The composition created in a 3D level or character design are usually more complex than its 2D counterpart, yet the principals remain the same.
Within a painting you would usually find a key focal point or colour that your eye is drawn towards. This is not an accidental part of a painting, but a more complicated
thought that has been expressed through drawing or painting.
For example take the below painting:
Painted in oils by Dirck De Bray in the 17th century. The contrast between the bright flowers in the foreground and the much darker features behind means our eye is typically drawn to the more detailed flowers
in the foreground (for me specifically the pink tulip in the center.) It seemed this painting was created using the principal of the Fibonacci spiral (below.)
However pulling off this kind of effect in a 3D situation would be more complex. In a 2D picture the image will never change, it is just one single frame. Now imagine trying to get the same sort of effect throughout a game level
which typically runs at 40+ Frames Per Second. This can typically be achieved through lighting and "reveals."
The best example of this I can give is that of Halo 4. A lot of the game levels are grey, either indoor metal or outside rocky levels mostly played during dusk/night time. The below screenshot is an example:
The surroundings are a very dull grey/brown with blue highlights, quite difficult to extinguish from your HUD and gun, however the use of a single bright light makes the scene interesting whereas without that light there would'nt be much to see or be interested in.
That light can be considered the focal point as that is what your eye is drawn towards, then there in the composition of the rocks encompassing the light, telling you that is the way the player must go. (Would it be corny to reference the phrase "go towards the light?" as
it seems to be a basic principle most games use.
However its not just found within game levels, similar principles can be found within character design as well.
Typically it is human nature to be drawn towards a persons face when talking to someone or just looking around in general. You wouldn't concentrate on their legs or shoes (unless they were seriously fabulous) but on their faces, as humans recognize faces before anything else.
- Similarly to how people can walk around and see faces in objects, you'd must easily recognize it as a face than a torso or body part such as a hand.
Therefore designs typically base around a characters facial features, then clothing would come second. I imagine the face to be the most important part to a character therefore making it the "focal point" in the design.
A good example of this can be found within games that have their own character creation option. There is usually a large range of choices for facial features such as brow depth or jaw width, yet only a few options for the body design as it is seen as less important than the face.
Therefore the composition of a character would be based around the face.
To me this shows that you could create a highly detailed scene or character but without that focal point by either lighting, colour of other method the image may seem dull to the eye, to keep the player interested there must be something they wish to look at or be drawn towards, be it in 2D or 3D.
Links and references:
http://collection-lingenauber.org/still_life_paintimgs.html
http://babysoftmurderhands.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Halo-4-Campaign-Mode-Screenshots-5.jpeg
http://www.dragonage.com/
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