DAZ 3D Studio

DAZ 3D studio is a fairly advanced 3D rendering suite where the user can create anything from a single character model to a whole entire landscape scene. However, I say “fairly advanced” due to the fact that the program comes with male and female model renders that were clearly created by professionals with a background in 3D modeling.

The suite is advertised as free, yet it should be described as a freemium product. Each studio, landscape & character customization studio, comes with a set amount of free resources for users to fool around with and create scenes of their own. The studio contains custom-made male and female models along with minor programming to make your model dance, jump, walk around, etc. Then there are tons of online resources to download. These however must be paid for. These resources include different actions such as talking, interacting with other models in a scene and different character models such as monsters and even different clothing/weapons.

While fooling around with this product I was able to create a fight scene within 10-20 minutes, so the learning curve is very low. However my main concern here is the fact that I could never call anything created with the suite my own artwork. None of the clothing, models and scenery used were created by the user which made me feel distanced from the work created. The studio does allow you to import your own models but this seems pointless due to the fact that user would have to learn how to program their imports in DAZ Studio. Not to mention that if you have the knowledge of creating 3D models with Blender or Maya, then you most likely already have some basic knowledge as to programming and finishing your scene within those programs as well.

I’m not going to say this program is completely useless. It can prove useful for creating quick models or quick scenery that may look similar to something that your already working on.

The First Thing You Need To Make A Video Game

So you want to make a video game? Lol I seem to say that line a lot. In all seriousness though, there are a lot of books out there that read as: “With this book you will learn video game production in no time!” However, you buy the book and all the author talks about is video game creation as a concept and at the end of the book the author tells you to visit his site and buy the next book in his, or hers, line of game production books. Bullshit right?

Okay, we can talk about the programs, skills and resources later. None of that is important. Why? Well, does a business just start overnight? No! of course not. It begins with an idea, an idea that must be nurtured. Before you get down to the nitty gritty and start hard coding your character to slash apart enemies, you must first get everything down on paper and make sure it makes sense. Whether your an indie developer or making a pitch to the big league’s, you must have all your facts in order.

This is called a Game Development Document! This is meant to show the order of game creation process.

Game Development Doc.

Part 1: The Concept

1. The High Concept- 1-2 sentences explaining the game. If you cant explain your game in 2 sentences or less then your concept will be lost in translation.
2. Genre- Is it action or racing? Explain!
3. Gameplay- is it first or third person? 2D or 3D?
4. Features- What makes this game different from every other one on the market?
5. Setting- What is the games world and do you have concept art? How does the setting effect the plot.
6. Story- Summarize the plot of your game & introduce the hero and villain.
7. Target- Who is your Target audience and why will this game appeal to them?
8. Platform- Is it multi-platform?
9. Estimated schedule, budget and profit/loss
10. Competitive Analysis- Who is your competition?
11. Team- What are the credentials of your team?
12. Risk Analysis
13. Overall Summary

Part 2: Game Design

This section is about establishing the full story, gameplay, user interface, characters, monsters, A.I. and everything else.

Art Production Plan

• Discuss or think about the look and feel of your game.
• What programs are you going to use to bring the art to life?

Art Bible

• Since a plan has been formed, the artistic style must be set in stone.
• Now it is time to create some more concept art

Production Path

• Concept art is just that, concept! It’s time to turn the concept art into actual 3D models.

Technical Design 

• This is when you talk about how you will  program your A.I., environment, controls, etc.

Project Plan

• Write out a road map which tells how you are going to build the game (explain what software’s will be used)

Manpower Plan

• List your entire team and what each person is doing.

Resource Plan

• Explain all external costs of creating the game.

Project Tracking Doc

• Keep track of the games production. Duh!!

Development Schedule

• How long until the game is finished?

Milestone Definitions

• Known as “Deliverables” which are full scale models and sketches of characters and other art.

Part 3: Development

Ahhh! Now we are at the development stage! See how much thought you have to put into a game before you even start making it?

The first order of business is a game prototype. This will be a few stages of the game. We then move into the Alpha & Beta Stages. The Alpha stage is when the game is mostly playable due to it being unfinished and un-fixed glitches. Beta is when the game is finished. You have finished every stage and all the coding/AI is perfect. All that takes place now is fixing all the bugs and glitches that are left over.

We then move into Code Freeze. This is the last days of beta and the master discs or whatever other means of distribution has begun. The game is released!

Part 4: Patches & Upgrades

This is self explanatory. All bug fixes due to hardware or extra content fit into this section.

Fin.

I obtained this information from a book. It was the most important piece of information which was found on the last 10 pages of the book. Other than the above info, the book was a waste of time!

Share & Enjoy!

Graphics Tips: Vision

Whether your drawing, painting, creating a cool design or advertisement, one thing will always be clear. Whatever message you are trying to get across in your artwork is dependent on what others see.

With sight we use peripheral and central vision in order to recognize the objects around us. However, believe it or not, peripheral vision is used more than central is. We are usually easily distracted by objects that enter our peripheral vision. For example: If you are designing a website and decide that a flashing or moving background that is behind the main text of the website is a good idea, your wrong. In fact this will distract a someone who is visiting your website and may actually cause them to leave.

Another issue with sight is 2/3D. Now we all know seeing in 3D is cool sometimes. But the problem is that we see in 2D. What does this mean? Designing 3D logos and pictures may slow down a persons recognition of your artwork.

When it comes to designing advertisements, a great technique for catching a persons attention is the presence of pointing hands or or eyes. People tend to look in the direction the eyes are looking or the hands are pointing. However if you have a person looking or pointing in a direction of the ad. where there is nothing to be found, they will most likely not take the time to view the rest of the design.

That’s all I have for now but expect more tips in the future!

Best Photoshop Tutorials For Beginners!

Looking to learn a thing or two about Photoshop but you don’t know where to start? Well You’re in the right place now! Below you will find some PS tuts that I feel would be easy to follow for beginners. Also remember that it isn’t bad to use tutorials as long as you add your own unique twist to the design!

Learn how to make a 3D glass typography design! http://bit.ly/14qpl7N

Create a Impressionist Photo! http://bit.ly/10Kjd9Q

Create 3D layered text! http://bit.ly/13GHhf5

Create a 3D Movie text effect. http://bit.ly/13GHmiO

Learn how to add focus and blur a photo! http://bit.ly/17WeCpK

Learn how to create a “Hope” poster. http://bit.ly/16GX4Os

Create a cosmic space scene http://bit.ly/12qlq8K

Create a 3D space explosion http://bit.ly/10hFVXd

Create a fashion poster. http://bit.ly/Z9gUyI

Create a vintage planetary landscape poster. http://bit.ly/163NepV

Create a futuristic portrait. http://bit.ly/16GZa13

Create a retro space typography poster. http://bit.ly/163NO7a

Create a grunge music logo. http://bit.ly/14L3FCN

Create a sleek web design. http://bit.ly/12HXY8G

Free Game Design Tools 2!

I must really learn to stop saying I’m going to end certain posts. Literally two days after my last software post I discovered almost a dozen other free game creation tools. Well here we go:

Cry Engine 3

The Cry Engine 3 SDK is an all in one 3D game development environment. It is available for free if you use it for non-commercial games.This engine looks fantastic and can do some pretty amazing things.

Cry Engine 3 is available for Windows

Tululoo Game Creator

Tululoo is an HTML game creation software. It’s site states that it is an “advanced game editor” but sadly it doesn’t look as advanced as most free 2D game creation softwares. However, it is worth mentioning because it is a free game creator.

Tululoo is available for Mac, Linux & Windows

Pygame

Pygame is a game creator for those familiar with python programming. It is a highly portable engine and is made for ease of use.

Pygame is available for Mac, Linux & Windows

Enigma

This one got me excited and then disappointed. Enigma is derived from the acclaimed program Game Maker. Being able to do everything Game Maker can, one should be excited and especially when it is “cross platform.” However, although I’m sure Enigma is a fantastic dev environment, it is not really cross platform. For those of you who have Windows please let me know how this software is. Unfortunately even though they boast this program is cross platform, there is no Mac version & whether or not there is a Linux distro I’m unsure of.

Enigma is available for Windows (& maybe linux)

PlayN

This engine is created by Google developers. Play N is a game library which allows Java programmers to create games for HTML5, Android, Java & Flash.

PlayN is available for Windows

RPG Toolkit

RPG toolkit is a free and easy to use dev kit for those wishing to create rpg games. The toolkit has it’s own type of scripting code which is easy to learn with help from RPG Toolkits online community.

RPG Toolkit is available for Windows

Scroller Game Creator

Scroller Game Creator is self explanatory. This creator is for anyone looking to make 2D scrolling games.

Scroller Game Creator is available for Windows

RPG Maker

RPG maker is free to use but there is a paid version which I would recommend purchasing. This creator is definitely a go to creator if you are looking to make 2D RPG games.

RPG Maker is available for Windows

Adventure Game Studio

This is another title that is self explanatory. AGS allows users to drag and drop their artwork into the dev environment. This software looks like it’s used for children’s games and games made by kids who are interested in game creation.

Adventure Game Studio is available for Windows

SI02 Engine

SI02 Engine is a 2D & 3D game engine for iOS, Android, Mac & Windows game creation. This is a pretty advanced engine and requires users to learn the softwares coding.

SI02 Engine is available for Mac & Windows

Flowlab

Flowlab is unique. It is an online game creation software. Everything from creation to distribution is done from within your own web browser.

Flowlab is an online software

Arianne

Arianne is a multiplayer online games framework and engine. Any Java/Python programmer looking to create multiplayer games should take a look at this program.

Arianne is available for Mac, Linux & Windows

Shiva 3D

Shiva 3D contains a lot of similarities to the Unity game creator. I don’t know to much about Shiva so some outside input would be great because its website makes it seem like a dream software to have.

Shiva 3D is available for Mac & Windows

Free Game Design Tools!

You want to make video games but you’re totally unsure of where to start. Or maybe your an expert at coding and are looking for the perfect program to design things in. It really doesn’t matter why you want to design games. What does matter is being pointed in the right direction! (Note I’ve done a post similar to this one with game design tools but it is not as extensive)

**This will my last post on free tools! I can assume that I have covered every area of communications with free software. After this I will create posts on tutorials in regards to using some programs**

Free Game Design Tools

Blender 3D

As of its recent update release, Blender 3D is no longer just a 3D modeling software. It now features a game engine that supports python programming. Both the python language and blender are advanced so I would not jump in quickly without doing any tutorial research.

Blender is available for Mac, Linux & Windows

Game Salad

Game Salad is 2D game engine that is available free with limited capabilities. There are many other programs much like Game Salad that allow for drag and drop backgrounds, sprites, etc. Another great thing about this software is that it is for beginners who do not know to much about the programming side of game creation.

Game Salad is available for Mac & Windows

Stencyl

I can talk for hours about Stencyl. It is much like Game Salad & Game Maker Studio with a single difference. Rather than searching across the Internet for game sprites, Stencyl has its own game community that shares sprites, levels and even programming for re-use in other games. As far as 2D game engines go, Stencyl is definitely my go to choice.

Stencyl is available for Mac, Linux & Windows

Unity

Unity is a 3D game engine. Unity can do a lot of amazing things so don’t lack your lack of skills with Unity drive you away. There are a lot of fantastic tutorials out there that can turn you from a novice into a pro in no time.

Unity is available for Mac & Windows

Game Maker Studio

Game Maker Studio is a 2D/2.5D game engine. I have seen some great looking games come from this engine and not to mention a lot of friends have told me I should use Game Maker. I have also read that this is a great program to use in collaboration with Blender in order to create 2.5D games.

Game Maker Studio is available for Windows

Three.js

Three.js is a 3D javascript game engine for those who are use to writing in javascript.

Three.js is available for Windows

Flixel

Flixel is an open source flash gaming library. It is free for personal and commercial use and has been used to create various adult swim games. Any true beginner in game development may want to start here.

Flixel is available for Windows

LWJGL

LWJGL is abbreviated because its name is a mouthful. It stands for Lightweight Java Game Library. This is a collection of gaming libraries aimed at javascript users.

LWJGL is available for Windows

Construct 2

Construct 2 is another 2D game engine for beginners and experts. Construct is another great place to start in the gaming production.

Construct 2 is available for Windows

Engine 001

Engine 001 is a free 2D game engine that does all the game coding for you.

Engine 001 is available for Windows

ClanLib

ClanLib is a cross platform C++ SDK.

ClanLib is available for Mac, Linux & PC

Game Develop

Game Develop is a 2D game Engine. I can’t say much about this engine. Not because most free engines are the same. It’s because I’ve never gotten it to install. I always seem to get a corrupted download. If anyone has it installed please let me know how it is.

Game Develop is available for Mac, Linux & Windows

Kobold 2D

Kobold 2D is a package for developing i-phone apps and games using cocos2D.

Very similar to Kobold 2D is Alice

Both are available for Mac & Windows

Free Tools For Graphic Designers Part 2- Videography Edition

Shame on me. Why do I say that? Because I published a post about free graphic design tools and left some of the most important free tools out! The Video Editing tools! Well let us quickly cover what free videography tools are out there! I must warn though, most of the softwares on this list will not be as advanced as their buy-to-use rivals.

Videography

Avidemux

Avidemux is a very simple video editor. It was simply created for the simple editing, filtering and encoding projects. So if you are looking to do quick editing work without any extra graphics or text then this is the program for you!

Avidemux is available for Mac, Windows & Linux

OpenShot

OpenShot was just another simple editing program, however it is currently undergoing many different changes such as the addition of animation presets. Big things can be expected of OpenShot and is worth giving a shot.

OpenShot is available for Linux

Lightworks

Lightworks has a very sleek design that makes it an appealing program. It is very advanced for a free software but there might be slight learning curves. If you don’t mind learning how to use Lightworks then go right ahead and give it a try.

Lightworks is available for Windows

KDenlive

KDenlive is a very simple video editing software with no animation presets.

KDenlive is available for Mac & Linux

PiTiVi

Yet another simple video editor made for those who do not have extensive knowledge about editing videos.

PiTiVi is available for Linux

Cinelerra

Cinelerra is one of the more advanced video editors available for Linux computers.

Cinelerra is available for Linux

Ezvid

Ezvid is one of my favorites because it saved my life (well not really) at one of my student worker jobs. It is a lightweight application (as compared to most of the other mentioned her) and is quick to pick up. Ezvid is mainly for small time editing and slideshow creation.

Ezvid is available for Windows

Free Tools For Computer Artists!

Buying products like the Adobe Suite can get pretty expensive and if you have a kind heart and don’t wish to torrent applications like these you can very well find yourself in a dilemma. But worry not! There are plenty of free applications out there that can help jump start your artistic career and tide you over until you can purchase better products. That or you might fall in love with these products so much that you won’t switch! Ready for some free software?

Photography:

Darktable:

Darktable is an Open Source photo work flow application much like AdobeLightroom. Darktable is perfect for photographers , not only because it’s free, but it allows you to perform basic functions like cropping, rotating, exposure, etc. and then more advanced functions such as toning/coloring correction modules and allows you to add visual effects through filters.

Darktable is available for both Linux and Mac computers.

Raw Therapee:

 Raw Therapee is another Open source photo work flow application. The last I used RT it was not as advanced, in my taste, as Darktable but never the less it gets the job done. Plus you can’t pass up something that is free lol.

Raw Therapee is available for Windows, Mac & Linux computers.

Painting:

Gimp:

 Ahhh. The infamous Gimp. Practically anyone who has heard of Photoshop has heard of Gimp. It is an Open Source application similar to Photoshop. In all honesty they are both almost exactly the same. Photoshop is slightly advanced. Another issue is the learning curve that comes with Gimp. Most people have a hard time using Gimp because of it’s different interface and shortcuts. But that is no excuse to not give it a try. Gimp gets the job done and I myself have created some great artwork with the program!

Gimp is available for Windows, Mac & Linux computers.

Vector Graphics:

Inkscape:

 As the title of this section suggests, Inkscape is a vector graphics creation application similar to Adobe Illustrator. I myself have not used Inkscape to much to know about learning curves or any issues that may come with the program. But at first glance and few minutes playing with the program, I had no issue creating different objects.

 Inkscape is available for Windows, Mac & Linux computers.

Animation:

Pencil:

 Pencil is a very unique program. It is an Open Source 2d sketching/animation software that allows you to create hand drawn animated cartoons using bitmaps and vector graphics. This can be a handy program for anyone wanting to start their own animated shorts.

Pencil is available for Windows, Mac & Linux

Synfig Studio:

 Synfig is an open source 2D animation software that allows users to create animated scenes using vector and bitmap artwork. This program is unique in that you do not need to create frame by frame animation which allows you to produce animations quickly and by yourself!

 Synfig Studio is available for Windows, Mac & Linux

3D Software

Blender

 Anyone who is in to computer graphics & animation has heard of Blender. Blender is a 3D animation software that allows users to do everything from model creation, to skinning, coloring, animating and landscaping. It can be compared to the 3D modelling software Maya. Although, between the two there is no clear victor and it truly comes down to which program you prefer more, Blender has it’s perks. As of the new update Blender allows for 3D and 2D game creation, but of course you have to know Python program in order to program the game. Blender is definitely a must have for any computer animator.

 Blender is available for Windows, Mac & Linux

DAZ 3D

 My stumbling on to DAZ 3D was a complete accident. But it is a pretty nifty piece of software. A big issue with 3D modeling is the animation process. Many things can go wrong such as disconnecting limbs. However DAZ 3D solves this for you. You can enter your model into DAZ fully clothed or naked and dress it in DAZ and then choose different animation styles like walking, running or fighting that you want the model to do. I’ve only fooled around with this software once but it was pretty easy to use right off the bat. DAZ I free with limited functions available.

DAZ 3D is available for Mac & Windows

Hexagon

 Hexagon comes free with DAZ 3D. Hexagon is a 3D model creation software much like Blender and Maya. It is not as advanced as Blender but is worth noting because it is free.

Hexagon is available for  Mac & Windows

Bryce

 Bryce also comes with the DAZ studio package and is actually used for creating beautiful landscapes. The landscapes created in Bryce can later be imported into DAZ to be used along with your 3D model.

Bryce is available for Mac & Windows

Sculptris

 Sculptris is a 3D sculpting software for people who are not used to 3D modeling. Sculptris is brought to us by the creators of Zbrush (which is not free) and allows for cross integration once you become an expert.

Sculptris is available for Mac & Windows

Great Tools For Independent Programmer’s!

As time continues to move forward it becomes more apparent that making money as part of a company is getting harder. So more and more people are becoming independent developers. A lot of questions I’m frequently asked is where to start? Well there are plenty of free tools for independent developers that are just waiting to be downloaded! So if you are an aspiring programmer or are just interested in possibly programming this is the place for you!

1. Bluefish Editor

Bluefish is a great editor for programmers who are in to designing dynamic websites. Not only can it handle numerous different coding types but is also designed to help you finish your work faster. What I mean by this is that as your typing Bluefish helps to auto create and close your html tags as you type. For beginners this is a great learning tool for memorizing the different tags and being able to work in different programming environments & helps finish your design work faster if you are a pro. I myself used to use Bluefish and strongly recommend it. Bluefish is available for Windows, Mac & Linux. Bluefish Editor

2. Geany

The first time I viewed Geany I believed it was a gift from a programming God. Geany is a lightweight cross platform independent development environment. Geany is definitely a simple to use program which supports multiple different coding languages such as: HTML, Javascript, C++, Ruby, Python, CSS, Perl, C, C# and many more. This is a must have for developers of any level. Geany is available for: Windows, Linux & Mac.

3. Anjuta

Anjuta is another IDE that handles C &  C++ programming. Anjuta offers many advanced programming facilities like application wizards. I myself have not fooled around with Anjuta that much but a C or C++ developer can’t really pass up a free and advanced piece of software. Anjuta is available for: Linux

4. Eclipse

Now we get to the fun stuff! Eclipse is a software development environment made to help developers create, distribute and manage software. Eclipse is more known as a Java editor which allows people to develop software for various different devices. But it offers a lot more than that. As stated before, Eclipse allows developers to over see and manage their software throughout its lifetime and also has many various plug-ins. Eclipse is a must have for application developers. Eclipse is available for: Windows, Mac & Linux.

5. Titanium

Titanium is an awesome SDK by Appcelerator that helps users build apps for iPhone, iPad, iPod, Android phones, Mac OSX & Linux! Titanium allows for quick cross development for different platforms by re-using and distributing the code for each platform. Titanium is available for: Windows, Mac & Linux.

6. Aptana Studio

Aptana Studio is another software by Appcelerator that allows for the development of web applications and supports HTML, CSS & Javascript websites along with PHP and Ruby on Rails development. This software is definitely worth checking out. Aptana Studio is available for: Windows, Mac & Linux.

That is about it for now! Enjoy and happy programming!

Try And Steal My Ish? Pssshh.

I didn’t always want to do Graphic Design when I was younger, but when I was taking a mandatory graphics class and the professor had told me I might possibly want to take the design route for advertising. So I listened to her advice and mow I am a graphic designer! But there are some things every designer must always keep in mind.

1. Give credit where credit is due:

If you’re design was inspired by someone else, don’t take all the credit for yourself and share the wealth. Everyone deserves to be recognized!

2. Sign off on your work:

Make sure to always sign off on your work. Whether it’s a custom logo, watermark, or signature you always want to make sure you claim you’re work.

3. Keep your original documents:

Always keep your original documents or more preferably your psd file (or format for whatever program you are using). It’s always easier to prove it’s you’re work when you have the files and dates of when it was created.

4. Don’t steal other artists work:

Believe it or not I have to say this. Back in my junior year of college I drew a cute little cartoon character and I am not he best artist. A few of my friends were telling me that I could definitely make money off of it if I did something with it and another one of my friends liked it so much that he tried to steal it, call it his creation and tried to submit it into a drawing competition at his college. That was a funny time. He never went through with it for the fact that I had all the original drawings with dates and he was afraid of getting in trouble in school. The simplest thing to do is simply not to steal others artwork. It’s not worth it.

Well that’s all I can think of at the moment. Just wanted to take a break from writing about video games.