Ski Jumping in Vikersund The world's highest ski jump in Vikersund, Norway, has been shrunk down to size for a new mobile game. All game assets were created using Cinema 4D.

Jumping from the world's highest ski jump is surely not everyone's cup of tea! The game app Vikersund Ski App lets those of us who would never even climb to the top of a ski jump, let alone ski down and jump from it, get a taste of what it must be like. Available for all mobile platforms ranging from iPad to IPhone and Android, users can jump from the realistically re-created ski jump in their hunt for gold. Jumps are judged not only for distance but also on technique ('style points'), and aerodynamics have to be optimally used to carry the jumper as far as possible and make a solid landing.

The app's creators, Agens AS, broke new ground with the creation of Vikersund Ski Jump: Do date, no ski jump game for mobile devices had been created, and this was the first 3D game that Agens AS had developed. Because they wanted the app to run on all mobile platforms, all specifications and limitations had to be accounted for, which made reducing polygons and efficient memory use top priorities. The challenge was to create a game with complex features using the least amount of geometry.

The ski jump was re-created as accurately as possible based on original blueprints and the game precisely simulates realistic conditions with regard to the ski jump's length, dimensions and landing area. The athletes themselves, however, had to be designed with a minimalistic look to meet the limitations of all mobile devices.

The app was developed using UNITY 3D, which has established itself as one of the top tools for programming content mobile devices. Developers and artists worked at separate locations, which meant that game assets had to be exchanged between the teams on a regular basis to optimize each scene. Since the developers did not have Cinema 4D at their location, assets were sent as FBX files. The optimization of the character animation to meet the requirements of a game for mobile devices was particularly challenging, but with Cinema 4D's excellent character and animation tools, this hurdle was easily cleared.

Despite all obstacles, the game was completed within a deadline of 4 weeks. Kim Lid, creative director at Agens AS, about his experience with Cinema 4D: "Cinema 4D is very easy to learn and intuitive to use! This said, Cinema 4D is incredibly powerful and dependable. We've used the application almost non-stop over the past year and it hasn't crashed once!"

Agens AS web site:
Agens.no