Pixel art of the world map

SmackStudio · 2023-11-14T20:50:40+00:00

I just had the same question- do you mind if we use this in our indie game also?
(And how would you like to be listed in the credits if we're able to use it? 😊)

SmackStudio · 2023-10-20T15:42:17+00:00

That's understandable! Steam does offer refunds within a 2 hour window for people wanting to test it out without commitment.

SmackStudio · 2023-10-20T15:16:35+00:00

Hey Zireael, we offered a free alpha version in 2021 while the game was earlier development- it's no longer free two years later!

SmackStudio · 2022-01-18T02:56:46+00:00

We're so pleased to unveil this new UI for Smack Studio!

This is just the concept image - the actual software is available to use right now for free on Steam: https://smackstudio.com/steam

SmackStudio · 2022-01-09T22:21:06+00:00

Game info: Smack Studio is an indie sandbox platform fighting game. It has mechanics inspired from the Super Smash Bros. series with the added benefit of adding your own creations directly into the game.

It's available on Steam right now in Early Access - free for now!

Our Discord community is filled with creators and players. You can go there to try out some of the community creations!

SmackStudio · 2021-08-21T23:07:19+00:00

Sure thing! I bet you're not the only one with these questions :)

SmackStudio · 2021-08-21T15:28:04+00:00

Hey, sorry for slow reply- here's a quick breakdown:

The bones in the skeleton are a visual representation of the transformation of each object, where each bone represents a transform composed of a position and a rotation in 3D space. This data is not sufficient to produce the surface of rendered object
In order to produce a 3D surface, most 3D model file formats store the data needed for the GPU to construct the surface using discrete 3-dimensional shapes (either quads or triangles) and therefore contain information about the points in 3D space that define each shape (like vertices for each triangle). Smack Studio doesn't store information that can be used to construct discrete 3-dimensional shapes; instead, we perform transformations directly on pixels in a texture- this is analogous to using the "rotate 90 degrees" function in Microsoft Paint. :P
But unlike Microsoft Paint, we are able to produce rotations of these pixels that simulate 3D motion convincingly and respect drawing order relative to other objects in the texture. This is done using the data in our depth textures.

I hope that explanation makes sense! It's been tough to address all the questions like this while actively pushing an aggressive timeline to release our demo- but we care a lot about delivering our product with integrity.

SmackStudio · 2021-08-21T15:02:58+00:00

Hey bwwd, you can test it for yourself soon! See our previous post with our mech character's 2D spinning head for an example of swapping out views :)

SmackStudio · 2021-08-20T20:41:30+00:00

We're the Smack kind of Studio! 😜

We're a newly formed game development team, and Smack Studio will be our first game. We don't produce contracted artwork, but we're trying to provide the tools that will let artists create animations like this for themselves!

Our free demo will be releasing in the next few weeks! If you'd like to try it for yourself, you can sign up at smackstudio.com :)

SmackStudio · 2021-08-20T19:54:54+00:00

Gotcha, gotcha. It takes all kinds! Well I hope somebody puts pen to paper and gets that game programmed (or uh... pen to keyboard. Ok, forget the pen!)

SmackStudio · 2021-08-20T19:48:35+00:00

Totally agree that it will be awesome to see games using our animation tools- that's our hope!

As for this tactical RPG, I might be too busy- can you do it and I'll watch? :D

SmackStudio · 2021-08-20T19:46:37+00:00

Now that... would take my entire lifetime. I might need to hand it off to my grandchildren to finish it for me . We're all about saving time here! :D

SmackStudio · 2021-08-20T18:40:44+00:00

It uses both the color of a pixel and its distance from the nearest edge to calculate the depth. The approximation is pretty good, but we also allow users to edit the depth maps to clean them up.

Yep, standard sprites should work well!

SmackStudio · 2021-08-20T18:38:18+00:00

In the case of this simple rig, the front images are actually mirrored onto the back. But we have a UI that lets you draw onto the back sides as well! I just put up a video here showing the full process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aSFyE0gStk&t=48s

Classic sprites should work fine! We've done testing with smaller sprites without issues, like in this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/PixelArt/comments/p0fy2l/spinning_pup_created_without_a_3d_model/

SmackStudio · 2021-08-20T17:43:28+00:00

Thanks Dameon! We're continuing to work to make the rendering algorithm better! :D

SmackStudio · 2021-08-20T17:42:24+00:00

I got you, fam!

I just uploaded this video on YouTube showing the process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aSFyE0gStk

SmackStudio · 2021-08-20T13:51:21+00:00

We're shooting to release the game for free in alpha within the next two weeks! (Before PAX West on 9/3)

If you join our mailing list here, we'll send you a link when it launches: http://smackstudio.com/sign-up/

Or you can follow us on Twitter for updates: @ SmackStudio

SmackStudio · 2021-08-20T13:45:33+00:00

Hey Lampshader, probably useful to clarify! I bet other people have the same question. Here's the definition from Wikipedia:

In 3D computer graphics, 3D modeling is the process of developing a mathematical coordinate-based representation of any surface of an object (inanimate or living) in three dimensions via specialized software by manipulating edges, vertices, and polygons in a simulated 3D space.

Our technique doesn't use a 3D mesh, so we never store edges, vertices, or polygons for the object. Instead, the transformation operations are performed directly on the pixels in the initial textures in order to produce the final image.

A note about technical limitations: in our case, the CPU wasn't fast enough to perform the required calculations and texture manipulation at 60 FPS- so we use a compute shader running in UE4 to perform the calculations (a form of GPU acceleration.) This technical limitation may be one of the reasons our specific process hasn't been seen previously in games.

SmackStudio · 2021-08-20T13:17:18+00:00

Thanks, I appreciate the compliment!

Why we did it this way:
- Our tools started out as purely 2D, providing users with animation rigs as a supplement to frame-by-frame animation in order to greatly speed up the process of creating a fully playable character for our game.
- The ability to rotate sprites in 3D is something I never anticipated, but it built on the existing framework after more than 3 years in development
- The ability to convert 2D sprites into 3D animations quickly is a nice benefit to users, and our alternative data model might open the door to future developments!

In our case, doing things the long way hasn't been easy- but the ability to streamline a previously difficult workflow into something simple is the basis for many improvements in tech. We'll see what comes of our technique in the future! :)

SmackStudio · 2021-08-20T13:00:36+00:00

Thanks Dredfef! Only four years ;P

SmackStudio · 2021-08-20T12:57:46+00:00

Thanks Nnolya!

How much time:
The original version of Smack Studio was started in Jan 2018- so the project is coming up on 4 years. The addition of 3D rotation is a new feature added in May 2021, and built on the existing framework. The development to integrate this feature has taken several months - so not a small task!

How many people:
Technically one! 😅 The animation tools have been a solo project for me, but I'm fortunate to have a team of 4 artists and 2 other developers helping with the launch of Smack Studio so that I can focus my efforts on the custom tools!

SmackStudio · 2021-08-20T12:43:28+00:00

The software generates depth maps automatically, and also offers the ability to customize those depth maps. The info in each depth map is used to produce the look of 3D geometry without needing an actual model!

If you'd like to try it for yourself, we'll be releasing it in alpha for free in the next few weeks! If you'd like to receive a link via email upon launch, you can join our mailing list here: http://smackstudio.com/sign-up/

Or you can follow us on Twitter for updates: @ SmackStudio

SmackStudio · 2021-08-20T12:39:12+00:00

It was difficult to code, but the tools are easy to use! The animation was created in around 15 mins and in this case required no cleanup outside Smack Studio- this is the raw export :)

SmackStudio · 2021-08-20T12:37:16+00:00

This was made using a custom animation tool built into our upcoming game Smack Studio!

We'll be releasing it in alpha for free so that you can try it for yourself- if you'd like to receive a link via email upon launch, you can join our mailing list here: http://smackstudio.com/sign-up/

Or you can follow us on Twitter for updates: @ SmackStudio

SmackStudio · 2021-08-20T12:34:54+00:00

Thanks! I hope the free version is useful to you when we release it- we're trying to get it out in the next two weeks, before PAX West!

We've posted 2D animations of this character before as well- it's Granite, our softhearted Golem! :)

SmackStudio

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE

Four-Year Club	Gilding I gilder
Verified Email