Toon or realistic type for 3d models?

My question is for game developers. But if your an artist your feed back would be great too.

I'm trying to find out if game developers prefer cartoon models or the more realistic type. Either one is hand painted. The realistic type would be PBR textures. The cartoon might contain only a diffuse, but a normal map would be included. Which is preferred. I know unity3d ships by stock without the cell shader. And unity3d has cell shaders but they don't use normal maps.

It takes a long time it make just one model. I don't have time to experiment to find out. So I am asking game developers what they want from game models.

 

If you're asking in order to determine which type of model to produce, people on the forums are not necessarily the ones that would be buying assets. I can give my opinion, however.

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I, personally, prefer a style that does not try to achieve photorealism and is simplified. At the extreme, this:

Is preferable to this:


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So, simplified, toon, or lowpoly. The key word is "simplified", because "non-photorealistic" does not automatically mean "toon",. and "toon" implies specific style or proportions.

For example, this:


(Orwell)
Is not "Toon"

This is also not toon:
.

(This is Police 2)
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WIth realistic model type, texture work and sculpting will cost you. If you're model creator, then if you produce a high fidelity model, then the buyer will have to find the rest of the assets that match your quality, which will be costlier.

The important thing is that toon style does not mean you won't be using pbr. There's no strong reason to stick with blinn-phong model for toon style. For example, this is likely running on a pbr shader:



Other example of non-photorealisitc style with PBR:


(Ashen)

This is also done on unreal and could be running on PBR:

(Rime)
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Additionally "cartoon style" can be done with normalmaps and high detail. Example:

(Dragon Quest 11)

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So, basically:

I see high fidelity details as pointless, and as a result prefer something that is not chasing realism and is simplified.

However, in a situation with simplified visuals, using PBR shader can be a good idea. (no point in trying to blinn phont).

The exception is situation when you try to emulate a very specific look. For example:

Spoiler

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhGjCzxJV3E

Those guys were chasing anime aesthetic, and given that it is a fighting game, there are no things like dynamic shadows or light sources. The shader is non-pbr.

 

You'll probably get as many answers as people who post.

I like cartoony characters and style but with PBR surface properties. That Dragon Quest 11 video that neginfinity posted is a good example. Also games like Yooka Laylee, the new Spyro-the-Dragon Trilogy remake, and Overwatch fall in to that category.

I try to make my own characters (so I don't generally buy characters on the Asset Store) but I often buy modular environment assets that suit this style. To a certain degree I can adapt both realistic and toony assets to my style, by making adjustments to the materials. If the materials are not PBR, then I can make my own Metal/smoothness maps if I need to. I always prefer normal maps, though, because I have trouble making those on my own.

for example, the screenshots that I posted here:
https://forum.unity.com/threads/wip-small-works-art-thread.145172/page-148#post-4405714
The environment was made using mostly the following:
https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/3d/environments/fantasy/top-down-caves-environment-125253
https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/3d/environments/cave-formations-93820
https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/3d/environments/landscapes/stylized-rocks-91686

I bought these assets because they are all in that borderline zone where they're not cell-shaded toony, but also not completely realistic either. I did not use any of the assets as-is, though. I like everything to be smoother, shinier and more brightly-colored than real life.

 

It probably makes sense for you as a business person to go with a the style you can output more quickly at a higher quality. There is a market for both styles.

If you need a special shader to make your models look attractive enough to buy, include it in the package.

 

thank you for the feedback. I will have to think about which direction I want to take my art.

 

@Chrisasan as solo developer, focusing on realistic graphic is road to kill the project at its infancy. You will most likely focus on graphics, before you start work on mechanics, gameplay and whats most important, fun factor.
Most graphics can be updated at later time, if is feasible. But focusing on graphics from the start, killed many x many projects.

Personally I would play again Another World in its own Amiga-sh time art style, with its good gameplay, rather than boring 3D shader sparkly walking simulator, resembling reboot of classic Another World title.

 

I think the biggest problem with much more realistic graphics is that it can be very limiting, so you have to consider the gameplay that you want. Consider this: DOOM in 2016 running on the latest hardware can only pack a fraction of the enemies in a room as 1993 DOOM running on a 286. Rendering a 100,000 poly fully rigged model with shaders that do a dozen passes takes a lot of power where a 5000 poly cartoon shader costs very little.

I much prefer a game that looks like Quake and runs buttery smooth no matter how much crap is on screen than something that looks like Halo 5 with a choppy framerate. I’d also rather gun down 50 enemies at once than kill five at a time ten times because the engine can’t handle more than that.

 

There is no preference, its based on what your project needs which in turn is based on the art direction and research into art styles and shaders etc.

Toon art style can be made up of toon modelling style, toon texturing style, toon shading style etc. Or a combination of these.

Its just not as simple as "toon or realistic". Those are really broad categories each with a number of major sub categories etc.

If your doing this to either sell or have a good portfolio, your better off making what you are good at and can make look great rather than what you think is needed but you may not have understanding of. Your more likely to achieve success that way.

Every type of asset style is needed by a project somewhere on this planet right now, so its down to what you can make attractive and visible and accessible not what is "prefered".

 

need bigger sample for better idea. ultimately answer is depends on developer and game they target.

 

I've noticed Synty are doing pretty well with their lowpoly art packages. A few other publishers are doing well in similar styles.

I think that in the end the problem is that if you have a realistic style, it's very hard to create something that will go with it to fill a gap. But with one of Synty's packs, even though they are skillfully made even a noob artist could make a simple object that doesn't look horribly out of place alongside it, and it wouldn't be hard to modify proportion and form either.