Dragon Age: Inquisition

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Out of everything you created for the game, what is your favorite asset and why?

Aaron Dibbs: Working on the giant was a very fun process; lots of people -- from Concept to Animation to Design -- really got behind the giant and it was great trying to achieve the goals that people had in mind with him. Also, having a creature that was not much smaller than a dragon is a fun challenge, because you really have to start thinking about the details when a foot on a giant is bigger than the player. This means that when the camera gets close, he has to hold up to the detail that's needed with that size. There is also the matter of how the model deforms as it moves becoming more important the larger it gets, making sure it can hold up to all the extreme motion that the animations will go through.

Francis Lacuna: The High Dragon. I had the fortuitous opportunity to work closely with Tom Rhodes and the concept team to define the Inquisition dragon appearance and anatomy. Reworking the old Dragon Age: Origins model was the most fun experience I've had at BioWare. And ZBrush was a big help with that process.

Patrik Karlsson: I had a blast working on dragons for obvious reasons. For one thing, they are big and mean. But it was also because we had a lot of freedom in coming up with the design. I started dragons on DA:I week (time dedicated to developing a personal project that could make marked improvements within the DA:I universe) so obviously it's something I had a lot of passion for.

Same goes for Iron Bull. The design of this guy was very compelling to me in both complexity and personality. During the first DA:I week I started on his head. Eventually I did everything from modelling/texturing him and his outfits to his helm and one of the weapons he was using.

Another clear favorite for me to make was the Inquisitor warrior outfit that was later modified to be able to go on any race/gender and ended up being on the cover of the game.

Uri So: My main work was making faces and hair for the followers and some of the NPCs. My favorite assets are the faces of Samson, Dorian, and Cullen. The Last Inquisitor was also an attractive character.

Samson is not normal and looks like someone who is drunk because of his red, tired eyes. He also has little hair. He's not a usual handsome character so it was interesting for me to make him.

Also Dorian's concept is based on someone who takes a great deal of pride in their personal appearance. I wanted to express someone who is deliberately handsome. For example, his carefully arranged moustache and hair.

I know Cullen has many fans and he is a general. I wanted to make him handsome and make him look like someone who has power. It's an enjoyable time when I make character faces because I consider the history of the characters.

Also in the case of the Last Inquisitor, the curve and strict lines match well with the armor. There are also a variety of choices to customize the armor. I used a variety of materials such as leather, metal and cloth for the armor. I also made the arms and chests have decorative looks.

Ramil Sunga: My favorite asset in the game is the one the user creates. We have a much more extensive head system for you to customize your character, and there are endless combinations of features for you to make your character unique. I always spend more time than I should in the character creation system; I can't help but feel immediately attached to my character.

Rion Swanson: Vivienne was my favorite simply because I love her concept design, and I was able to build the entire character from head to toe. One of the challenges was planning (and making the necessary adjustments to) the bitpacks and the base outfits. Some of her armor bits are small and therefore less obvious when you change between them. Overall, I'm happy with the character -- especially in terms of shapes and form. Tech Animation did a nice job on her cloth, too. In the end, I think she could use a little more variety in bitpack parts to differentiate them better and probably a bit of high frequency detailing.

Also, I found Cole's second base outfit to be a really fun asset to build. The leather strips and belts on his thighs were a challenge to place tightly together in order to hold his 'ripping tools.'' Concepts like Cole can be really fun because the designs have a different flavor and give him a very unique personality. The hat shapes, for example, are particularly memorable and enjoyable to build.

Now that it has been announced that the first DLC release for Inquisition is in the works, are there any hints or teases that you can give us for what to expect artistically?

Shane Hawco: I wouldn't want to give away any spoilers other than to say we are not quite finished with the story of the Inquisition.

Is there anything else you'd like to mention while you have our attention?

Shane Hawco: ZBrush is an amazing tool. We have embraced it at BioWare and are exploring its potential in unused areas. It has been an essential part of the development of Dragon Age: Inquisition and I have no doubt will also play a critical role on future BioWare projects. It's been our pleasure to be a part of its history.

We at Pixologic would like to thank BioWare and the Dragon Age team for their participation and assistance in preparing this interview. We also wish to extend our gratitude to Electronic Arts for their approval to open this line of communication with the artists.

Be sure to visit the ZBrushCentral thread where you can share your thoughts with the art team! We're told that they will be posting even more artwork there as well!