Interview with Viva Piñata Lead Artist, Ed Bryan

The look of the game is important. What sort of atmosphere were you trying to create?
It was important to create a distinct look to the animals that populate the island. Using Piñatas as our inspiration gave us a way of presenting many different species of animals, but still tie them together with a single look. We have birds, mammals, reptiles, and insects, but they all belong to Piñata Island. Along with the unique style of the Piñatas, we also wanted to present a very solid and coherent world in which they live. The background environment and objects that fill that space have an incredible amount of detail, so when you are up close there are new things to see. The weather system is another important part of the island. It gives you bright sunny days, tranquil nights, thunderstorms, and early morning mist. Technically, we have tried extremely hard to push the machine too; the garden can become very full of characters, houses, and plant life, but the engine is able to draw all of it at 30fps. As a team we want to push what we are doing as much as we can.

What influences did you draw on when designing the look of the characters?
Our concept artist, Ryan, looked at the patterns and colours that are used on traditional piñatas. He also looked at a range of traditional mask designs and the whole look and feel of carnivals. All these influences were then mixed up in his head and spilled out onto his computer screen. The rumors that Ryan is unable to draw feet has nothing to do with the design of the Piñatas.

How did you get involved in games?
We were very lucky that my father bought the family a computer very early on—the Sinclair ZX81—and from then on we had a whole selection of machines in the house: the Atari VCS, Vic 20, and ST, the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, the BBC Micro, and the Commodore Amiga. I spent a lot of time making little games, drawing graphics, and generally playing with them. Just before I graduated I decided to apply for a job at Rare, and I’ve been here ever since.

What tools did you use to make the art for Viva Piñata?
The main software we use is Maya, it is a very impressive tool. We use it for modeling and animating all the characters. We also use Bodypaint 3D and Photoshop to create the textures. For editing particle effects we have in-game tools that the team have been developing since we finished Banjo-Tooie. Other packages that were used include DeepUV, Zbrush and Silo.

What’s the difference between creating art for a game as opposed to other types of art you’ve done?
Having studied product design, the only other “type of art” that I’ve really ever done is technical drawing, and illustrating/rendering furniture, packaging, and washing machines. The biggest difference is that, with game art, I don’t have to worry about how something is going to be manufactured. You aren’t concerned how much things are going to cost and how they would actually work.

Any advice for aspiring game artists?
Show a decent amount of work and look at what the developers who interest you actually produce. Your work needs to show that you can produce assets that are comparable to what is in the actual games. Your work should show not only that you have an eye for what looks good, but that you understand the technical side of 3D graphics.