Cutscenes with models from the game, customization and other new details of Diablo IV

Blizzard presented a new quarterly report on Diablo iv, where she talked about the work of artists and characters.

So, the game will have more options for personalizing the hero than in all other projects in the series, and in addition to new monsters, the authors have reworked some of the old enemies taking into account fresh technologies. Art Director John Mueller noted that now the authors are trying to work out incredibly detailed NPCs – as, for example, in the case Lilith…

Frame from the in-game video

The authors added that they did a great job on the characters, trying to draw them as picturesquely as possible and using the latest tools.

For the work, the creators focused on the cinematic videos of Diablo III. The detailing of complex materials and surfaces has been radically improved – you can see glare in the eyes and even rivulets of sweat on the characters.

It took a lot of time to create a character customization system, as I had to work with hundreds of physiques, armor and unique models.

At the same time, they showcased various concept art of heroes and villains.

According to Lead Character Artist Arno Kotelnikova, there will be a lot of customization in the character editor, including eye tones, facial hair and the like. A particular challenge during the development was the attempt to maintain a realistic style, but convey the color of the concept art.

To achieve the best success, physically correct rendering was used, thanks to which it was possible to “combine fantasy with realism.” In addition, the paint system has been expanded – now you can paint any piece of equipment.

To do this, the authors taught the system to recognize the type of material, so that when repainting, objects still look realistic.

To improve the clarity and detail of the main texture layer, the authors added a detail overlay – a fine repeating mesh on top of the main material.

Also, each set of armor is designed for two types of figures.

Among other things, they showed an updated design of monsters and fresh enemies, whose appearance and animation reflect the artistic ideas of the authors. Someone is associated with blood magic, someone with necromancy, and so on. And again, you can see the smallest details in the design.