A Closer Look at VFX Behind Battleborn

GDC shared a video with Senior Visual Effects Artist at Gearbox Software, Ashley Lyons, sharing a closer look at how cartoonish and 2D visual effects were integrated into the 3D environment of first-person shooter Battleborn.

In the video, Lyons explains that the stylized looks of Battleborn were chosen to stand out from other FPS games which also allowed the team to create really original visual effects that could complement the cartoon-like aesthetic of the game.

Lyons shared that visual effects in the game mimicked the character animations which is why every animation asset was drawn frame by frame. "No frames were skipped," explained the artist, "If a flipbook needed 36 frames, then 36 frames of animation were drawn".

The VFX artist also told how explosions in the game were made. He shared that they used spark-type effects. "Many times the spark itself would be random shapes or almost unnoticeable," he said, "But it did aid us with the timing and giving them a little something extra".

To maximize the texture space, the VFX team created a frame rate guide which helped them organize the texture sheet according to how many frames of animation were needed for every asset. So, as a result, besides 30 000 frames of hand-drawn animation, over 3600 particle effects were made.

Lyons also shared what the VFX team did to make the 2D animations exist in the game's 3D environment. "Our particle effects use different types of meshes, each with a specific UV mapping to give each animation the action it needed," said the artist.

You can learn more about the visual effects in Battleborn by watching this video. Also, don't forget to join our new Reddit page, our new Telegram channel, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, where we are sharing breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.