From a steamy jungle to a modern city, or even a sci-fi space station, 3D Game Environments is the ultimate resource to help you create AAA quality art for a variety of game worlds. Primarily using Photoshop and 3ds Max, students will learn to create realistic textures from photo source and a variety of techniques to portray dynamic and believable game worlds. With detailed tutorials on creating 3D models, applying 2D art to 3D models, and clear concise advice on issues of efficiency and optimization for a 3D game engine, Luke Ahearn gives you everything students need to make their own realistic game environments. Key Features The entire game world development process; from planning to 3D modeling, UV layout, and creating textures. Exercises and projects to practice with; each section includes projects to guide you through creating different world genres. The updated companion website—www.lukeahearn.com/textures/ now includes video tutorials in addition to updated sample textures, shaders, materials, actions, brushes, program demos, plug-ins and all art from the book—all the tools you need in one place.

The ultimate resource to help you create triple-A quality art for a variety of game worlds; 3D Game Environments offers detailed tutorials on creating 3D models, applying 2D art to 3D models, and clear concise advice on issues of efficiency and optimization for a 3D game engine. Using Photoshop and 3ds Max as his primary tools, Luke Ahearn explains how to create realistic textures from photo source and uses a variety of techniques to portray dynamic and believable game worlds.

The heart of any system that simulates the physical interaction between objects is collision detection-the ability to detect when two objects have come into contact. This system is also one of the most difficult aspects of a physical simulation to implement correctly, and invariably it is the main consumer of CPU cycles. Practitioners, new to the f

Use Maya to create realistic environments and props for digital games Weapons, vehicles, tools, buildings, trees, plants, walls, ceilings, and floors-these items may seem secondary to the game environment, but they are integral parts of the game and they all need to be created. Maya Studio Projects: Game Environments and Props is a step-by-step project guide to creating some of the most popular game art. Author Michael McKinley shares techniques for getting the most out of Maya to create realistic, vivid, and compelling worlds and otherworldly props. Along the way, he provides notes and FYIs that give readers depth and breadth for bringing both reality and creativity to their game art. A bonus DVD features step-by-step videos to help drive home concepts. The Studio Projects series offers projects that start from nothing, just as they do in the studio; these books provide you with a step-by-step guide to software attributes and tools that encompass multiple disciplines so that you can create a finished, renderable object Many games have only a few characters, and multiple levels and environments, and hundreds of props-this book focuses on projects and techniques for creating everything but the character Maya is the top 3D app for creating console and computer games such as: Rock Band, Gears of War, James Bond: Quantum of Solace, Fallout 3, and Far Cry 2 Learn effective Maya studio techniques with this handy, step-by-step, full-color book. Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

Combine the powerful UE4 with Blender to create visually appealing and comprehensive game environments About This Book The only resource that shows how you can incorporate Blender into your Unreal Engine 4 Game environment Create amazing 3D game environments by leveraging the power of Blender and Unreal Engine 4 Practical step-by-step approach with plenty of illustrative examples to get you started immediately Who This Book Is For This book would be ideal for 3D artists and game designers who want to create amazing 3D game environments and leverage the power of Blender with Unreal Engine 4. 3D design basics would be necessary to get the most out of this book. Some previous experience with Blender would be helpful but not essential What You Will Learn Create a fully functioning game level of your own design using Blender and Unreal Engine 4 Customize your level with detailed 3D assets created with Blender Import assets into Unreal Engine 4 to create an amazing finished product Build a detailed dynamic environment with goals and an ending Explore Blender's incredible animation tools to animate elements of your game Create great environments using sound effects, particle effects, and class blueprints In Detail Unreal Engine 4 now has support for Blender, which was not available in earlier versions. This has opened up new possibilities and that is where this book comes in. This is the first book in the market combining these two powerful game and graphic engines. Readers will build an amazing high-level game environment with UE4 and will show them how to use the power of Blender 3D to create stunning animations and 3D effects for their game. This book will start with creating levels, 3D assets for the game, game progression, light and environment control, animation, and so on. Then it will teach readers to add amazing visual effects to their game by applying rendering, lighting, rigging, and compositing techniques in Blender. Finally, readers will learn how to smoothly transfer blender files to UE4 and animate the game assets. Each chapter will add complexities to the game environment. Style and approach This will have a clear, step-by-step approach to creating game assets in Blender and then importing them to UE4 to create stunning game environments. All asset creation techniques are explained in detail along with tips on how to use them to create your own game environments. The book offers end-to-end coverage of how to design a game level from scratch.

Discover how to create a simple game environment in Blender 3D, from modeling and texturing game assets, to placing them in a scene. You’ll export and import game assets as well as look at open-source game engines that will work with your game assets. Creating Game Environments in Blender 3D introduces the power of Blender 3D when creating a low poly game environment. The book starts by discussing the basics of game terminology, such as knowing the difference between low poly and high poly assets and the types of game you’re likely to work on. You’ll also take a brief look at Blender's background and installation. The following chapters talk about the process for creating a simple game environment. This is discussed in detail along with a sample project. These chapters discuss the common tools for starting a game environment and the methods for enhancing your game environment, such as color fundamentals. The final chapter shows how you can export the game assets you created in Blender, how you can import game assets in Blender, and how to evaluate the different game engines available. This book shows you the exciting side of creating a game environment while showing the power of Blender. After reading it, you will feel confident about creating a game environment. What You Will Learn Use Blender to create low poly game environments Work with the common Blender tools for game environment design and development Discover how to use Blender features in depth Compare the Eevee and Cycles game engines Who This Book Is For Game environment artists who want to use Blender 3D to create a game environment. Some previous exposure to game design and development would be helpful, but not required.

This book explains the fundamentals of being a talented games Environment Artist by outlining the key considerations that most Environment Artists tend to forget. Focusing on the use of Substance Designer to create rich, colourful and realistic environments, the book shows how to improve storytelling and how to think outside the box. Following a step-by-step process to create realistic, state-of-the-art materials that help bring game narratives and worlds to life, this book provides a new perspective on Environment Art by covering the latest, most creative industry techniques using Substance Designer. This book should appeal to new and aspiring games Environment Artists, as well as those looking to increase their knowledge of Substance Designer. The final stages of this book give a sneak peek into creating foliage in the game industry. Henry Kelly is the Lead Artist at REWIND, a VR and AR studio with the vision of a better future for VR and AR.

"World of level design presents"--Cover.

An exploration of how we see, use, and make sense of modern video game worlds. The move to 3D graphics represents a dramatic artistic and technical development in the history of video games that suggests an overall transformation of games as media. The experience of space has become a key element of how we understand games and how we play them. In Video Game Spaces, Michael Nitsche investigates what this shift means for video game design and analysis. Navigable 3D spaces allow us to crawl, jump, fly, or even teleport through fictional worlds that come to life in our imagination. We encounter these spaces through a combination of perception and interaction. Drawing on concepts from literary studies, architecture, and cinema, Nitsche argues that game spaces can evoke narratives because the player is interpreting them in order to engage with them. Consequently, Nitsche approaches game spaces not as pure visual spectacles but as meaningful virtual locations. His argument investigates what structures are at work in these locations, proceeds to an in-depth analysis of the audiovisual presentation of gameworlds, and ultimately explores how we use and comprehend their functionality. Nitsche introduces five analytical layers—rule-based space, mediated space, fictional space, play space, and social space—and uses them in the analyses of games that range from early classics to recent titles. He revisits current topics in game research, including narrative, rules, and play, from this new perspective. Video Game Spaces provides a range of necessary arguments and tools for media scholars, designers, and game researchers with an interest in 3D game worlds and the new challenges they pose.