Beginning Game Art in 3ds Max 8

by Pardew, Les; Whittington, Dan

• ISBN13: 9781592009084
• ISBN10: 1592009085
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-12-08
• Publisher: Cengage Learning PTR

Summary

Are you an artist ready to try your hand at 3ds Max 8? Beginning Game Art in 3ds Max 8 gives you the skills you need to hit the ground running, covering the basics of this amazing program. It is filled with step-by-step instructions and sample projects from actual games. Fine-tune your new skills as you learn to build objects, environments, and characters. You will also learn the basics of rigging and animating your game characters. Using this book's hands-on approach, you'll jump right in and begin creating your own art using the amazing features of 3ds Max 8.

Table of Contents

Introduction xi
Chapter 1 How 3D Works in Games	1	(26)
How Art Is Displayed	2	(6)
Historical Overview of Computer Art	3	(1)
The Move to Color	4	(2)
More Power Brings Better Tools	6	(1)
3D Makes Its Move	6	(2)
2D and 3D Art	8	(1)
Using Painting and Drawing Programs	9	(2)
3D Art in Games	11	(10)
The Vertex	12	(1)
The Polygon	12	(1)
Textures	13	(2)
Lighting and Reflections	15	(5)
Animation	20	(1)
Game Al	21	(1)
Bringing Everything Together	21	(2)
Summary	23	(1)
Questions	24	(1)
Answers	24	(1)
Discussion Questions	25	(1)
Exercises	25	(2)
Chapter 2 Exploring the 3ds Max Interface	27	(28)
Familiarizing Yourself with the 3ds Max Interface	28	(3)
Exploring the 3ds Max Interface in Greater Depth	31	(2)
Exploring the Command Panels	33	(11)
Using the Create Tab	34	(3)
Using the Modify Tab	37	(4)
Working with the Subobject Mode Selection Tools	41	(3)
Texturing	44	(4)
Animation	48	(4)
Summary	52	(1)
Questions	53	(1)
Answers	53	(1)
Discussion Questions	53	(1)
Exercises	54	(1)
Chapter 3 Building Game Objects	55	(24)
Building an Old Oil Barrel	55	(8)
Building a Wood Crate	63	(5)
Creating the Hangar	68	(5)
Making Trees	73	(3)
Summary	76	(1)
Questions	76	(1)
Answers	76	(1)
Discussion Questions	77	(1)
Exercises	77	(2)
Chapter 4 Building Complex Game Objects	79	(60)
Modeling a P-51 Mustang Airplane	79	(1)
Setting Up the Scene	80	(2)
Creating the Fuselage	82	(1)
Shaping the Cylinder into a Fuselage	83	(3)
Completing the Fuselage	86	(10)
Creating the Radiator Housing	96	(5)
Cleaning Up the Model	101	(2)
Creating the Spinner	103	(2)
Creating the Main Wing	105	(3)
Creating the Wing Fillets	108	(3)
Building the Landing Gear	111	(5)
Mirroring the Geometry	116	(6)
Putting It All Together	122	(4)
Texturing the Mustang	126	(9)
Summary	135	(1)
Questions	135	(1)
Answers	136	(1)
Discussion Questions	137	(1)
Exercises	137	(2)
Chapter 5 Building Game Worlds	139	(18)
Creating the Terrain	139	(2)
Creating the Sky Box	141	(5)
Creating the Runway	146	(5)
Putting It All Together	151	(3)
Summary	154	(1)
Questions	155	(1)
Answers	155	(1)
Discussion Questions	155	(1)
Exercises	156	(1)
Chapter 6 Creating Game Characters	157	(86)
Game Characters	157	(1)
Types of Game Characters	158	(2)
Player Characters	158	(1)
Non-Player Characters	159	(1)
Enemies	160	(1)
Building Characters	160	(7)
Character Templates	161	(6)
Character Modeling	167	(72)
Polygon Budgets	167	(2)
Building a Template	169	(8)
Starting the Model	177	(8)
Modeling the Torso	185	(8)
Building the Head	193	(19)
Finishing the Model	212	(10)
Texturing the Character	222	(12)
Mirroring the Model	234	(5)
Summary	239	(1)
Questions	239	(1)
Answers	240	(1)
Discussion Questions	241	(1)
Exercises	241	(2)
Chapter 7 Rigging Characters	243	(58)
The Biped System	243	(42)
Binding Biped to Your Model	265	(20)
The Bones System	285	(13)
Creating Bones	285	(13)
Summary	298	(1)
Questions	299	(1)
Answers	299	(1)
Discussion Questions	300	(1)
Exercises	300	(1)
Chapter 8 3D Animation	301	(42)
Understanding Animation	301	(1)
Animation in 3ds Max	302	(38)
Ball Animation	304	(10)
Character Animation	314	(26)
Summary	340	(1)
Questions	341	(1)
Answers	342	(1)
Discussion Questions	342	(1)
Exercises	342	(1)
Index	343