3D Modeling Atari Consoles
These have been a long time coming. A set of 3D renders in Blender for (almost) all of Atari’s classic gaming consoles. Atari 2600, 5200, 7800, and Jaguar consoles. I have had an Atari Jaguar model for years now. I have used that for past videos for JagCorner and BitJag, but I have also used it as a tracing aid in some of my illustrations. For example, my 2016 Inktober book | Atari Propaganda.
Why Model These Old Consoles?
As mentioned, I have used my Jaguar model for my video work and illustration work. I also want to produce illustrations for everyone of these consoles eventually, and even approach video work for myself and others. I eventually want to get to the Atari Computer line (400, 800, ST), and the Atari Lynx, but that will have to wait for another day.
Another reason for modeling these consoles is that I don’t get to do this kind of work very often. Pure modelling, from real or photo reference. Most of my work entails some highly simplified character design, to basic symbols, to title motion and visual design.
Notes About My Approach
Since I only own two of these consoles, the Atari 2600 and Atari Jaguar, coupled with the goal of creating a realistic facsimile, this presented a unique problem that I haven’t approached before. Having to model from poor photo reference, and extrapolating form and textures from that bad photo reference.To combat this, I forced myself to keep the geometry as simple as possible. This had advantages, and a few disadvantages.
The biggest advantage was relatively minimal time spent. Each model from start to final render took about 4 hours a piece. Because I was building all geometry, materials, and textures from scratch, I knew I could spend more time than I would want if I didn’t adjust my approach to avoid spending unnecessary time. The other advantage was that simple geometry forced me to get the overall form of the model as correct as possible. Things like angles of the form, proportions between the console/controller/cartridge, and materials all received special attention. So, even though the poly count is small, the final result would be attractive to those who see these shapes more often than I do, and are generally convincing to newcomers to these consoles.
“Minimalism is nice when you want to get the big picture things right, but you can quickly paint yourself in a corner if you aren’t planning on moving into more geometry eventually.”
The disadvantages? Even though most of the consoles are fairly minimalist in design, the Jaguar in particular require extra geometry to accommodate the hybrid of natural curves and angles that occur in its design. Both in the console and the controller. Minimalism is nice when you want to get the big picture things right, but you can quickly paint yourself in a corner if you aren’t planning on moving into more geometry eventually.
The most obvious disadvantage is the limited polygon count. This keeps me from getting too close to specific parts of the these consoles for renders.
Conclusion
Modelling definitely falls into the same category as sculpting in clay or carving somethings. I enter a sort of trance or meditative state of mind. It is hard for me to justify the time to do this kind of work though. I will eventually get to modelling allot of Atari’s other hardware, but I will need to wait until I have work that justifies the time that will need to be spent to produce those models.