Tag: game environments

Conceptualising Environments: Layers, Depth of Field and Design Theory for Different Genres

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To conceptualise an environment means to develop the idea of a place before building it: who is there, what happens there and how it should feel. Once the idea is clear, artists build the environment in layers (foreground, midground and background), use depth of field to guide the eye, and apply design theory so the place suits its genre.

This lesson builds on three earlier posts, so it stays short: Layers of an Environment and Perspective Drawing, Colour Theory, Texture, Composition and Layout and Environment Design for Game Genres and Creating Digital Artwork.

Step 1: Write an environment brief

Answer these questions in a few lines before you draw:

  • Purpose – what happens here in the story or gameplay?
  • Inhabitants – who lives here or passes through?
  • Time and weather – dawn or midnight, dry season or storm?
  • Mood – safe, tense, magical, lonely?
  • Focus – what should the viewer notice first?
  • Genre and audience – who is it for?
  • References – photos, sketches and research from real places and cultures.

Then draw several small, quick thumbnails and choose the strongest before starting a final piece.

Step 2: Create the layers

Draw the foreground, midground and background on separate layers or in separate files so they can be moved independently for parallax scrolling, camera moves or compositing. Two useful rules:

  • Atmospheric perspective – distant objects look lighter, bluer and less detailed because of the air between us and them.
  • Value separation – give each layer its own range of light and dark so the layers do not blend together. Keep the strongest contrast where the action is, usually in the midground.
Painted forest scene with dark trees in front, silhouetted characters on a log bridge and a glowing sky behind
Figure 1 – Concept art for Sprite Fright. Dark trees frame the foreground, the characters cross a log bridge in the midground, and a bright sky fills the background.
Layers of mountain ridges fading into a hazy sunset sky
Figure 2 – Atmospheric perspective in real life: each ridge of the Great Smoky Mountains looks paler and bluer the further away it is.

Step 3: Use depth of field

Depth of field is the range of distances in an image that appear sharp. A shallow depth of field keeps only one distance in focus and blurs the rest; a deep depth of field keeps almost everything sharp. In 3D animation, a virtual camera can blur objects that are out of focus. In 2D, artists blur the foreground or background layers by hand. Many games add depth-of-field blur in cutscenes and menus. In every case the goal is the same: guide the viewer’s eye to what matters.

Row of wooden alphabet blocks with only the front blocks in sharp focus
Figure 3 – Shallow depth of field: only the nearest letter blocks are sharp, so they grab our attention.
Row of wooden alphabet blocks all in sharp focus
Figure 4 – Deep depth of field: the same blocks with the whole row in focus.

Step 4: Apply design theory for the genre

Design elementFriendly (pre-school, cosy)Tense (horror, thriller)Epic (fantasy, sci-fi)
ShapesRound, soft, chunkySharp, broken, leaningTall verticals, huge scale, strong geometry
ColourWarm, bright, saturatedDark, desaturated, one sickly accentRich contrasts, glowing accents
LightSoft, even daylightLow light, deep shadows, flickerDramatic light shafts and silhouettes
CompositionOpen, clear pathsNarrow, blocked viewsWide vistas with a distant landmark

Example

Game concept: Mangrove Rescue, a friendly adventure set in a mangrove swamp inspired by Trinidad’s Caroni Swamp, home of the scarlet ibis. Brief: the player paddles a small boat to free trapped animals before sunset. Foreground: dark, slightly blurred mangrove roots and leaves frame the view. Midground: the water channel and the player’s boat, sharp and with the most contrast. Background: pale hills and a flock of scarlet ibis in a warm orange sky, softened by haze. Round leaf shapes and warm colours keep it welcoming for young players.

In this Pixar in a Box video, members of Pixar’s camera team show how the choice of lens changes what is in focus, and how their virtual cameras copy real ones:

Exercise

  1. Watch an animation or play a game. Identify the foreground, midground and background in one scene, and say whether depth of field is used.
  2. In a group, choose a theme and write an environment brief for a game concept.
  3. Draw three thumbnails, choose one, and create the final environment with the foreground, midground and background on separate layers.
  4. Show depth of field by blurring or simplifying the layers that are not the focus.
  5. Redesign the same place for a different genre by changing the shapes, colours and lighting.

Next: What Is Concept Art? How to Create Concept Art for Your Animation or Game Project

Syllabus link: This post is relevant to the CAPE® Animation and Game Design Syllabus, Unit 1: Fundamentals of Animation and Game Design, Module 3: Story and Character Development – Specific Objective 7 (“conceptualise an environment”); Specific Objective 8 (“create environmental layers for backgrounds, midgrounds and foregrounds”); Specific Objective 9 (“apply design theory to create environments for particular genres”).

Attributions to media used in this post:

Sprite Fright-concept art-group.png – Vivien Lulkowski / Blender Foundation – CC BY 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Clifftops4-7-07.jpg – Aviator31 – Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)

Dof blocks f1 4.jpg – Alex1ruff – CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Dof blocks f22.jpg – Alex1ruff – CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

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