Year: 2012
Author: Robin de Jongh
Genre: CG 3D GRAPHICS
Publisher: Packt Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-84969-134-5
Language: English
Format: PDF
Pages 270
Create 3D game worlds complete with textures, levels and props with this book. Learn how to create realistic game worlds with Google's easy 3D modeling tool. Populate your games with realistic terrain, buildings, vehicles and objects. Import to game engines such as Unity 3D and create a first person 3D game simulation. Learn the skills you need to sell low polygon 3D objects in game asset stores. Simple techniques to photo texture your models for ultra realism.
Preface 1
Chapter 1: Why Use SketchUp? 7
Commitment brings rewards 8
Is this book for me? 8
Can I really become a professional in the game and film industry? 9
What's SketchUp really good at? 9
How will this book help? 9
Some limitations 10
Making bags of cash-selling assets 11
The envy of the gaming community: creating custom levels 13
In-game level design tools 14
Modding assets 14
What have I learned? 14
Chapter 2: Tools that Grow on Trees 15
3D Warehouse 15
Time for action – research what's hot and what's not 16
Your best CG textures source 20
Signing up to CGTextures.com 21
Copyright issues with textures 23
Your library 23
Meshlab 24
Time for action – learning about 3D meshes in MeshLab 25
Moving around in 3D 27
File formats 28
Get your game engine here: Unity 3D 28
The pro games environment 29
Time for action – obtaining Unity 3D for free 29
Google SketchUp 34
Enhanced texture packs 34
GIMP: The free professional graphics editor 36
Summary 37
Chapter 3: Wooden Pallet: Texture Creation 39
Finding textures to use in asset modeling 39
Time for action – selecting the photo texture 39
Enhancing textures 42
Time for action – cropping and enhancing 42
What are pixels? 45
Texture sizes 46
Time for action – arranging multiple textures 47
Saving textures 51
Naming conventions 52
Copyright text 52
Time for action – final touches 52
Summary 54
Chapter 4: Wooden Pallet: Modeling 55
Your first model in SketchUp 56
Time for action – importing a texture to scale 57
Modeling from the texture 58
Time for action – basic 3D geometry 58
Time for action – Push/Pull, Move, and Copy 62
It's really that easy! 65
Time for action – multiple copies 65
The power of pre-prepared textures 67
Time for action – completing texturing 68
Time for action – recycling textures for use on non-vital faces 72
Preparing for game use 75
Hidden geometry and layers 75
Removing unseen faces 75
Exploding geometry 77
Purging unused geometry and materials 77
Checking the face orientation 78
Compressing and resizing textures 78
Saving for game use 79
Summary 79
Chapter 5: Game Levels in SketchUp 81
Sketching out the level 83
Do game artists need art degrees? 83
Time for action – setting up the terrain grid and plan 86
Time for action – setting up the terrain texture image 89
Time for action – creating a color selection layer 92
The master texture 94
Time for action – creating a large seamless texture 95
Time for action – creating a tiled texture 98
Time for action – filling selected areas with textures 100
Time for action – using tileable textures from the Internet 102
Have a go hero – selecting and texturing 102
Some nifty texture tweaks 103
Time for action – creating a roadside kerb 103
Time for action – removing white edges 105
Modeling terrain with Sandbox tools 107
Time for action – adding height to a flat terrain 107
The Stamp tool 110
Time for action – stamping detail onto the terrain 111
The Drape tool 115
Time for action – using the Drape tool 116
Uniting terrain geometry with texture 116
Summary 118
Chapter 6: Importing to a Professional Game Application: Unity 3D 119
Exporting the level from SketchUp 120
Time for action – preparing a model for export 120
Time for action – SketchUp Pro export 121
Time for action – SketchUp free export 122
Time for action – using the free Autodesk FBX converter 122
Importing to Unity 3D 123
Time for action – importing your terrain in to Unity 124
Time for action – using a high-resolution terrain texture in Unity 127
Creating lights 128
Time for action – creating Sunlight in Unity 129
Setting up your character controller 132
Time for action – setting up a first-person shooter style controller 132
Time for action – playing the level 133
Time for action – creating a web playable walkthrough 134
Time for action – copying and pasting the pallet multiple times 137
Summary 140
Chapter 7: Quick Standard Assets 141
Rough and ready fencing 142
Time for action – making fencing with SketchUp's materials 142
Time for action – making several unique variations 145
Inserting multiple copies to quickly fill out a level 147
Time for action – fencing large areas 148
Time for action – walking around in SketchUp to visualize your level 151
Generating buildings quickly 153
Time for action – creating a building from two images 153
When the going gets tough 157
Using someone else's assets 158
Time for action – cleaning up a Google Warehouse model 159
Fixing the origin and removing hidden geometry 160
Rectifying scale issues 161
Checking face alignment and textures 162
The ten-minute oil barrel 163
Creating tools or weapons 166
Time for action – modeling a low polygon wrench 166
Summary 172
Chapter 8: Advanced Modeling: Create a Realistic Car in Easy Steps 173
Where to find car images and plans 174
Time for action – creating a car texture 174
Time for action – creating a 3D car outline 178
Refining the car's geometry 181
Time for action – sitting on the hood 181
Modeling by hand 187
Time for action – applying a car body filler with the pencil tool 187
Creating the car texture from photos 190
Finding car images 191
Some websites with car textures 191
Taking your own car images 191
Find a friend in the trade 192
Time for action 192
Painting in individual elements 196
Time for action – painting over the rear view 196
Time for action – creating blend areas 199
UV unwrap plugins 202
Time for action – how realistic wheels make all the difference 204
Summary 205
Chapter 9: The Main Building - Inside and Out 207
Creating the main building 208
Time for action – clipping round textures 208
Modeling the interior 215
Your final 3D game level in Unity 3D 217
Time for action – setting up a playable game level layout 218
Level-led design 223
Time for action – digging out a terrain 223
Time for action – exporting buildings to Unity 3D 227
Creating context with skyline and background terrain 229
Time for action – creating see-through textures 229
Time for action – creating a backdrop 231
Time for action – enabling see-through materials (Alpha Channel) 233
Time for action – enabling a skybox 234
Time for action – ambient light 236
Exporting your game for others to play 237
Time for action – who said you can't have your game and play it? 238
Summary 240
Appendix A: MakeHuman 241
Time for action – making a human 241
Appendix B: Pop Quiz Answers 247
Chapter 1: Why Use SketchUp 247
Chapter 2: Tools that Grow on Trees 247
Chapter 6: Importing to a Professional Game Application: Unity 3D 248
Index 249
Download File Size:10.43 MB
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