1
\$\begingroup\$

A very particular question, hoping it's not too out of place here: is there a name within video game development for assets in a game that allude to a depth they don't have? Without knowing enough about video games to use the proper vocabulary, I'm thinking of houses which are hollow inside, distant landscape which you can't reach (and doesn't truly extend as far as it implies), etc.

\$\endgroup\$
1
  • 1
    \$\begingroup\$ In case you want a method normally used for making something like that from 3D models they're called "imposters". Searching for "render imposter object" will bring up most game engine documentation explaining the technique. \$\endgroup\$
    – Sirisian
    Feb 5, 2019 at 2:04

2 Answers 2

2
\$\begingroup\$

As in other creative industries (film, literature) they're usually just referred to as visual cues to differentiate them from active entities or geometry.

As an aside: Unless you were intended to see inside it, such a house wouldn't be hollow inside, rather it would have no absolutely interior at all, potentially saving on processing cost.

\$\endgroup\$
2
\$\begingroup\$

In Hollywood these kinds of sets are called Facades.

In real life you can see something similar in the American Old West towns where buildings would have a large roofline from the front, but the entire rest of the building is squat and utilitarian; the front is a Facade to put a pretty face on the reality.

On TV shows almost all the interior shots are in an open studio with nothing but walls rolled around on wheels.

Note that these are not Imposters meant to stand in the the real thing, these are outright fakes and there is no real thing. If you can transition to the a real space at some point than Imposter would be the term.

\$\endgroup\$

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .