This document proposes two methods for enhancing voxel detail in 3D games: recursive subdivision and direct resampling. Recursive subdivision works by recursively subdividing each voxel into smaller voxels, while direct resampling works by directly resampling the voxel grid at a higher resolution. These methods were inspired by pixel art scaling algorithms and could allow for decoupling voxel modification from rendering to enable new game mechanics. The document discusses implications and related concerns for implementing these methods in games.

1. Two Methods for Voxel Detail
Enhancement
Adam M. Smith
adam.smith@hackerdojo.com
@rndmcnlly

2. Two Methods for Voxel Detail Enhancement
Adam M. Smith (presenter)
expressiveintelligencestudio
UC Santa Cruz
amsmith@soe.ucsc.edu
PCGames 2011 – Bordeaux, France

3. Prelude
EXPLORATORY DESIGN
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4. Exploratory Design
• Design
– Analysis × Synthesis
• Exploration
– travelling for the purpose of discovery
• Exploratory Design:
– Extracting interesting nuggets
– Building new components out of them
– Examining implication for design of new artifacts
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5. Where does exploratory design
happen?
Location Events
The Independent
Game Jam
SuperHappyDevHouse
Hacker Dojo
Mountain View, CA, USA
“Hacker Dojo is a community
center for hackers and thinkers South Bay Game Jam
to meet, discuss, learn, create,
build and play.”
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6. Interesting nugget #1
VOXELS
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7. Woxel’s a Voxel?
Pixels in Wolfenstein 3D Voxels in Voxelstein 3D
(voxel: a colored cube in space)
(pixel: a colored square on a plane)
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8. Voxels in Action
• Minecraft
– Player-created architecture
• Ace of Spades
– Combat on top of player-created architecture
• Voxatron
– Retro-inspired arcade, bulk destruction
• Atomontage
– Photorealism, limited editing
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9. Interesting nugget #2
PIXEL ART SCALING ALGORITHMS
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10. Pixel Art Scaling Algorithms
2xSaI
Super2xSaI
hq3x
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11. The new component
VOXEL DETAIL ENHANCERS
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12. Recursive Subdivision (Diagrammed)
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13. Recursive Subdivision (Demonstrated)
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14. Direct Resampling (Diagrammed)
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15. Direct Resampling (Demonstrated)
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16. Implications
DECOUPLED MODIFICATION AND
INTERACTION MECHANICS
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17. Decoupling
Enhancement
Rendering
Perception
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18. Exploring a Design Space
Dwarf Fortress (2006) Minecraft (2009) Terraria (
Wolfenstein 3D (1992) Voxelstein (2008) Ace of Spades (2011)
Voxatron (201x)
Wolfenstein (2009)
??? (20xx)
Braid (2008)
Hardware-accelerated
Voxel detail enhancement
voxel rendering engines
Hardware-accelerated
Pixel art scaling algorithms
triangle rendering engines
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19. Related Concerns
• Visibility
– Ignore the voxel unless it has a different neighbor
• Computational Complexity
– Terrains are 2D manifolds  only n2 of n3 are visible
• Neighbor Dependence and Caching
– Deterministic, finite domain – memoize it!
• Physics
– Voxel normals only point in grid directions…
• Lighting
– Emit many wandering snowflakes, they each lives long
enough with hitting terrain, accumulate intensity
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20. Exploratory Design … on Mars?
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