Zine
Modular design is like building with a LEGO set.
"Kits" are made of parts that snap together
to build massive worlds Quickly.
A Modular System lets only a few
build an entire universe.
This Allows Developers to Focus on Making
the World feel more engaging.
A Simple Example of a Modular Kit
An extension fo the same Modular Kit
How Modular Building Works
Components can be rotated and mirrored to create variety:
Rotation and Mirroring
Components can be rotated and mirrored to create variety:
Snapping
Components can then be snapped to form complete structures:
Snapping using Instances
Instances are copies of an orginal object. Instances use less memory and allow for easier updates:
In blender, instances are called "linked duplicates" and can be created using Alt+D (or Option+D on Mac).
Editing Instances
When you edit a single instance, all linked duplicates update automatically.
This can save a lot of time when making changes to complex scenes.
Texturing Instances
Adding or changing textures to a single instance, & all linked duplicates update automatically.
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Case Study - Skyrim (Bethesda)
Bethesda's Modular Strategies
Bethesda Game Studios utilized modular design principles extensively in the development of Skyrim to create its expansive open world efficiently.
By employing a system of interchangeable "kits" and assets, they were able to construct a vast array of environments that felt rich and varied while maintaining a manageable workload for their development team.
The following elements on this page outline some of the key modular design strategies Bethesda implemented in Skyrim:
All of the Buildings, Cities and Dungeons in Skyrim were made by a group of 10 people using Kits
