Game Character Development with Maya

Introduction

Every few years, another new game console or computer system is released that is more powerful than its predecessors. With this increase in power comes better graphics capabilities. This lifts the game artists’ restrictions, giving them freedom to add more detail to their geometry. But it also adds pressure to create yet more detailed and visually stunning characters, not only on paper but also in the game engine.

As the emphasis on graphics grows, so does the size of the development team needed to create a single game. Back in the early 1980s, a team comprised a single programmer who would no doubt create his or her own graphics—all that was needed were simple shapes formed from a few pixels on screen. Today’s gamers demand much ...