The Tech Behind the Horses from GameSpot

In a previous news update, we added a bunch of screenshots of horses in Red Dead Redemption from GameSpot. Now read up on the technology behind these virtual beasts in an interview with Rockstar San Diego's art department director Josh Bass. Some quotes below:

"GS AU: How did you decide which specific type of horse breed to include?

JB: We tried to include a range of horses that captured the spirit of the West and that would also be recognizably different if you stumbled across them in the wild. In terms of modelling the horses in-game, our research team decided that the ideal horse to base our horses on was the Mustang--a feral horse that was historically connected to the Old West. The anatomy of the Mustang also gave us a good template to work from. We needed the horse’s dimensions and scale to appear realistic and visually appropriate to the rest of the game.

Next, we had to create a variety of horse breeds, with different coats and structure. We selected the Buckskin, Palomino, and Pinto but also more iconic breeds like Friesian and Appaloosa. To diversify each horse, very specific markings were also chosen--along with coat color, mane and tail--to create variety. We even concentrated on structure: crafting everything from diseased, malnourished horses with low stamina to beautiful and muscular black stallions with greater endurance.

Even the most minor details like each separate element of the horse’s tack, including the bridle, saddle, harness, and stirrups were researched and implemented. Look closely at the horses in the game, and you will notice that wild horses don’t have horseshoes, while the domesticated horses do. If you decide to lasso a wild horse and tame it, you will break and mount it bareback using only a bridle made from the player’s lasso."

"GS AU: We’ve spotted some pretty good detail in horses in Redemption, even down to realistic-looking muscles. What was the process behind making these horses look real?

JB: We went to great lengths to craft animations for all human characters so that interactions like mounting and dismounting horses looked as fluid and natural as possible. We also animated the various permutations of using weapons on horseback. It all helps to integrate Marston and the horses into the world seamlessly. We made sure to create believable idle animation too. You will notice that Marston even tends to his horse, gently calming it with a pat on the neck or hindquarters.

The final piece of the puzzle involved taking the overall physique and detail of the animal to a level never seen in a game, and that required some lateral thinking. We came up with the idea of using the same facial technology we used to show animated “normal maps” (a way of realistically lighting bumps and dents on the faces of our human characters) to properly showcase the muscles of the horses in motion--specifically the hindquarters, muzzle, shoulders, and ribcage.

The results can be seen in the way the animal’s hindquarters contract and release as they gallop or flex to take the weight of both the horse and its rider when they rear up on their hind legs. Re-creating a horse’s skeletal and muscular systems was challenging and has taken us years to complete, but the end results are stunning, and made the efforts well worth it."

Read the whole thing here and check out the new screens in our image gallery. Join in the discussions in our Red Dead Redemption forums!