How to easily make a still image of a fake 3D videogame?
May 24, 2019 1:15 PM   Subscribe

I am making a comic that has a panel that needs to be a fake 3D videogame first person view. Is there an easy method (free program, online application, another workaround) to make this sort of image that doesn't require tons of work learning a 3D modeling program?

Specifically it would be a first person view of a doctor interacting with a patient. Even it's just clipping different 3D images (office room, patient on a table, the doctors hands in first person) together it would work. It is supposed to look bad.
posted by bittermensch to Media & Arts (5 answers total)
 
Something like Surgeon Simulator 2013?
posted by a halcyon day at 1:35 PM on May 24, 2019 [2 favorites]


These visuals seem like they'd be a good source of inspiration too. Just pretend it's first-person with a team instead of being photos of people in goggles.
posted by teremala at 3:11 PM on May 24, 2019


Surgeon Simulator is indeed the closest game to what you describe. I would take a look at some Let's Plays of it, pause the video where the action lines up to more or less what you're looking for and then paint over a screenshot.
posted by subocoyne at 3:17 PM on May 24, 2019


Video game graphics these days tend to photorealism. Cf. this graphic showing depictions of Lara Croft over time. Within a comic book, it'd be hard to distinguish "cartoon version of reality" from "cartoon version of a video game."

But if you want something to hit most readers as a video game, you could lean on the graphics of 10 years ago or so. You can probably simulate that with some Photoshop filters. Or draw your surgeon scene (maybe with disembodied surgeon's hand) and smoothly airbrush everything to get that early-3D-modeled look.
posted by zompist at 8:34 AM on May 25, 2019


Not a specific program recommendation, but as a general approach to the problem, “2.5D graphics” may be something to consider. You can do this easily in Photoshop with “layers” (and layers are a common feature of most drawing programs today).
posted by doctor tough love at 9:12 AM on May 25, 2019


« Older Can't-abis   |   Looking for web-based email forwarding product Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.