TECHNICAL
This page contains an overview of technical and instructional design information on game art creation. A clear understanding of a projects technical requirements is necessary to achieve deadlines and is an important part of creating final production quality assets.
Video Game Art Program
In 2010, I was hired by Sault College to develop the curriculum for a new Video Game Art program. This 2-year program provides skills and knowledge to create art for games. It emphasizes the importance of traditional and digital art skills that are crucial for becoming a professional game artist.
From 2010 to 2015, I was responsible for teaching Game Art Studio 1-4 (focusing on 2D/3D game art creation) 3ds Max, Mudbox, and Photoshop. I also taught the following courses: Life Drawing, Drawing/Illustration, Concept Art for Games, Textures and Shaders, and History of Video Games.
Here is a link to the program directly on the Sault College website.
Workflows & Pipelines
In game development, it is important to have an effective and efficient workflow in creating assets for games. The production pipeline depends on using appropriate workflows to achieve high quality results within the project timeline.
The right techniques can help speed workflows so assets are created in a timely manner and will not delay the production pipeline. Depending on the goals, whether producing for mobile, console, or PC, knowing what type of a production pipeline is important (ex. high to low poly assets creation) to achieve the project deadlines.
Modeling
The modeling process is very important in the production process for creating a 3D asset. Proper edge flow and topology are needed to build an accurate model. Keeping in mind during the modeling process where UV seams will be created and how best the model can be unwrapped for texturing. The concentration of topology and edge flow in certain areas of the model are important for rigging and animation to ensure the model distorts properly with a maximum range of motion with minimal stretch/distortion of textures.
Texturing & Unwrapping
Texturing and unwrapping are an important part of the production process to create the feel and look of the asset. Modeling for surfacing is a great way to ensure that when the asset is modeled, texture seams and unwrapping is kept in mind from the beginning of the assets creation.
Visually appealing materials are created by combining maps and proper lighting. The correct material can make or break the visual communication of a 3D model. A knowledge in lighting is also helpful in the material creation process ensuring the quality and accuracy of the models visual representation.
Rigging and Animation
Rigging is a very technical process. It is an art form that plays a very important role in allowing a character to come to life. Rigging a character for animation can make an animators job harder or easier depending on how the character or asset is rigged. Communication with the animator is imperative to ensure technical specifications are met.
Making a proper rig might take time but will allow animators to create animations more effectively and efficiently. The result is high-quality animations that bring the character or asset to life.
MummyMartyr
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