Bayonetta Scene - Making off
Several people asked me about the models, scenes or how I made them so I decided to post the entire process of making one single animation. From the very beginning to the time I upload the image in a few steps. Please notice this is my personal method. I am sure there are lots of different alternatives.
First is owning the game, looking for a script/tool/etc and extract all of its files. It depends on the engine and many other variables. It takes a lot of time but it is also fun to do.
Once you have all the files it is time to sit down and search for the ones you want. I really enjoy doing this, specially for those games I played a lot. You can find how they are made and find a lot of easter eggs or hidden treasures.
Props, backgrounds, special effects or textures are a must if you want to recreate the feeling of the game. I love it when you see an image and you can see its universe inside it.
Now comes a more technical part. It is time to export the models again in a format which can be opened by a 3D editing software. I personally use 3D Studio Max with several plugins. Like in the start, it always depends on the game you are working on, so you will have to retexture the models, create/delete bones, scaling and a LOT of testing.
After all that, you have to compile the model into SFM using a .qc file. Convert again the textures into .vtf and test the model again. As many times as possible. It is almost like trying to emulate the original game on a totally different engine
You can forget now about all the previous programs. Its SFM time and setting up the scene with the models, props and scenaries you ported. If you are a creative person, this is another of the steps you are going to enjoy a lot.
Now you have the posing, angle and lightning you can animate and render the scene. All the extra bones you created or clothes and bodygroups are really useful now.
And we finally arrive to the final part. The post-processing. I use Photoshop for this. I like to adjust the colors, brightness or saturation and of course, not forgetting about adding my signature and the original HUD of the game. Then, saving it and its finally ready to upload.
And yes, all this work just for a 1-2 seconds animation. But it is worth it.