Game Content Development

1. Game Content Development (Game Content Development)

2. Game Elements • A scenario, for sure! • Some characters • Something to interact with • Something to see • Something to ear Diego Colombo colombod@di.unipi.it

3. Production Pipeline Diego Colombo colombod@di.unipi.it

4. 3D Modeling for a game Diego Colombo colombod@di.unipi.it

5. Texturing • Each model can have different materials • Each material can have different textures • Textures can be integrate with FX code Diego Colombo colombod@di.unipi.it

6. Just a note about FX • FX are used to achieve realistic materials • Water • Reflection • Glowing Diego Colombo colombod@di.unipi.it

7. Texel, Pixel, Area, and Real world measure • Placing a texture is similar to put a sticker on a surface • The sticker should be as large as the surface to cover • One common assumption is that a 64x64 texture is 1 m2 Diego Colombo colombod@di.unipi.it

8. Texture and distance • We can use a mipmap to obtain lower resolution image from a given texture • Using lower tex when an object is far from the camera is to reduce memory allocation in favor of near objects Diego Colombo colombod@di.unipi.it

9. We need a skeleton • The First step to get a acting character is to give it a skeleton • This way defines matrix to be applied to each vertex biased by some weight Diego Colombo colombod@di.unipi.it

10. Rigging a character • We need to define a tweak deformation • Then we need to give a character some motion curves • We would like to blend curves Diego Colombo colombod@di.unipi.it

11. Blending • Typical approach for facial animation • Number of polygons must match between blending shapes Diego Colombo colombod@di.unipi.it

12. Beware of interaction Diego Colombo colombod@di.unipi.it

13. MotionBuilder snapshot Diego Colombo colombod@di.unipi.it

14. Characterization Pipeline Diego Colombo colombod@di.unipi.it

15. Scenario tweaking • Scenario should be as detailed as a detail is visible • The more you tune and tweak the more cpu you can use to increase effects Diego Colombo colombod@di.unipi.it

16. Texture and Text 16 x 64 32 x 128 Diego Colombo colombod@di.unipi.it

17. Prelightning with image based illumination • Vertex contains information about illumination • Illumination is achieved through global illumination from an image Diego Colombo colombod@di.unipi.it

18. Geometry details and illumination • We can use vertex color illumination • Vertex shaders can be used to pertubate the value Diego Colombo colombod@di.unipi.it

19. Daylight changes Diego Colombo colombod@di.unipi.it

20. Shadows • Shadows should be smooth • Static shadow can be faked • Geometry must be corrected to support good shadows Diego Colombo colombod@di.unipi.it

21. Tweaking Diego Colombo colombod@di.unipi.it

22. Almost done Diego Colombo colombod@di.unipi.it

23. Level Completed Prelight + shadows + texturing Diego Colombo colombod@di.unipi.it

24. Low poly does not mean low detail Diego Colombo colombod@di.unipi.it

25. A beautiful ugly game(Matrix path of Neo by Atari) • To low resolution models compensated by a rich texturing • But an ugly character remains an ugly character Diego Colombo colombod@di.unipi.it

26. A beautiful ugly game(Matrix path of Neo by Atari) Diego Colombo colombod@di.unipi.it

27. Always Faking when possible • We can use texture to simulate geometrical details • This balcony is a “background” component • With just a quad we achieve a great outcome Diego Colombo colombod@di.unipi.it

28. A game goes to the market if . . Diego Colombo colombod@di.unipi.it

29. . . It holds the 4 B of success • Blade • Bop • Blood • Breast Diego Colombo colombod@di.unipi.it

30. Did anybody say camera? • A game is a visual interactive story telling technique • Director makes an actor a star • Director tells audience what to see, think, and feel • Director is the god of camera, he is the ruler of your world Diego Colombo colombod@di.unipi.it

31. Finding similarities . . Diego Colombo colombod@di.unipi.it

32. Defining a standard palette • Scenes must be “homogeneous” in colors • Textures should use a common palette • Textures should not mind about lightning • Color definition is a key to emotion Diego Colombo colombod@di.unipi.it

33. Motion blur, another lesson • Games are moving towards cinema • Rendering should be performed as photorealistic as possible • Photorealistic is something realistic seen through a realistic camera Diego Colombo colombod@di.unipi.it

34. Dead or Alive 4 (Xbox) Diego Colombo colombod@di.unipi.it

35. Cinematic . . • Games move from one level to another through short movies • Graphics definition should match as much as possible Diego Colombo colombod@di.unipi.it

36. DevilMayCry3(PS2) & 4(PS3) Short Movie Game Diego Colombo colombod@di.unipi.it

37. How To • A good combination of • Low Poly • Textures • Reflection • Refraction • HW Acceleration • Normal Map Diego Colombo colombod@di.unipi.it

38. Ninja Gaiden XBox Game Diego Colombo colombod@di.unipi.it

39. Effects and sparkles(God of War) • Games arise from imagination • Putting supernatural in game enforce the performance • Do it when it is necessary Diego Colombo colombod@di.unipi.it

40. Masses and AI: Colossal Games(Spartan total warrior) • Noise is noise, not duplication! Diego Colombo colombod@di.unipi.it

41. Just a shopping list for game makers • 3D authoring tool (Maya) • 3D Painting tool (3DPaint, 3DPaintUV) • Character Animation tool (MotionBuilder) • Image editing tool (Photoshop) • Game Engine • Exporters Diego Colombo colombod@di.unipi.it

42. Resources • Discover the Game with AliasAlias|Learning Tools • Maya personal training Edition • Motion Builder personal training Edition • http://www.alias.com Diego Colombo colombod@di.unipi.it