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Polyphony Digital May (Finally) Be Outsourcing 3D Modeling Work

kostacurtas

kostacurtas

Member
Oct 27, 2017
9,065
Polyphony Digital May (Finally) Be Outsourcing 3D Modeling Work

According to a post on LinkedIn, the Honda S660 in GT Sport is actually the product of the Gran Turismo studio working with a computer graphic design outfit called ModelingCafe. This is a company which, as the name suggests, specializes in computer modelling and is based in Fukuoka, four miles from Polyphony Digital's offices. It's part of a group of companies dealing with art and design in games called CafeGroup.
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The post, also shared on CafeGroup's Facebook and Twitter feeds, provides some further details:

"ModelingCafe was able to help with the modelling of the Honda S660 in Gran Turismo Sport. Although it was a very difficult project, it was successfully implemented in July's update.

"With the consideration of our client, Polyphony Digital, we are able to disclose this situation. When you can disclose achievements like this in projects and work, it is truly a blessing to motivate the company and the staff, and it is really appreciated.

"We invite you to enjoy the S660 in Gran Turismo Sport."
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This is, as far as we are aware, a significant change in policy for Polyphony Digital. Over the course of the last 20 years, we've heard often about the time demands on the modelling staff. Even as recently as 12 months ago, before GT Sport's release, we heard that it takes PD six months to model one car. Each seems to be the responsibility of a single person in the modelling team.

That's a lot of man-hours if GT Sport is to meet its eventual 500-car target. At time of writing the game stands at 238 cars, 70 more than at launch. That represents a rate of roughly four days per car, or just over three more years to reach that magic 500 mark.
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Serene

Serene

Community Resettler
Member
Oct 25, 2017
52,533
Maybe now we can get GT games in reasonable timeframes.
 
SolidSnakex

SolidSnakex

Member
Oct 25, 2017
23,391
This is huge if they're actually planning to do this on a large scale. They also need to do the same with tracks. As I said in the other thread, PD can do the actual tracks themselves in-house while they outsource some work for the trackside details. There's no reason to have their staff do every little thing when a little help can make their jobs a lot easier and faster.

And don't fucking start over with the next game. Don't throw out all the cars and start remodeling from scratch. I know Kaz said they won't, but he said the same with GT5/6.
 
RounD

RounD

Member
Oct 29, 2017
260
Falchion said:
Does Turn 10 do all their modeling in house?
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I hear there core team is small with most of their modeling staff contract workers. Which makes for some weird working conditions where the contract maybe 14 months and they cant renew the contract without them taking a break. The few people I know that did contract work was a few years ago but all they said they did was fix up outsourcing work. Hopefully its different with them taking their time with 7

On topic, it is interesting they are getting help. Though they are working with a Japanese studio, one day they might branch out!
 
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Relic

Relic

Member
Oct 28, 2017
631
Why don't they get models directly from the car companies and scale down from that?
 
TuMekeNZ

TuMekeNZ

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,278
Auckland, New Zealand
As long as the quality doesn't go down then this is great news. GT car models are the best in the business as far as I'm concerned with the attention to detail bordering on obsessive.
What I don't agree with is GT games every 2-3 years. 4 feels like a better time frame as it makes each release feel like an event. Just use those 4 years to add in new features that make sense and update the car roster.
 
TheRulingRing

TheRulingRing

Banned
Apr 6, 2018
5,713
Kinda bittersweet. They have the best car models in the business, and I assume part of that is because they're made in-house.
 
potatohead

potatohead

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
3,889
Earthbound
TheRulingRing said:
Kinda bittersweet. They have the best car models in the business, and I assume part of that is because they're made in-house.
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Outsourcing does not mean automatically a reduction in quality

They can share know how and rapidly escalate production to scan or work on cars faster without having to deal with in house training new staff for when projects are building assets

Polyphony is just old school and probably worse for it most studios for games do outsource like horizon or uncharted

They will gain more from sending the more mundane and time consuming work to third parties like the collection of data or scanning of cars or tracks that's not something the game creators need to necessarily do hands on especially if it is so protocolled
 
Yiazmat

Yiazmat

Member
Oct 25, 2017
349
TheRulingRing said:
Kinda bittersweet. They have the best car models in the business, and I assume part of that is because they're made in-house.
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It looks on par with the other models in the game, so I don't think that's going to be a problem:

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Deleted member 1003

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
10,638
I had no idea this is why it took them so long to make the games. I mean, I just never thought about all the man power that went into it but yeah, that is good news.
 
Memento

Memento

Banned
Oct 26, 2017
8,129
Kind of crazy to think Polyphony has never outsourced anything.

I think that is pretty much non-existent in today's AAA landscape.
 
Mr. Pointy

Mr. Pointy

Member
Oct 28, 2017
5,141
Modelling a car for GT take something like 6-8 months of work, so this was going to happen sooner or later.
 
VariantX

VariantX

Member
Oct 25, 2017
16,890
Columbia, SC
Wait, they werent outsourcing it before? They must be insanely strict on quality control to go that far. For all the resources they have, they should have been outsourcing some of their work years ago. The level of detail required for future proofed car models is off the charts these days.
 
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