Page 30 - Developer

This is one of the major things
that was done right on RAYMAN
ORIGINS; the team was small when
there was time to breathe, but
when it was time to get the game
out there, the team was able to
expand with talent just in time to
go full steam ahead and build a
RAYMAN worthy of the franchise.
2. THE UBIART
FRAMEWORK
A few years ago, Ubisoft
Montpellier set out to build tools
that would encourage artists to
experiment freely, by themselves or
in small groups, regardless of their
experience or artistic domain. With
these new tools, each of the artists
can create a unique and interactive
prototype with ease; seeing your
artwork in action is as easy as
dragging and dropping it into the
scene. This was the concept behind
the UBIart framework, and it is one
of the main factors that contributed
to RAYMAN ORIGINS’S success. With
WHA T WENT RIGHT team, working under rather calm make sure that the pre-production no in-engine asset browsers, the
1. START SMALL circumstances, was able to explore process would build a solid base for artist simply has to browse in
AND EXPAND WHEN and experiment with this new the production team to tackle when Windows for the desired asset and
NECESSARY technology before the pressures of it was their turn to come on board. drop it into the editor window, which
RAYMAN ORIGINS began as a small production and release dates sunk Eventually the team became makes it much easier to add assets

production of only five individuals in, which let them establish RAYMAN about 75 at the Ubisoft Villa, into the game. The engine might
with a vision of creating a creative ORIGINS’S identity and creative vision and around 15 in Casablanca, not be user-friendly enough to be
and artist-friendly engine and using early on. making a team of more or less 90 released to the public in its current
it to produce a quality game. They The real pre-production phase pushing through a tough and short state, but it is very streamlined so
worked in the intimate Ubisoft came about after several months production cycle to get the game that it only has what is necessary
Montpellier Villa under RAYMAN of experimentation and engine out on time, and even artists from for the development team.
creator Michel Ancel, and at first they building, and an additional team Ubisoft Reflections in Newcastle While building UBIart, the team

didn’t even know their project would of people began to trickle in to were brought on to pick up some of developed an integrated animation
end up as a RAYMAN game. This small help cover all the creative bases to the slack in the last stretch. tool called GenAnim, which lets

28 GAME DEVELOPER | OCTOBER 2012