We wanted to give you the behind the scenes of how our levels are built. Today we will show you have post processing improves the look and quality of Buluk.
Here is what an environment looks like without any post processing.
First we use a plugin called SSAO Pro for an Ambient Occlusion pass which adds in more light and shadow information. This adds more depth to environment, given them a more realistic appearance. The first image below shows what pure Ambient Occlusion looks like. The second image is what it looks like added on.
Next we use Scion Post Processing to add effects such as Bloom, Depth of Field, exposure adjustment, and tonemapping. The lighting greatly improves from this.
Lastly, we use Beautify which enhances the details within environments.
As a bonus, below is what a level look like with and without texture maps.
The texture maps are what contains the all of the details and colors for an object. Otherwise it the game will just look grey like below.
We hope that this article has given you more insight into the development of visuals within video games.
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