VoxelDoom: maybe you've heard of it? It's been in the news recently. A
modder by the name of _chillo meticulously recreated all the Doom
sprites into 3D representations using voxels* (Voxel support has been
built into Doom source ports for some time). And it looks really good.

This isn't the first time modders have tried to update the sprites in
classic Doom, of course. Some of the earliest mods were texture
replacements that transformed the monsters into Simpsons characters,
or xenomorphs, or bears. As the hobby advanced, the sprites started
using higher-resolution textures, or polygonal models. But they never
quite matched the chunky appearance of the original. VoxelDoom is
different.

Because the models are built of voxels, they retain the pixelated
nature of the original sprites, and because they were built outwards
from the original 8** sprites the model is literally identical... so
long as you view it from an angle evenly divisible by 45.*** The end
result is fully-3D models that don't look like they came from an
entirely different game. It's great.

The only thing I dislike about the mod is that many of the items -
weapons, pickups - are animated to spin around. This was a feature
introduced with many late-90s shooters to show off their 3D
engines,**** and is now seen as a defining feature of the genre. But
it never was a part of Doom and it makes everything feel more like an
arcade game, to the detriment of its atmosphere and setting.

Also, I couldn't get the mod to work with BrutalDoom, which is a real
bummer since I love me that over-the-top gore.

Still, if you still enjoy the original games, "VoxelDoom" is worth a
look. It adds a whole new dimension to the game!

(yeah, sorry for that last bit. I'll see myself out.)

===================
* get it here https://www.moddb.com/mods/doom-voxel-project
(requires GZDoom)
** technically 5
*** for an example of this in action, see
https://youtu.be/M-aVt77epQ4?t=306
**** also, arguably, because the color palette of early 3D engines was
so limited and the animation helped the drably-colored pickups stand
out from the drably-colored background

Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:
>VoxelDoom: maybe you've heard of it? It's been in the news recently. A
>modder by the name of _chillo meticulously recreated all the Doom
>sprites into 3D representations using voxels* (Voxel support has been
>built into Doom source ports for some time). And it looks really good.

The really cool thing is that it uses actual voxel rendering, not
Minecraft-style blocks rendered with conventional 3D rasterizaiton.

--
l/ // Ross Ridge -- The Great HTMU
[oo][oo] rridge@csclub.uwaterloo.ca
-()-/()/ http://www.csclub.uwaterloo.ca:11068/
db //

On Mon, 5 Sep 2022 16:28:50 -0000 (UTC), rridge@csclub.uwaterloo.ca
(Ross Ridge) wrote:

>Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:
>>VoxelDoom: maybe you've heard of it? It's been in the news recently. A
>>modder by the name of _chillo meticulously recreated all the Doom
>>sprites into 3D representations using voxels* (Voxel support has been
>>built into Doom source ports for some time). And it looks really good.

>The really cool thing is that it uses actual voxel rendering, not
>Minecraft-style blocks rendered with conventional 3D rasterizaiton.

The really /really/ cool thing is that apparently the voxel support is
based on technology originally designed for the Build engine by Ken
Silverman (and used with his permission).

I mean, aside from the nifty cross-pollination between engines, I
didn't even know the Build engine had support for voxels (apparently
it's how they rendered 'breakables' like the tombstones in "Blood").

But I've always had a soft spot for voxels; it's why, for instance,
I'm happy to post news about the "Outcast" games (the original used a
voxel-based renderer). It's neat - if not eminently practical -
technology.

(Technically, GZDoom converts the voxel models on-the-fly to a
polygonal mesh if you use hardware-rendering. Software rendering uses
an even more arcane method that I won't even pretend to understand
(there's so much maths), but technically neither of them are /really/
using voxels in game. But if the models LOOK like they use voxels and
they are /built/ with voxels, and the whole package is called Voxel
Doom, I'm gonna give 'em a pass even if -in the end- they are cheating
a bit when it comes to rendering the things ;-)