Question: isometric in 3D

[Zenobia]

Hey guys.

I'm sorry if anyone's asked before; I browsed the forum for a bit and I couldn't quite find an answer.
While I am a pixel artist, my boyfriend is a 3D artist. We'd like to create a game together, just for fun and to improve our skill, but we've been struggling to find a way to properly combine our art genres.
Does anyone know how we could go about creating, for example, pixeled isometric tiles and buildings, in 3D? We're thinking maybe something towards the style of Settlers, Final Fantasy Tactics, or even Theme Hospital. I have 0 experience with 3D so I apologise if the answer's obvious - or if it is simply impossible; I don't know. The posts I've seen here in the forum are mainly characters, and I am not sure if the same concept applies (and if it does, how)...

Thanks,
Zenobia

[TrevoriuS]

Going with isometry is possible in 3D by using ortographic cameras. This simply removes perspective, and if you'd rotate the scene 45 degrees around the up-axis and 28 around the (local) side-axis makes it more or less isometric. Or do that to the camera instead of the scene if your 3D application supports more than default front,side,top and perspective cameras). This way you can create isometric art, but I find matching pixelart and 3D renders quite much harder than sticking to one medium, so good luck with that!
Example of how a basic 3D cube with some extrusions simulating a building would appear in issometry:

[Zenobia]

From the perspective of a pixel artist - how would I go about creating art to apply to that model? I assume I can't just make a normal iso tile and hope it fits.
(I'm aware we're being difficult; it's an experiment.)

[Lizzrd]

You could just make a standard square tile and you could then use that texture on all of the three planes through 3D models.

[ndchristie]

Most typically you will be working on square or otherwise simple geometry tiles.  If you only have 1 angle of view a la breath of fire 3, you can pixel on depth by putting a diagonal projection into the space, like this :



If you're doing it more like FFT where you can rotate fully around, you will be relying on geometry to establish planes and can only draw on minimal, orthographic-like depth :

http://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/original/1181806434-00.png

EDIT for clarity of first image and link to second rather than direct

[Zenobia]

Thank you ndchristie, that was very helpful for me.
I'm interested in FFT too so I hope that image fixes itself.