New art for use in mods

Our own modmaster, rroyo, has created some more art that might be useful if you make a mod about an art thief from the future, or just want to add an automobile that fits the Arcanum setting better than the one available in Car Arcanum.
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<br>The new art files are, together with flipped version, available in our <a href=http://terra-arcanum.com/phpBB/dload.php>Downloads section</a>, or you could simply use these links:
<br><a href=http://www.terra-arcanum.com/downloads/arcanum/art/Paintings01.zip>Paintings01.zip</a> - 10 new medium to large paintings and flips for them all.
<br><a href=http://www.terra-arcanum.com/downloads/arcanum/art/Bates_Autocarriage.zip>Bates_Autocarriage.zip</a> - a tractor-trailer styled steam-powered automobile sized for humans. A flip version is included.
<br><a href=http://www.terra-arcanum.com/downloads/arcanum/art/Time_Machine.zip>Time_Machine.zip</a> - George Pal's vision of the Time Machine is now yours to play with. Do Eloi and Morlocks reside in the ruins of Vendigroth? Only time will tell. Scaled for humans with right and left views.
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<br>Also available in the <a href=http://terra-arcanum.com/phpBB/dload.php>Downloads section</a> are the art-files he has created in the past, among others, a couple of hobbit holes, a lighthouse, and a Stonehenge-like ring. Check them out if you haven't already!
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<br><b>Good job rroyo!</b>

 

Once again, that's really good work, rroyo. There's definitely a lack of quality new art, and this is way better than I could do. I think you're definitely improving, too. Can't wait to see what's next!

 

Well.... If you really can't wait - I just finished these antique scrolls:



The Free Bany quest needed some scroll fragments and I figured the other three might be useful somewhere down the line.

I'll be starting on some posters and small signs next.

 

Nice!

It's too bad there's no way to get the source data for Troika's art, like the 3-d models I assume were used to create the different instances of weapon art, like the inventory, paper doll, schematic item, and schematic image. It seems like you're doing pretty well, though. How did you manage to get a lot of that art as close to Arcanum's art? And what do you use to edit images, photoshop?

 

Thanks D.E. !

team a: Glad you like them.

I find a lot of my art at the various 3-D modeling sites, like Meshbox, Renderocity, Renderotica, and any links I happen to check out. Once in a while I'll find something that was rendered at the right angle for use in the game - like most of the halfling structures and the wagons.

Other things, like the paintings, started as jpeg thumbnails from a web search for things like antique paintings. I use alltheweb.com for that as the thumbnails are only about half again too large. The less I have to shrink, the better the finished product looks.
Vintage sign and poster sites are also a goldmine for era-suitable stuff. Art.com is a good example.

Still more comes from various miniature gaming supply sites - like the stucco-fronted hobbit-holes. Again, it all depends upon the angle the photo was taken at that determines if it can be used or not.

Now, the autocarriage is a noteworthy exception to these rules as it began as a photo of a restored French (?) vehicle. I forget the real name of it, but I seem to recall it being French-sounding. Finding a usable pic of that thing was a real lucky find. Another stroke of luck was what Photoshop did to the picture during conversion. It gave the picture an almost-cartoony look that was just about perfect. Some careful color-swapping and... Viola!

And - There are a few things that I was able to use screenshots from Fallout for - The roofless well, the safari tents, the freestanding signs, and the stone head in particular. Another potential game-source for items is Age of Empires, but like Fallout, you'll have to sort through a hundred screenshots to find one usable item. AoE art is too blocky as a rule. But, I found some canoes and a ziggarat that will work.

For conversion, I do use Photoshop a lot, but I also make use of MS Paint and Photo Pro. I prefer the way Paint allows for skewing the artwork over the drag-and-guess that Photoshop offers, and the resize and fine-tune sharpening effects that Photo Pro has is easier to use than Photoshop's. I wish Photo Pro had decent skewing. I'd quit using Paint.

Basically, I just find something that looks interesting, then do what I can with what I've got.

Edit: To get the new art to approximate the original stuff, I've made several screenshots and unpacked a number of .art files for color comparison and sizes.
Also - For a general rule of thumb, start by darkening your original picture by 30% to offset Arcanum's brightness. Brighter pictures may need more and dark subjects may need a bit less, but 30% is usually good.
Scenery items then gets skewed 27 degrees to match the game angle. I haven't quite figured out the top-down roll yet, but that's coming.
Do these two steps before you convert to 256 color. You'll get a better finished result.

It's all time-consuming, but rewarding.