Reused Assets

 

     We only have so much time before we finish a project. Sometimes, we have to remove elements we wanted. Other times, we'll need to set ourselves on a timer for how much comfort time we have. One thing creators will always find themselves doing however, is reusing assets. From using the same textures for different graphics, to having the same basis for a picture. For this week, we'll be talking about reusing assets, and the pros and cons of it.

Used the same base asset for this.

     So, what is a pro of reusing assets. Well, as stated earlier, it saves up on time. No need to make every individual piece of grass unique; people won't notice, so you can copy and paste the same texture. Another bonus is you can keep those assets for later projects, such as a character model, or custom gradient. This saves up on computer space, and gives you more tools to work with. The versatility of what you made in the past can help what you make in the future.

      As for cons, keep in mind reused assets can look lazy. People have eyes, and if a prominent asset is familiar, they will recognize it. Do this enough, and it will most likely turn the off, as they're tired of repetition. Let's not forget to mention that eventually, your work will look outdated. Do not let yourself become stagnant; if a grass texture looks like it was made in 2000, make a new one to reflect your current ability.  So if you do decide to reuse assets, be prepared for people to critique.

      At the end of the day however, it is your decision to do reuse assets. I'll, even I've done it in the past. I just hope we all consider the pros and cons I have listed. With that said however, thank you for reading, and stay tuned. 

Recycling Ideas

           Recycling ideas is something I'm beginning to see is beneficial to design. Not as a way of being lazy because you can't think of anything else though. To clarify what I mean, imagine you just got done with a big personal project, but you weren't satisfied. So, next project, you take ideas you liked, and improve upon them. Another example is changing an element mid-designing because it doesn't fit, but still looking for a place to use the first element. Just because something fails, doesn't mean you can't fix it up.

             I know not all ideas are going to work, and some will eventually need to be scrapped. Be that because it was insensitive, not convenient, or just forgotten. So do keep in mind what you want to reuse. Just like with actual recycling, there will be need of some disposal, you can't save everything. That being said, we still recycle because in the end, this will save us so much in the future. 

 Just some images I was recycling.

               

             I mainly came to this after hearing how some of my favorite writers reuse ideas they couldn't find a place for in past works. As if they needed a change of scenario for how the events will play out. I also think about how you can do a twist with an old concept to get audiences offguard. Whatever the case, as long as you aren't rehashing ideas, you should be good!

            With that, I once again thank you for reading. Apologies for not blogging last week, but I needed time to decompress. Anyways, make sure to comment your thoughts, and stay tuned! Also make sure to recycle any of your own ideas that you liked!