Okay, so today I wanted to mess around with creating some, like, winged creatures in my game. I’ve always been fascinated by things that fly, you know? So I thought, “Why not try to make some enemies with wings?”
First, I started by sketching out some rough ideas. I’m no artist, mind you, but I just wanted to get a general sense of the shape and size of these things. I pictured something kinda bat-like, maybe with a bit of a dragon vibe thrown in. Just quick doodles, nothing fancy.
Brainstorm and Design Phase
After that, I started looking for some references. I use different image searchs, you know the usual, and I check a lot of fantasy art and creature designs. I wanted to see how other people had tackled the whole “wing” thing. It’s surprisingly tricky to make them look believable, even in a stylized way.
I found a bunch of cool images, and I started to get a better idea of what I wanted. I decided to go for a more leathery, bat-like wing, rather than a feathered one. It just seemed to fit the overall aesthetic of my game better.
Modeling and Texturing
- With reference secured, I fired up my 3D modeling software.
- I blocked out the basic shape of the body first, just a simple, rough form.
- Then I created wings by extruding from the back.
The wings were definitely the hardest part. I spent a good chunk of time just pushing and pulling vertices, trying to get the shape right. I wanted them to look like they could actually support the creature’s weight, even if it’s all just pretend. It’s about that believable detail, you know?
Once I was happy with the basic model, I moved on to texturing. I wanted something dark and menacing, so I went with a lot of deep purples and blacks. I added some subtle details, like veins and wrinkles on the wings, to make them look more realistic. Or, well, as realistic as a fantasy creature can look.
Rigging and Animation
- Next up was rigging, basically giving the creature a skeleton so I could animate it.
- Added “bones” to the model.
This part was a bit tedious, to be honest. I’m not the best at rigging, but I managed to get a basic setup working. I made sure the wings had enough bones so I could create some decent flapping animations.
The animation itself was a lot of fun, but also a little tricky. I wanted the wings to have a nice, fluid motion, not too stiff or robotic. I watched a bunch of videos of bats flying to get a better sense of the movement. It’s all about those subtle details, like the way the wings fold and unfold.
Implementation and Testing
- Finally, I imported everything into my game engine.
- Set up some basic AI so, they fly.
Seeing it all come together was super satisfying. I tweaked the animations a bit, adjusted the AI, and added some sound effects. It’s still a work in progress, but I’m pretty happy with how it’s turning out. Now I have these creepy, winged creatures, all good and flying. Mission accomplished, I guess!
