Overview:

This talk will detail the techniques used to achieve high visual fidelity in the context of the uncompromisingly simplistic aesthetic of INSIDE - Playdead's follow-up to the critically acclaimed LIMBO.

We will describe a variety of effects used to achieve an atmospheric look, including local shadowed volumetrics and a robust water-rendering system. Seeking to fine-tune every pixel led us to author lighting as entirely separate diffuse, specular and bounce-light entities, while focusing on artist-approachable tools meant utilizing analytic primitive-based ambient occlusion and screenspace reflections.

Further we will elaborate on how the subtle details of artwork can be saved from drowning in color-banding, by properly using dithering to get rid of distracting artefacts.

