Simplified the model in advance of texturing this morning, and applied some quick textures just for testing. I have to fix the model for the struts — in game they have a flared and beveled collar. Not really noticeable unless it isn’t there. The whole WCC was sculpted to make it more organic.

I doubt the developers use CSG (Constructive Solid Geometry) for the actual object. CSG objects are made by adding and subtracting geometric solids, like cubes, spheres and cones, and are notoriously slow to render. Games use models that have been exported as meshes, then use textures, bump maps and normal maps to add detail.

I haven’t worked with that stuff since I did a presentation for AstraZeneca back in the 90s, using Inspire 3D. There’s a game I want to write for Areae’s MetaPlace that will use 3D animation, and I’ll want to use more traditional mesh geometry for those objects, so maybe I’ll see if I can mesh this up using Blender or some other free 3D modeler.

But first to finish it using CSG.

It’s amazing to have a chance to really examine a game object like this in depth. This isn’t white; it’s cream, a warmer color by far. There’s very little contrast between the different parts. The object is designed and colored to seem natural and organic, which is just what you want, given the WCC’s role in the Portal story. An object you can accept as being, in some way, alive.