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Game character design complete : using 3ds Max 8 and Adobe Photoshop CS2 PDF

216 Pages·2007·13.03 MB·English
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Preview Game character design complete : using 3ds Max 8 and Adobe Photoshop CS2

©2007 Thomson Course Technology,a division of Thomson Learning Inc. All rights reserved. No part Publisher and General Manager, of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,electronic or mechanical, Thomson Course Technology PTR: including photocopying,recording,or by any information storage or retrieval system without written Stacy L. Hiquet permission from Thomson Course Technology PTR,except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a Associate Director of Marketing: review. Sarah O’Donnell The Thomson Course Technology PTR logo and related trade dress are trademarks of Thomson Course Manager of Editorial Services: Technology,a division of Thomson Learning Inc.,and may not be used without written permission. Heather Talbot Photoshop is a registered trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated. 3ds Max is a registered trademark Marketing Manager: of Autodesk,Inc. Heather Hurley All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Senior Acquisitions Editor: Important:Thomson Course Technology PTR cannot provide software support. Please contact the Emi Smith appropriate software manufacturer’s technical support line or Web site for assistance. Marketing Coordinator: Thomson Course Technology PTR and the authors have attempted throughout this book to distinguish Meg Dunkerly proprietary trademarks from descriptive terms by following the capitalization style used by the Project/Copy Editor: manufacturer. Karen A. Gill Information contained in this book has been obtained by Thomson Course Technology PTR from Technical Reviewer: sources believed to be reliable. However,because of the possibility of human or mechanical error by Les Pardew our sources,Thomson Course Technology PTR,or others,the Publisher does not guarantee the PTR Editorial Services accuracy,adequacy,or completeness of any information and is not responsible for any errors or Coordinator: omissions or the results obtained from use of such information. Readers should be particularly aware Elizabeth Furbish of the fact that the Internet is an ever-changing entity. Some facts may have changed since this book went to press. Interior Layout Tech: Bill Hartman Educational facilities,companies,and organizations interested in multiple copies or licensing of this book should contact the Publisher for quantity discount information. Training manuals,CD-ROMs, Cover Designer: and portions of this book are also available individually or can be tailored for specific needs. Mike Tanamachi ISBN-10:1-59863-270-1 CD-ROM Producer: Brandon Penticuff ISBN-13:978-1-59863-270-5 Indexer: Library of Congress Catalog Card Number:2006923480 Larry Sweazy Printed in the United States of America Proofreader: 07 08 09 10 11 BU 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Sara Gullion Thomson Course Technology PTR, a division of Thomson Learning Inc. 25 Thomson Place ■ Boston, MA 02210 ■ http://www.courseptr.com Sleep is overrated. A nightly activity that by me is hated. It disrupts my busy life, And fills my nights full of strife. I’d rather stay awake and keep on working, Instead of feeling like my deadlines I’m shirking. If I didn’t sleep, I wouldn’t need a bed, And I’d have another room in my house instead. Wearing pajamas is such a fashion bore, And changing into them is always such a chore. If I could stay awake, I’d get so much done, And maybe even have time to have some fun. So tonight, I’ll start my life with no sleep, It shouldn’t be a schedule too hard to keep. It will really make my life one of ease, If I could just get away from all these ZZZs. So before I start, I’ll just lie down for a second, And start my plan after a couple days of sleep, I reckon. This book is dedicated to Michelle, who understands what it means to lack sleep. This page intentionally left blank Acknowledgments There are so many people to I’d also like to thank all the people worked on the CD and the cover,and acknowledge on this project who work for Autodesk and Adobe for those who laid out, proofread, and that I guess I’d better just jump creating such cool tools.3ds Max and indexed.The end result looks great! in and get started.First,I’d have to say Photoshop are not only professional- Big thanks to David who spearheaded thanks to Ridley Scott and the design level tools,but they also make the cre- this project,outlined and wrote most team who worked on the Alien films. ative process easy and fun. Keep up of the chapters,and added his enthu- These movies are just plain awesome the good work. The groups behind siastic and expert experience to the and inspiring for artists and character the various game engines are also book. David got so busy doing cool designers.Thanks also to the numer- awesome. stuffthat he didn’t have time to finish ous design teams behind the recent Thanks also to the excellent staff at this book, but the book carries his slew of cool games like Unreal, Thomson. Emi Smith and Karen Gill spirit throughout. DOOM,Halo,Half-Life,Splinter Cell, have offered a huge amount of help and numerous other games that make Finally, thanks to my family for their and have made this book possible working in the game industry so love and support. It is hard to work when it seemed to be on the verge of much fun.You guys rock,and I salute around computer book authors at disappearing completely.You two are you. times, but your patience makes it all the greatest! Thanks also to the rest of worth it. the behind-the-scenes team at Thomson, including those who —Eric Thomas This page intentionally left blank About the Authors David Fransonhas been a profession- Eric Thomas is a longtime 3ds Max al in the field of networking, pro- user extending all the way back to gramming,and 2D and 3D computer DOS days. During his years with the graphics since 1990. In 2000, he program, he’s seen a number of resigned his position as information changes and a dramatic shift in how technology director of one of the the software is used. Eric has used largest entertainment law firms in Max to create a variety of projects New York City to pursue a full-time from movies and games. He is cur- career in game development.He is the rently working as the creative director author of 2D Artwork and 3D for Side Pictures Inc.,a firm specializ- Modeling for Game Artists, The Dark ing in 3d games and visualization Side of Game Texturing, and the full- tools. page article “How Video Games Are Made,”which appeared in 45 newspa- pers worldwide.He has also produced digital artwork for 3D video games, film,and television. This page intentionally left blank Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xii Skeletal Rigging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Animating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Chapter 1 Game Engine Exporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 3D Game Character Design Basics . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Engine File Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Character Concept . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Game Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Chapter 2 Character Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Preparing to Model: Configuring 3ds Max Sketch Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 and Referencing Sketch Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Modeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Hardware and Software Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Modeling Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Choosing a Proper Video Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Repairing, Adjusting, and Optimizing . . . . . . . . . .9 Graphics Software and Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 3D Modeling File Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Monitors and Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 UV Unwrapping and Mapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Configuring the Max 8 Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Texturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Orthogonal Sketch Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Shaders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 The HICKS Rebuild #2A163 Background . . . . . . . .24 Bump Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Creating Reference Planes in 3ds Max 8 . . . . . . . . . . . .24 Normal Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 Texture Map File Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 x Contents Chapter 3 Chapter 5 Box Modeling in 3ds Max 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 UV Mapping the Character in 3ds Max . . . . . . .73 Environmental Considerations Before You Begin . . . . .32 The Mapping Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73 Modeling the Boot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 Selecting Body Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75 Shaping the Pants (Lower Body) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 Defining Seams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75 Adding Some Military Detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 Stretching the Pelt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76 Creating the Upper Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 Positioning the UVs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76 Forming the Torso . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 Stitching Edges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77 Forming the Shoulders and Arms . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 Packing UVs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77 Forming the Hands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 Step 1: Unwrap the Boots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77 Detailing the Torso . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 Step 2: Unwrap the Legs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80 Creating the Head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 Step 3: Unwrap the Arms and Hands . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84 Making the Face . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 Step 4: Unwrap the Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87 Finishing the Head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 Step 5: Unwrap the Eyes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60 Step 6: Unwrap the Head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90 Pack the Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92 Chapter 4 Rendering Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92 Mesh Optimization in 3ds Max . . . . . . . . . . . . .63 Update and View the Results in Max . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93 Analyzing the Character Mesh Using STL Check . . . . . .63 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93 Isolating Mesh Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 Fixing Mesh Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66 Reattaching Elements and Test Optimizing . . . . . . . . . .68 Changing the Character’s Pivot Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71

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