Horizon: Zero Dawn - Trampler
This the evolution of the Trampler concept, from the very first sketch to the early production 3D concept done much later in the production.
After a long period of preproduction, where we developed the style and ideas behind the robots, I took back the work on this concept as a 3D mockup.
Working in 3D allow us to integrate the input of art, game direction, and the involved departments, into the design.
In the last stage of this concept version, I gave the 3D model an appearance similar to the other Horizon robots, styled by Mike Nash.
Art Direction: Jan Bart van Beek / Roy Postma
Some kitbash parts by Vitali Bulgarov.
See more robot concepts:
Erik van Helvoirt https://www.artstation.com/artist/phade01
©2017 Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe. Horizon Zero Dawn is a trademark of Sony Interactive Entertainment America LLC. Developed by Guerrilla
This is one of the first Horizon Zero Dawn concept paintings. Much later it evolved into the Trampler robot design.
The goal behind the Trampler was to develop an excavator robot that uses its horns to dig rocks. The rocks get later transformed, inside of a plasma furnace, into raw materials.
Because of the design being based on a furnace, I wanted it to have a "furious" character. I added vents to exhaust the heat from the plasma oven, hoping they would made the design look like breathing through them.
At some point I started blocking the design in 3D. This 3D mockup process is the next stage on the concept process. This step it is not a race to a finished model, but a move of the concept development to a different domain.
The concept evolves and changes in many different directions, integrating the vision from art and game direction, and the input from all departments involved.
In this stage I still had the horns attached close to the shoulders. I wanted to experiment with those, unfolding in a way that is closer to a machine instead of an animal.
I gave it a big heavy head, in order that is able to charge with weight against the ground or rocks and break them into parts.
On this model, still many test were done, like clearance of movements of all the functional parts.