Forza Horizon 3

What I did

As Senior Art Director at one of Dhruva’s Studios in India, I was invited by the Forza team to explore ways to streamline their asset pipeline and speed up car creation. My focus was on the challenge of accurately capturing engines, which are particularly tricky due to their high contrast, intricate details, and issues like glass and reflections. Traditional photogrammetry struggles with these factors, but I experimented with filming engines and using high-contrast images for photogrammetry software.

I developed a method to average out contrast variations and pull usable image data from video, all using affordable software. This approach cut engine modeling time by two-thirds, allowing the team to create detailed assets more efficiently without sacrificing quality.

What is Forza Horizon 3?

Forza Horizon 3 is an open-world racing game developed by Playground Games and published by Microsoft Studios in 2016. Set in a beautifully diverse, fictionalized Australia, Forza Horizon 3 offers a massive landscape with varied environments, from coastlines and rainforests to deserts and outback. Players manage the Horizon Festival, an in-game car and music festival, which gives them control over event creation and vehicle customization as well as the opportunity to build their festival following.

The game is notable for its expansive open world, stunning visuals, and dynamic weather and lighting, which bring the Australian landscape to life. It features a vast car roster of over 350 vehicles, ranging from sleek supercars to off-roaders and buggies, allowing players to explore and race across varied terrains with different handling requirements.

One unique aspect of Forza Horizon 3 is its multiplayer options, where players can team up in cooperative gameplay or compete in traditional races and challenges. This title also introduced the “Blueprint” feature, which enables players to create custom race events that friends and other players can join.

Trailers

Final Cars

Links