The Game Animator′s Guide to Maya - Softcover

McKinley, Michael

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0470038578 ISBN 13: 9780470038574

Publisher: Sybex, 2006

Synopsis

The Ultimate Resource for Professional Game Animators
Game animation is a demanding art. Not only do you have to deliver realistic, beautiful animations, but you have to do so under strict real–time, video–game constraints. The Game Animator′s Guide to Maya is your focused resource for using Maya to create professional–level game animations for console and PC games. Written by a game industry veteran and featuring interviews with professional animators and artists from around the country, this focused book features specific, detailed, real–world game animation techniques. It′s the perfect reference and tutorial for those looking to develop or refine their game animation skills.

The enclosed CD features more than $3000 worth of exclusive content, including models, high–resolution textures, animations, concept art, and animation reference videos. It also includes the Maya Personal Learning Edition and project files so you can complete the hands–on tutorials.

The Game Animator′s Guide to Maya gives you an insider′s view of the animation business and teaches the skills necessary to animate everything from characters to vehicles to lip–synching audio. First, you′ll get an introduction to the industry and typical game development pipelines, then learn rigging and animation basics before moving on to advanced techniques and the detailed tutorials. Inside, you′ll find:
∗ Game Career Guide: Industry information, demo reel advice, job descriptions, game asset pipeline overview
∗ Animation Techniques: detailed explanation of animation terms, techniques, tools, concepts, and editors
∗ Rigging and Animation Setup: IK and FK, joint hierarchies, skeleton controls, constraints, selection handles, and more
∗ True Game Animation: real–world assignments that mimic the day–to–day jobs of professional game animators––walk cycles, run cycles, idle cycles, action sequences, lip–synching to audio, and more

About this title

Synopsis

This is the definitive resource for up-and-coming 3D game artists. Alias' award-winning Maya[registered] 3D animation and effects software continues to lead the industry in technological innovation and is being adopted by more and more console and computer game developers. "The Game Artist's Guide to Maya" is an official introduction to creating 3D game art and animations with Maya, brought to you by Maya Press, a publishing partnership between Alias and Sybex. Written by a production artist at a prominent game company, this detailed book focuses on the skills real game artists use daily to create stunning characters and environments. By following the discussions and tutorials, you'll bring a concept through the entire game art development pipeline, learning everything from modeling, texturing, rigging, and animation, to special effects. You'll also glean insights from industry professionals and see how Maya has been used in popular games. If you're a 3D game artist, or looking to become one, this book will help you master the skills and techniques you'll need to excel in the competitive games industry.

Inside, you'll learn how to: create a game model using a concept image as your guide; model with predetermined real-time polycount limitations in mind; view martial arts videos on the book's CD to animate your character more realistically; prepare a model for texturing with UV mapping and layout techniques; create different kinds of textures; master the rigging process, from setting up a skeleton to preparing blend shapes; practice techniques for creating animation clips to work with in the Trax Editor; and use particle effects, such as sprites and animated geometry, to add pizzazz to your model.

About the Author

Michael McKinley is a 3D Artist at Buzz Monkey Software and author of The Game Artist′s Guide to Maya. His game projects have spanned a variety of platforms, from high–end PC games to console titles for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox to handheld games for the PlayStation Portable. Prior to Buzz Monkey, he taught Maya courses at Collins College in Tempe, Arizona.

Edition details

• Publisher: Sybex
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0470038578
• ISBN 13: 9780470038574
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 244