. Due to the dedicated work of our amazing tech art department, as well as the endless prayers to the Omnissiah, we now have the ability to use anisotropic reflections, which take the visual of the hair to a brand-new level. Now, not only do the characters’ bodies look more realistic and detailed, but so does their hair. This personal detail helps players to connect with their heroes on an even deeper level. How many strands of hair do you think there are on average in one hairstyle?
A fun fact from the secured archives! The most complex hairstyle in the game so far belongs to the legendary Lord Inquisitor Anton Zerbe. His hairstyle has more polygons than any of our characters or outfits so far.
UV map and baking
For real-time rendering and applying textures to our newly minted model, UV maps are created, and normal and texture maps are baked. We won't bore you with technical details, but rather show you what it looks like at this stage!
Texturing is a must
Time to add colour to our model. In the Imperium, the colour is not merely aesthetic, it’s a matter of purpose and allegiance. It will draw players even deeper into the grim and iconic spirit of Warhammer 40,000. The atmosphere starts with the skin tone and continues to epic armour and weapons colours. Even now, the color of every wrinkle, spike, and claw of the character is given the utmost attention.
Every texture tells a tale. Every augment, every armour crack and scar on the skin tells the story of a challenging and often short existence in a universe full of enemies. When working on the colours, the artists often rely on official paints and miniatures as the ideal example. The palette is not just a tool for the artist — it’s scripture.
Engine checks
Once the digital shell of the character is forged, it must be tested in the fires of the game engine. When all the textures are ready, and every armour piece, augment, or belt sits in place, the 3D model is not yet ready to face the darkness of the game. First, it must be checked on the game engine. Here, the model is examined under the required lighting, and the features of the game engine render settings and various post-processes are taken into account.
When the asset passes all the trials of the game engine, it is ready to be transferred onward to the animators' team. This means the end of the model creation by 2D and 3D artists.
You have now become the bearer of sacred and mysterious knowledge about how characters are created in Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy, Acolyte. Enhanced models will allow you to fully immerse yourself in the grimdark atmosphere of the far future, capturing its grandeur and unique style of the universe. They won’t just transform your gameplay — they’ll make every playthrough more varied, engaging, and unforgettable.
Don’t forget to add Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy to your wishlist and support the development by becoming a founder on our website!
The Emperor protects.