Creating a 3D Game Birmingham AL

provided by:


For Dummies is a registered trademark of Wiley Publishing, Inc. in the United States and other countries. Used here by license.



Creating 3D Games — Slightly More Complicated Than a Connect-the-Dots Puzzle

Creating a 3D game involves many different aspects, but at the most basic level, you can think of two separate pipelines — programming and artwork. The programming aspect involves defining how the objects move, and the artwork aspect creates the look and feel of the objects involved.

A good companion book to this that covers the game programming aspect is Windows Game Programming For Dummies, 2nd Edition, by André LaMothe.

For the artwork aspect of game development, a simplified approach includes the following four steps. However, at no point along the way is the artwork considered final and complete: You may need to make adjustments during each phase.

Game design

The process for the artwork aspect of game creation begins with a design. In most game companies, this task is accomplished by a single person known as a Game Designer, but it typically involves the input from many members of the game development team. The design is the high-level plan for the game and deals with the playability of the game. This design has a direct impact on both the artwork and the programming aspects.

Having a solid design up front is critical to the success of the game. If the design has flaws, these will be discovered later in the game development, causing artwork and programming to be redone.

Art design

After the game design is completed and approved, the art team can start with the art design. This task defines how the game will look and should adhere closely to the game design blueprint. During this phase, the programmers can work in parallel using simple representations that can be swapped out later with the actual art pieces. The Art Design phase is where most of a 3D Game Animator’s time is spent.

Integration

As the artwork is completed, it is delivered to the programmers who combine it with their program code. This integration phase may require some rework of the various art pieces.

While the programmers are integrating the artwork with the game code, game animators are free to work on the cut scenes along with any rework that is necessary.

Testing

After the artwork and the code are combined into a cohesive game, the process of testing is essential to reveal any potential problems. Although a separate team of testers is typically used to complete this phase, the art department needs to take a close look at the final results to see how their colors and shading are affected by the real-time lighting.

Learning the Big Picture

The big picture is that this article is teaching you how to create 3D animations. These animations and the skills you learn can be applied toward a game, but they can also be used to create artistic images and movies. The goal is to teach you 3D animation skills, but exactly how you use them is up to you.

provided by:


For Dummies is a registered trademark of Wiley Publishing, Inc. in the United States and other countries. Used here by license.

Jim Walter Computer Services Inc

205-254-7189
3300 1st Ave N
Birmingham, AL