Eye candy: the 2020 SpeedTree games reel
IDV has released its SpeedTree Games Reel 2020: a two-minute compilation of the latest work created with SpeedTree for Games, its 3D plant-generation tool and middleware solution.
Given the nature of vegetation in games, it’s a slightly curious experience: artists create stunningly detailed natural environments, only for them to vanish beneath the wheels of bikes and cars, and the feet of soldiers, horses and chocobos – or in extreme cases, rocket and meteorite strikes.
However, when they aren’t being trampled or exploded, the landscapes are very beautiful, and span a range of visual styles: both realistic and fantastic, low-res and ultra-detailed.
See how the 3D vegetation featured in the reel was created
Normally, when we post software demo reels, we link to technical breakdowns of the projects they cover, but in this case, IDV has done the job for us.
Its blog post about the showreel includes links to the ArtStation galleries of artists who worked on some of the key games, including Far Cry 5, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and The Division 2.
There’s a particularly nice breakdown by Ubisoft environment artist Pierre Afoumado, showing the development of 3D lianas from Ghost Recon Breakpoint.
Sadly, the reel doesn’t include on-screen credits, and we can’t find a full list of the games on show, but you can find a few hints in IDV’s comments on the YouTube video.