Worldbuilding

The process of constructing a world, originally an imaginary one

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Developing all the little things a world consists of, and make them authentically fit together: this is Worldbuilding.

Coverart, early atmospheric worldbuilding

Tides (The Colony)

Capsule Design Studies

Tides, The Colony

Capsule Design Studies

Tides, The Colony

Hero Rifle, Prop Design

Tides, The Colony

Biometer, Prop Design

Tides, The Colony

Tugboat, Final Design

Tides, The Colony

Worldbuilding with Concept Art

There are many different types of concept art, which can be used to create a particular part of the world. I have categorized the most common ones, even though there is no final agreement on what these image types are called. It does help to be on the same page, so this is my definition of them:

Simple Sketch

used only for quick explanation

Layout Sketch

usually a map or plan for organization

Storyboard Frame

mostly used to organize narrative and time

Value Sketch

compositional study of the final concept illustration. It is recommended using these for every elaborate painting

Explanatory Concept

shows how something works with almost no regard to the visual design

Costume Design

focusses on the costume and character

Prop Design

Props are often overlooked, but they are the main assets which tell the viewer the rules of the world. It takes a lot of time to invent a fuctioning prop, so there are sometimes more the 20 versions, before something actually gets build.

Atmospheric Concept

This type of concept foccuses on lighting and mood and is usually done in earlier phases of production

Moods and References

A collection of inspiring images

Pitch Illustrations

These are used in the very beginning of a project to try and catch the interest of an investor or sell a particular idea

Technical Concept

serves the purpose of clearly showing a function, of how something is supposed to work. These are usually for art directors

VFX Concepts

These usually happen after the end of shooting to help the post production team to understand the actual design, so they can incoorporate the cg elements