We've finally been moving into 3D animation and rigging, using 3ds Max. It's a daunting task, but exciting. From both research and personal experience, I've learned a few things about rigging. Enjoy, and please excuse the cheesy post title. The first piece of advice that this article gives is to have the right rig for the job. To do that, you have to know what the character you're rigging is going to do. Accommodate for what you need and don't worry about what you don't. I'm using a simple biped rig, since I'm just learning the basics, so there probably won't be anything too fancy happening. The article also suggests keeping the control curves organized and accessible. Color-code them, name them clearly, and don't create more than you need. Having worked in 3ds Max, I can attest that not naming things so you'll know what they are is a bad idea. It's a mistake I made several times when I was just learning to use the program, and I regretted it. Other suggestions included using deformers for facial rigging and adding special controls where you need them. I'm not sure I'll be worrying about that just yet, but I'll keep it in mind for the future. What have I learned from personal experience? Don't complicate your work with things that won't improve your final product. There are tools to simplify the process and improve quality, and it'd be foolish not to take advantage of them. For example, 3ds Max lets you mirror the adjustments of one side of the biped rig to the other. Hence, adjust one side, then copy it to the other. It will be more exact that way, and a lot easier. I addition, it's definitely true that you shouldn't worry about features you don't really need. Don't skimp on important things, but focus on what needs to be animated, and don't worry so much about what doesn't. I realized this when I wasted time trying to rig the fingers, even though I didn't need to. The other thing I've learned is to make sure everything is lined up as well as possible before I start making adjustments. It makes life so much easier. So, to summarize:
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Released in 1978, Space Invaders is one of the most famous arcade games out there. Naturally, I had to play it when I got the chance. I'll start with a summary. The player controls a small spaceship than can move left and right, as well as shoot upwards. The point of the game is to shoot the little aliens that are moving back and forth across the top of the screen, getting closer to the bottom with every passage they make and dropping small projectiles. This starts off slow and gets increasingly faster over time, and continues until the board is clear and resets (though it will start off faster this time), or until the player dies. This will keep repeating until finally the player dies. If the aliens reach the bottom it's game over, and if the player loses all lives to alien projectiles it's also game over. The player can shoot the red saucer that occasionally flies across the top of the screen and gain a bunch of points, but it requires quick reflexes and good timing. The player can also hide under protective structures, but these will be worn away from alien projectiles, as well as the player's own attacks, should they strike the covers.
While simple, the game is challenging and engaging enough to keep me interested. The graphics work well because despite their simplicity they're distinctive, especially the alien sprites. Because of the ever-increasing difficulty, the game doesn't get repetitive. The main problem is that the game gets increasingly stressful as the aliens speed up, which can be disruptive to flow. The fact that the sound the aliens make speeds up with their movement doesn't help. Overall, however, the game is entertaining despite its simplicity, and I can see why it became so popular when it was released. In order to learn how to skin and rig models, out class started using the program Adobe Fuse, since it’s quicker than making models from scratch in 3ds Max. Once I saw what the program could do, I just had to download it myself. Here are my thoughts. First, an explanation of what Fuse is: it’s a character creation program. Using a library of basic models and a slew of customization features, the user can create human(oid) 3D models. It’s a quick way of making 3D characters instead of having to model them all from scratch. I’ve played games with similar methods of customizing characters (like The Sims 4, which I reviewed here), but Fuse has a higher level of detail than I’ve ever scene. First of all, the shape of the model can be altered either by clicking and dragging, using the sliders on the side panel, or by entering values into the boxes next to the sliders. The user can customize a huge variety of features in the face alone and edit the facial expression, as well as alter other bodily proportions, right down to how skinny the fingers are. Along with this, the player can mix and match hair and clothing models, then switch over to the texture tab and edit them using a large library of different textures. Each part of a piece of clothing can have a different texture, and the applied textures themselves can be edited. The body (skin, eyes, hair, etc) can also be textured. The level of detail goes right down to editing the color of the veins in the eyes. Of course, every program has its shortcomings. One of the two issues I see is that it’s not really possible to apply highly specific details to the textures, such as adding tattoos to the character. I guess that’s what skinning in Photoshop is for. Besides, it would like be complicated to add a method for this kind of editing within Fuse itself. The other main problem I see is the lack of hair and clothing models. I may be inexperienced, but I’m fairly certain that making your own models from scratch is more difficult than just skinning one. As far as I know Fuse is still in beta, however, so hopefully there is more to come. So, to summarize:
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AuthorI'm moving on to my 4th (and final) year as a Game Art & Design student at Durham School of the Arts. I'd like to call myself an artist, but I'm a programmer at heart. Archives
February 2020
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