book

Maya® Studio Projects: Game Environments and Props

Name: Maya® Studio Projects: Game Environments and Props
ISBN: 9780470524039

by Michael McKinley, Juan Pablo Stegmann

March 2010

Beginner

288 pages

8h 27m

English

Sybex

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Copyright
Dear Reader,
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Introduction
0.1. Who Should Buy This Book0.1.1. What You Need0.1.2. What's Inside0.1.3. How to Contact the Author
1. Walls, Ceilings, and Floors
1.1. Understanding Backgrounds1.2. Project: Creating a Brick Wall1.2.1. Creating a Brick1.2.2. Adding Nooks and Crannies1.2.3. Laying Bricks1.2.3.1. Adding Chance1.2.3.2. You Can Never Get Enough Chance1.2.4. Generating Texture Sources1.2.4.1. Generating a Diffuse Source1.2.4.2. Adding a Little Color1.2.4.3. Generating a Normal Source1.2.4.4. Using an Alternative Method: The Light Array1.2.4.5. Generating an Ambient Occlusion1.2.5. Creating the Final Textures1.2.5.1. Adding Color Variation1.2.5.2. Creating the Final Normal Map1.2.5.3. Mixing Normals1.2.5.4. Creating the Final Specular Map1.3. Information Overload
2. Foliage
2.1. Understanding Foliage2.2. Project: Creating Ivy2.2.1. Adding Veins2.2.2. Generating Texture Sources2.2.3. Making Normal Map Adjustments2.2.4. Creating an Opacity Map2.2.4.1. Using an Alpha Channel2.2.4.2. Differentiating Between 24 Bits/Pixel and 32 Bits/Pixel2.2.5. Creating the Ivy Vine2.2.6. Creating Ivy Textures2.3. Project: Creating a Savannah Tree2.3.1. Creating Secondary Branches2.3.2. Creating Tertiary Branches2.3.3. Creating Filler Leaves2.3.4. Creating Stylized Bark2.3.5. UV Mapping the Tree2.4. The Illusion of Detail
3. Weapons
3.1. Understanding Weapons3.2. Project: Creating and Animating a Western Revolver3.2.1. Adding Details and Components3.2.2. Creating the Barrel3.2.3. Creating the Hammer3.2.4. Creating the Grip3.2.5. Creating the Trigger3.2.6. Creating the Trigger Frame3.2.7. Creating the Cylinder Frame3.2.8. Adding Details3.2.9. Creating the Low-Resolution Gun3.2.9.1. Creating the Low-Resolution Barrel3.2.9.2. Creating the Low-Resolution Cylinder3.2.9.3. Finishing the Low-Resolution Details3.2.10. UV Mapping the Geometry3.2.11. Generating Texture Sources3.2.12. Animating the Weapon3.2.12.1. Binding to the Skeleton3.2.12.2. Setting Keyframes3.3. Moving Right Along
4. Vehicles
4.1. Understanding Vehicles4.2. Project: Building a Dune Buggy4.2.1. Creating the Wheels4.2.2. Adding the Shock Absorbers4.2.3. Creating the Hood4.2.4. Creating the Axle and Steering Wheel4.2.5. Creating the Side Panel4.2.6. Creating the Base Undercarriage4.2.7. Creating the Chairs4.2.8. Creating the Headlights4.2.9. Adding a Rear Spoiler4.2.10. Creating the Engine4.2.11. Filling in the Final Details4.2.12. Creating the Low-Resolution Buggy4.2.13. UV Mapping the Low-Resolution Mesh4.3. Where to Go from Here?
5. Buildings
5.1. Understanding Buildings5.2. Project: Building a Skyscraper5.2.1. Creating Module 1: A Block of Windows5.2.2. Creating Module 2: A Corner Column5.2.3. Creating Module 3: A Smaller Window Block5.2.4. Creating Module 4: A Roof Ledge5.2.5. Creating Module 5: Large Corner Column5.2.6. Creating Module 6: Corner Roof Ledge5.2.7. Creating Module 7: The Roof5.2.8. Creating Module 8: Support Strut5.2.9. Creating Module 9: Round Roof Ledge5.2.10. Creating Module 10: The Base5.2.11. Creating the Low-Resolution Modules5.2.11.1. UV Mapping the Low-Resolution Meshes5.2.12. Texturing the Building5.2.12.1. Texturing the Windows5.3. Let's Light It Up

6. Illuminators
6.1. Understanding Illuminators6.2. Project: Creating a Wall Sconce6.2.1. Creating a Domed Cap6.2.2. Attaching the Sconce to the Bracket6.2.3. Adding Decorative Details6.2.4. Creating the Low-Resolution Mesh6.2.5. UV Mapping the Sconce6.2.6. Baking Texture Sources6.2.7. Creating the Final Textures6.2.7.1. Creating the Specular Texture6.2.7.2. Creating the Emissive Texture6.3. In the Home Stretch!
7. Ambient Movement
7.1. Understanding Movers7.2. Project: Creating an Industrial Fan7.2.1. Creating a Base7.2.2. Creating the Low-Resolution Model7.2.3. Creating the UV Mapping7.2.4. Completing the Model7.2.5. Creating the Textures7.2.6. Creating a Looping Animation7.3. Not Just a Level
8. Putting It All Together
8.1. Project: Creating a Sci-Fi Prop8.1.1. Connecting the Two Sides8.1.2. Building the Mysterious Device8.1.3. Adding Final Details8.1.4. Creating the Low-Resolution Mesh8.1.4.1. UV Mapping the Low-Res Mesh8.1.5. Creating the Final Textures8.1.6. Adding Geometry Glow Effects8.1.7. Making It Move8.2. Project Complete!
9. Pro Tips
9.1. Using Mudbox or ZBrush9.2. Creating Level of Detail9.3. Mipmapping9.4. Using Multiple UV Channels9.5. Creating Collision Meshes9.6. Being Professional9.7. Have Fun!
A. Image Gallery
B. About the Companion DVD
B.1. What You'll Find on the DVDB.2. System RequirementsB.3. Using the DVDB.4. TroubleshootingB.5. Customer Care

Overview

Use Maya to create realistic environments and props for digital games

Weapons, vehicles, tools, buildings, trees, plants, walls, ceilings, and floors-these items may seem secondary to the game environment, but they are integral parts of the game and they all need to be created. Maya Studio Projects: Game Environments and Props is a step-by-step project guide to creating some of the most popular game art.

Author Michael McKinley shares techniques for getting the most out of Maya to create realistic, vivid, and compelling worlds and otherworldly props. Along the way, he provides notes and FYIs that give readers depth and breadth for bringing both reality and creativity to their game art. A bonus DVD features step-by-step videos to help drive home concepts.

The Studio Projects series offers projects that start from nothing, just as they do in the studio; these books provide you with a step-by-step guide to software attributes and tools that encompass multiple disciplines so that you can create a finished, renderable object
Many games have only a few characters, and multiple levels and environments, and hundreds of props-this book focuses on projects and techniques for creating everything but the character
Maya is the top 3D app for creating console and computer games such as: Rock Band, Gears of War, James Bond: Quantum of Solace, Fallout 3, and Far Cry 2

Learn effective Maya studio techniques with this handy, step-by-step, full-color book.

Become an O’Reilly member and get unlimited access to this title plus top books and audiobooks from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers, thousands of courses curated by job role, 150+ live events each month,
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