Inside Hades - 3D Modeling & Rigging

[@tequilasunset05]

WE NEED HADES ARTBOOK

[@ediblemammal4034]

Agreed 100%

[@Wildh1]

Yes please

[@alxleiva]

I've been asking for it on their official twitter as well

[@bigrat4780]

is buy one yes yes

[@TheThotPolice]

Yes!

[@Garomasta]

I'm surprised how detailed the models are. While playing they're so small that the faces of some characters might as well be blank, but I appreciate the effort and commitment.

[@Nephron89]

I play on a 77 inch 4k TV. The art and detail is so stunning i stick to the PC version. I don't even bother playing it on my switch. Such a pretty game.

[@PainkillerDCXVI]

@@Nephron89 I was going to say something like that... I played at 4k as well on a 55 inch tv... it was large enough to catch a bunch of details.

[@LeneChibi]

Aren't the portraits animated? The ones showing when you speak to the characters? (Sorry I never played the game but I thought I saw screenshots)

[@PainkillerDCXVI]

@@LeneChibi Not really but they change to show expressions and stuff.

[@DevelonLP]

@@PainkillerDCXVI they do infact blink so a tiny bit is animated

[@balleet210]

Nyx was a fabulous choice as an example.

[@littleweaselboy2865]

F

[@michaelsnavley6513]

Nyx: I shall assert my dominance over the mortals.

[@benpowell3993]

"man, the characters look so good, I bet you have a really complicated shading model -" "nah, I just hand-draw ever line, shadow, and highlight" "oh damn"

[@GlydeBorealis]

Guys: We're all Thanatos here Girls: We're all Megaera here

[@Prizzlesticks]

I am definitely more of a Hypnos.

[@GlydeBorealis]

@@Prizzlesticks That's a mood XD

[@zemyla]

Does Chaos have a 3D model?

[@wrenwhite8402]

I’m Thanatos in that my boyfriend is a himbo and I feel and look done with everybody

[@dovalayn]

@@zemyla just the puddle i believe

[@foof7352]

Look at those menacing T-Poses of death.

[@Janfon1]

That's an A-Pose mate

[@foof7352]

@@Janfon1 Well I learned something new today, then.

[@SnaKeMuHo]

It's nice knowing that their 3D to 2D process is as monotonous as mine. I'd take a guess that handling animations and hitboxes is pretty painful too.

[@supergiantgames]

The little details can be hard to get right but that's part of the joy of it! (Or so we tell ourselves when we're banging our heads against one of those!)

[@profoundpro]

I'm not a graphic artist, but a musician and.... yea, I think any endeavor like this is a labor of love, we'll say :)

[@adroitws1367]

@@supergiantgames i dont understand guys, why didnt use 3d model directly with isometric view? is it imposible or it cant achieve the art direction?

[@hopsys]

@@adroitws1367 Very hard to achieve in the art direction they went I assume, toon shaders on games normally don't look as nice as what you can fine tune in Maya or Blender before exporting to a 2d sheet

[@GrandHighGamer]

@@hopsys These aren't touched up (much) though. You'd only need to throw an outline shader on them, in theory. I expect keeping them detailed enough, skipping animation systems, and avoiding aliasing or other reasons.

[@stalkeler]

Damn, I thought all the game was drawn. So cool it's a 3D render

[@supergiantgames]

We use 3D renders so we can smoothly animate our characters from different angles! Though, Nyx usually likes to stay in her spot there.

[@Wiwiwab]

@@supergiantgames What are the advantages of turning the 3D model back into a series of sprites for in-game, as opposed to just having the characters be 3D models in-game too?

[@KillahMate]

@@Wiwiwab The less the camera moves, and the less the character moves, the more sense it makes to use sprites. In Hades the camera doesn't move at all, and being a hack&slash most characters have few enough animations to make rendering them in 3D a waste when a slightly animated picture will do. Arguably Zagreus is the only character in the game that might be worth actually rendering in 3D, as he has by far the most animations in the most different environments and circumstances.

[@Rotionpotion]

@@supergiantgames How many frames do you take per action?

[@bpikmin4130]

As people mentioned, pre-rendering gives better performance. This is important because it allows Supergiant to use HIGH QUALITY renders across ALL PLATFORMS. This means, for instance, Nyx looks pretty much the same on Switch, on a gaming PC, or on a laptop. Whereas with traditional 3D games, the textures used for 3D rendering (for instance) are usually lower resolution on lower-end platforms.

[@tanoyfrommars]

Please do more of these, these are so useful and inspiring for beginners

[@BrooklynKitty852]

I know! It's like woah, I have a lot to learn!

[@Marechacal31]

So cool that you did this, terribly helpful to anyone who would want to do fan arts.

[@Justagamerhere1]

Well if Paige is basing her models off Jen she is pretty much a fan artist. And a top teir one too boot.

[@princessjello]

And cosplayers hehehehe

[@Hlessirah]

@@princessjello My thoughts exactly......... (intensely staring at her rotating the 3D model to figure out how that dress works and how I can make it)

[@jedimasterpickle3]

I feel almost bad that Paige puts in so much effort into these 3D models when a lot of the detail is lost due to the camera perspective. This was a really cool video, and I'll definitely look closer at Nyx's model next time I talk to her. I tend to just look at the portraits and dialogue boxes...

[@SolantisA]

Trust me, it would be way more tedious to draw every frame of every animation for every character _and_ enemy by hand while trying to mach the quality of these renders. Yes, it can be done, of course, but I'm 100% sure that is a masochists wet dream or someones eternal punishment down in Tartarus :)

[@KitKat-sv9qp]

@@SolantisA of course, but it's still a shame we can't view the nitty gritty of these models, especially since they're so well made

[@TrySomeFish]

Holy wow! That 3d model is gorgeous. Barely even looks different from the 2d art. You all at SuperGiant are amazing!

[@Prizzlesticks]

"Modified Thanatoses" cracked me up for no discernable reason.

[@mungeons]

These models so insanely close to the illustration it’s insane. This modeler is supper talented.

[@joseartl]

Nyx "T" posing is probably the best thing i've seen this week

[@Lilian040210]

I mean, she's basically t-posing in game too, except for like, one arm xD

[@Hennesg]

I was waiting for her to say "and then I start animating the character" :D Shes doing so much work in different areas

[@gorgurus]

It absolutely baffles me how such a small team, studio and funding can consistently put out such flawless masterpieces like this. I have been hooked since bastion, but this game right here is basically perfect. Thank you so freaking much and please keep doing your work with the same dedication you have been doing it, I believe that's your secret!

[@adondriel]

Wow, i had no clue the game was actually rendered in 3D... Lol.

[@caramellpanda]

That’s the power of Substance Painter!! You don’t realise the characters in game are all 3D because of the way they were painted by Paige!! ❤️

[@KoylTrane]

That was me 9 years ago in the Bastion

[@letsgooo7713]

Same. I thought the characters and everything are hand-drawn, that's how good they are.

[@adondriel]

@@KoylTrane this must be why i have fallen in love with SGG's art style. Wish i could work there, but i do NOT have nearly enough experience to work with them.

[@AlphaQ73]

@@adondriel Same here, but if we keep working at our skills maybe one day we'll be working on a SGG project! If the world doesn't end before that lol

[@Sammiverrr]

wow that's insane! the 3D work in this game really inspires me to try new styles myself, especially painted on textures with shading emulating the 2D look! Curious if 3D character portraits were ever considered for the final game, since that would mean making new character portrait poses super easy, absolutely amazing!!!

[@supergiantgames]

We didn't consider 3D character portraits on this game since we love hand-painted ones, though someday, who knows? Some games have done an amazing job with stylized 3D character portraits that look virtually identical to their 2D counterparts, though with all the advantages you mention.

[@mikicandle]

Supergiant thank you! Is really cool of you to share so much of the development of the game, with early access, the no clip documentary and these little snippets on the channel. Seeing Paige's process and the comparison in the end to JenZee's concept was super cool! You guys have an amazing team, I hope to see more from each of you :D

[@w3ss3l88]

The models are incredibly detailed, I'd always assumed that there was less detail on them because you're looking at them from pretty far away

[@megatinystudio8111]

It kind of hurts that so much work was put into the model and then you only see it from a mile away. It's similar to the Runescape models you see artists put on their page. They've made this beautiful model, and then it gets rendered in the Runescape engine and looks like arse. Not saying Hades looks like arse btw, that game is beautiful.

[@w3ss3l88]

@@megatinystudio8111 i get what you mean. sometimes, in models, less is more. though the extra effort is always appreciated

[@chrispy_091]

So considerate of you guys to make the models so detailed, the game is basically future proofed against 16K resolution screens. Even then it might be hard to fully appreciate all the detail you guys put into those tiny characters on the screen.

[@DurdleDers]

"Night Mama Nyx." I'm sold.

[@nope8977]

awesome!! loved seeing the process for this. paige's models are so close to the portraits! if you're doing more of these types of videos id love to see a voiceover/process of the environment art!

[@tamerp0yraz]

Supergiant's love for every game they make is stunning. This kind of attention to details makes the game a product of love, and it is probably the reason why I'm on 230 hours of gameplay and the game is still fresh as the first hour. Models, animations, backgrounds, character designs, soundtrack and game mechanics fits each other better than lego bricks, and that makes the game one of the greatest teamwork of all the game production history.

[@StarGazer4003]

This is really interesting to watch and see how the modeling gets done. Enjoyed seeing a small peek into the work process for Hades, awesome stuff.

[@Whiteythereaper]

I didn't even realise that everything is 3D models, it all looks so clean that I thought it was 2D because of the detail in the textures blending it so well. Seeing them up close is really cool, it would make for some great animated shorts

[@godfatheralexander]

Are we gonna get a concept art walkthrough from JenZee? I can get on my knees if you so desire 😏

[@johnlwin2340]

YES PLS! Her art is amazing

[@luketns]

This would be incredible.

[@velstorios9473]

You seriously said such a pathetic thing? wow

[@flux1940]

@@velstorios9473 its a joke chill out. besides i would suck a fat one for beeing able to draw like jenzee so..

[@kaelgentile]

I'll get on my knees with you hahahaha Also, seriously thinking about asking him to draw me a personalized Hades tattoo, with Orpheus and Eurydice :p

[@izeg690]

Paige, you are amazing! This is such great work. I'm so amazed with how well you can translate Jen's art into a 3d model. Your models are EXACTLY like the portrait art, it's so stunning and impressive!

[@margotd2966]

Hi there! I'm a fellow 3D character artist. Really appreciate how clean and professional your work is. So inspiring 😍

[@MemorableMedia]

At every level Supergiant's art team is SO INCREDIBLY TALENTED I hope you're all showered in the praise and accolades your hard work so rightly deserves.

[@jackgarcia5926]

This channel is an absolute treasure trove of content, and I didn't even have to fight a horde of wretches to access it. It's amazing how transparent you are with your fans, don't ever stop being great Super Giant.

[@ChristopherAOBoyle]

YES supergiant behind the scenes is my JAMMMM Love you guysss!!!

[@ShikukuWabe]

Incredible work, Nyx is one of my favorites The accuracy between the 2D and 3D is amazing, can you elaborate why do you use pre-rendered characters for the game? Is it so the shading ingame doesn't get ruined by the in engine lighting?

[@johnlwin2340]

I don't remember there being much dynamic engine lighting in the game outside of Zagreus' shadow. Many of the characters you talk to are in the House of Hades as well, and the lighting for that area stays pretty much static for the entire game. Characters in that area (like Nyx) also dont actively move around, so my guess is having the characters there be pre-rendered mainly decreases unnecessary load time and improves framerate, since those characters don't require real time shadows/shading.

[@tempest_dawn]

My guess would be for performance. With prerendered sprites there's no runtime cost to additional detail in the model or texture (since the rendered image will be the same size regardless), but if it was all rendered in real time then it would significantly increase the hardware requirements of the game.

[@joechapman8208]

Amazing. Does it create a kind of team bonding, if that's not too weird a question? If I was the concept artist and handed it over to the 3D artist and saw this at the end, I think they'd have a piece of my heart forever.

[@atakiri]

This was really fascinating, thank you so much!!! (And thank you for picking Nyx, I do indeed love my Night Mom with all my heart ♡)

[@brofenix]

Very very cool! :) I love that Paige took the time to add details, like the neon-light detail, even though as she said it's very hard to see in-game. Dat passion.

[@pstuarts]

having all this quality content for free, feels like robbing. thank you so much!

[@BrianWohler]

Nyx is, by far, my favourite Hades character. I'm glad this overview used her as a model! ALL of the art in Hades is mind blowing--the characters, the music, the story... I love all of it. Well done team.

[@palladian2289]

The fact that this video exists just shows how much Supergiant cares about their games.

[@abagoffrozenspinach]

It's so cool to hear a member of a game's development team so obviously enjoy what they do, it sounds like y'all're treating your employees right unlike so many larger game devs who abuse and overwork their workers. Happy to support a team like yours.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

I love this. Thank you so much for a fantastic, beautiful game.

[@onidan7]

As a fan of Supergiant Games and an animation student, this feels likes a godsend. It's great knowing the process that goes into the making of the game. I loved watching the NoClip documentaries and I'll take every last bit of Supergiant creative process I can! Keep up the great work, you absolute madlads and madladettes!

[@Lumpyboyy]

this is rly cool, the models have just as much style as the 2d portraits

[@ChriSaito]

Super cool to see the process behind it all. I absolutely love being able to see behind the curtain on how games are made!

[@caroodraws]

This video made me realize HOW MUCH WORK went into this game, not only in the visual design department, but in the animation and production stuff like this. I'm more and more blown away by this game every time I play it.

[@wy4553]

WOW this looks exactly like the concept art. 8:20 I'm sure the artist was thrilled when she reviewed the finished model. :)

[@connorgartland1143]

Absolutely brilliant; Paige and the rest of the art team have really outdone themselves. Ya'll should be proud!

[@dahliaflair]

this is ridiculously cool and useful for someone like me starting to get close to the finish line on my animation major, this is exactly the area i want to dabble in. incredible stuff

[@kaizokuonii51]

Love that you went above and beyond, the 3D model is spot on! It's a real pity we don't get to see enough of it in-game. But this amount of care and love is what makes supergiant so great!

[@squallstar]

Woah I didn't expect this level of quality and craftsmanship for such small models. I'm really impressed! Well done!

[@kaliu6]

Ha! I DID see the neon flecks you mention and very much appreciated their presence, glad they were highlighted here, hehe! Awesome video and awesome work on the game you guys!

[@atroposgr]

My god, Hades has got to be one of the most gorgeous creations ever! GGWP @SuperGiantGames ! Thank you for the bottom of my heart for all the beautiful emotions I've experienced through your game. I love it!

[@RafaellePIERRE]

As a 3d student, this is amazing, I wish more game had those kind of making of video. Thank you so much, this is very impressing!

[@prometheus625]

These behind the scenes videos are awesome, thanks so much Supergiant!! 💚

[@troylowry4239]

Extremely talented That comparison at 8:20 looks amazing!

[@ghostwyrms]

This is so incredible!! As a 3d modelling student its always so so helpful and interesting to see other peoples' work process, I could watch videos about the process behind this game's assets all day... I adore Hades' artstyle and that 3d models can still have that charming 2d comic look to them is nothing short of inspiring and just plain cool to me. Thank you for sharing!

[@Philtho]

Beautiful job. I've only dabbled in 3D art and this is just amazing to me. The fact you can't tell it's 3D and retains the hand-drawn style shows how skilled you really are at doing this. Seriously, I'm blown away.

[@gamemakersjournal3072]

For like a hundredth time I'm amazed at the level of artistry of the whole Supergiant team. From concept to the final model it's just perfection! An this is also why I love game development in smaller teams. Paige is not only sculpting but doing the retopo and texturing and rigging. For me personally that is so much more rewarding then the more compartmentalized approach of the large game dev studios. Great job Paige and great job Supergiant Games

[@Teaisteshi]

Thank you so much for this video! Not a game design/animation worker but the addition of line work on models is something I’ve never thought of before!

[@Truckse]

The amount of detail on the 3D models is so nice! I'm glad we got to see Nyx up-close. Would love to see the rest!

[@NSilverwolf]

As an animation enthusiast who works in a different field of entertainment I LOVE these kind of moderately technical dives into work that really shows off just how much the technical and the creative come together to make something special. Congrats on another wonderful game and thanks for sharing your process so freely!

[@SharpEdgeSoda]

The way they paint the 3D models have so many vibes with tabletop mini model painting and I love it. Make something small on a table really pop, or, make a small 3D Model on a screen really pop.

[@bigrat4780]

this put a big smile on my face. the models are more detailed than I thought

[@katehachi]

I would love to have a in game library of the animated 3D models in Hades, I feel like Paige's work deserves to be appreciated more!

[@RobbieTilton]

fantastic work. fun to see the lighting is static and set in the texture. it's a great look

[@SageAsuka]

I love that you posted this. I studied as an animator so I'm roughly familiar with the process, but it was a treat being able to see the linework stylization on the models up close! Also very funny that the base models are all Than and Meg. Never would have guessed, but honestly makes sense.

[@sapphic_sophie]

Goodness gracious, these models are so wonderful. fantastic work all around, I am so blown away by this. You make substance look so easy, but it is a really incredible accomplishment to get all that detail done.

[@xrosethegreat9048]

WOW- I- that's so good-- I never even noticed all these details while I was playing- I'm definitely going to look closer at everyone's overworld sprites now, they're so detailed!!

[@Turbopasta]

pretty amazing how much of the final look just comes from textures. I use all 3 of the programs covered and mastering any of them takes forever so I understand exactly how much work this takes lol. Nice to see that the rigging process isn't too difficult at least, lord knows I've wasted far too many hours on rigging inefficiently. I'm definitely taking notes.

[@annoyingdog1023]

Thank you! This type of videos are really helpful and inspiring for new game developers

[@monsieur_zy]

It's a shame that we never get to see models from a closer perspective, giving all the work that has been put into them. Some sort of museum with a free cam would be great!

[@yuyiskis]

Thank you Paige. You are so talented OMFG plus you nailed the artwork and it looks absolutely beautiful ingame.

[@gnuwaves743]

Good on her for taking time to make this video!

[@alantremonti1381]

You guys are a bunch of geniuses over there, for real.

[@AvianBreak]

This just highlights how much talent, knowledge, and skill goes into making art. It is super well reflected in the game.

[@necrobooder]

Thanks a lot Paige, and thanks to the whole SGG team!

[@Nightmoore]

Your work is outstanding! Thanks for all the polish and effort you put into these characters. The game is a masterpiece.

[@Funnych88]

It‘s so cool to see the creation of a game I like so much in more detail. Thanks for taking the time to make this!

[@ThaMobstarr]

Please more of this! I love these insides in the creative process of your art!

[@cole69971]

as a student in 3D art, it's so awesome seeing videos like that from studios that makes games that we play and love. Thank you so much for making this

[@ZakDraper]

Wow. Gorgeous. Incredible work. I'm in awe!

[@goldenemperorofcurry]

Amazing work! I have no ideia how much detail this charactes have.

[@meg2115]

I totally thought this was a fan made model at first but holy heck its insane how wonderful you guys are for showing your work flow on the game.

[@ztoogemcducc6360]

I've been struggling with NPR work in Substance for a long time but turning off the shading and using ambient occlusion to see where the features are is literally genius

[@maverick_os]

I just got the game a a week ago and have pumped in 50 hours into the game, and I only just now realized that the characters were created as opposed to springing from the myths themselves. Great job creating such an intensely immersive game!

[@BluePandada]

that lineart layer reveal was *chefs kiss* so GOOD!

[@robertulbricht8125]

Fantastic work! I had no idea they were so detailed!

[@Duranvolt]

This is super awesome being able to see some of the technical and creative work, great job!

[@duderally]

Fantastic! Great line work and texture shading!

[@nettapollack8080]

Every such video I watch from you guys strikes me with awe of how much thought and effort were put into this game. I'm pretty sure 75% of the game's making was not a must for it to still be great... Like, there are so many things that did not have to be in Hades and people would still love it. Yet you've done it all anyway, and put so much heart into it - and it that! Hades as a game really is a divine treat for us the fans!

[@ItsAkile]

Thank you so much, figuring out a workflow without any insight is a bit rough. this helps a lot for what I was going for, beyond grateful and love you and the team's work. was gonna try something new and hand draw the majority but it may demand experience beyond me, the trial continues

[@adammarlow7768]

Very Talented Paige, I really appreciate seeing the workflow for this awesome game!

[@yarealno]

Great job! The details and the style are outstanding.

[@googplusisawful1922]

wowow such amazing work from the team!! great job Paige and Jen!! ❤️💖💜

[@TrikaArts]

WHAT A TALENT you honestly make this look easy which if anyone doesn't know 3D production pipelines, this is hard work matching 2D to 3D so well and perfecting the model GG

[@henriquegabriel798]

I love what you guys do with the black on the characters and scenery, it gives an dark effect to them its very awesome

[@andrewpower]

Such beautify work translating the 2D to the 3D, while you mention adding details that the player won't notice I think the spirit of that carries through and is represented in the "feel" of the world. The game has a quality to it that's hard to quantify. The art played a huge part in drawing me in and getting me invested. The game has a cohesion between sound, art, systems and gameplay that's hard to beat. Hats off to you all.

[@JP-mg5hy]

Nightmom is so wonderful. Stellar portrait art and stellar 3D artwork!

[@princessthyemis]

This is so fascinating!! I LOOOOVE Nyx's design and expression! She looks so regal!