Название: Digital Character Creation for Video Games and Collectibles
Автор: Samuel King
Издательство: CRC Press
Год: 2023
Страниц: 178
Язык: английский
Формат: pdf (true)
Размер: 123.4 MB

This book covers the process of creating digital characters for video games as well as for 3D printing and collectibles. It looks at character asset creation for high-end AAA console games as well as asset creation for legacy devices and the ever-growing mobile gaming industry. Lastly, it covers creation of figurines for 3D printing and collectibles.

Digital Character Creation for Video Games and Collectibles provides a step-by-step walkthrough of creating these assets at an industry level standard. It includes the necessary theory that you need to understand how to be an effective character artist, but primarily focuses on the practical skills needed for creating character assets in the modern games and collectibles industries.

To break it down further and to put the process of building character art for games in focus, we can consider these stages of 3D character creation for games:

• To start off, the first stage will be receiving 2D concept art. This can be provided an image reference found or produced by a concept art team, working in Photoshop. Rarely, the concept could also be developed by the character artist themselves.

• After that the artist will start working in modelling programs such as Maya, 3ds Max, Blender and Zbrush to block out the model.

• When referencing a blockout, this means the artist will begin to rough out the primary elements of the character build such as major forms, silhouette, primary shapes, and proportions and making sure these read well and feel good before moving onto detailing the character model further.

• Once the blockout is complete, this is the time to start working into the model and moving the high polygon sculpt to completion. All detailing and polish is heavily applied here until the high polygon model or sculpt is complete and retopology is ready to start.

• After the completion of the high polygon model, the retopology model is started, this is the low-resolution mesh used inside the game engine. This can be done in standard 3D software such as 3ds Max and Maya or specialist retopology programs such as 3D-Coat and Topogun.

This book will be of great interest to all beginners and junior character artists currently working in the gaming or collectible industry and for those looking to enter these industries. There is also relevant content in the highly detailed examples for people currently working in the industry and looking to pick up a few new tips, tricks and knowledge.

If you are very new to the concept of character art, I would encourage you to read the initial chapters of this book before the technical examples as they will give a good idea of the pipeline of creating character art as well as the art fundamentals that are needed to start tackling projects.

Students or even working professionals can jump to the technical example chapters if they feel confident in knowledge of the subject covered beforehand. I would encourage at least a brief read through.

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