Texture Mapping

Texture mapping is like the cherry on top of an ice cream sundae. A model is never complete without it's colors, designs, and texture and even though a three dimensional object may already look impressive with just it's mold, but it will never be truly perfect without knowing if it's smooth, shiny, rough, colorless, or colorful. Texture mapping is what gives an object its true character. To be honest, creating texture it probably the easiest part in creating a three-dimensional model and video games in general. This is where traditional hand drawing and realism is being tested.

The purpose of this project was to create a design/texture map for the unwrap UV’s(the image on the bottom left) The model for this project was a simple robot and it was up to me to decide what kind I wanted it to be. My final thought was to create three designs; a cute bear inspired by san-x’s character Rilakkuma, a plain plum, and teal color based on Danelectro’s vintage pedals. At first I just gave it’s basic colors and paste in some simple decals, but there was something about the outcome that I didn’t like. The robots looked glossy and brand new. Everybody loved it, but to me it just looked like something everybody has already done. Every model looked like it just came out fresh out of the factory. I wanted something different so instead of brand new robots, I created texture maps that made the robots looked old. In Photoshop I added moss, scratches, and dirt to make it seem like the robots has been through rain, fighting, and hard work. On the edges I made it looked like paint were chipping off. Making the robots looked used and instead of new made it more realistic rather that just a 3D model. I’m glad I decided to through this path, because I really fell in love with the outcome.

Games At The Small Screen

Many video game developers have made millions and millions of money through making apps for smart phones and tablets. Some of these successful games are Angry Birds, Candy Crush, Clash of Clans, and Fruit Ninja. The sudden boom of app games begun when Apple gave the opportunity of creating apps for a living. Most independent video game developers (Indie developers) took advantage of this and decided to make games that are made for the small screen. This choice was a smart one, because unlike Xbox games or PlayStation games, apps range from 99 cents to 3 dollars. In other words, it is cheap and affordable. Plus, buying a system for the app is not necessary, because everybody already has cellphones and tablets. So, there's no reason not to buy the apps, but these aren't the only reasons indie developers chose to make apps over PC games or console games. Creating an app is easy to make, especially when programs like GameSalad exists.

The video above is a rough run through of a video game app made through GameSalad. The app is called Jump Jump And Away, which is about a girl with magical powers who helps her animal friends get down safely. The objective of the game is too jump on the platforms, avoid touching the dark clouds, collect as much animals as possible, and get to the top. This game was made in just a few months with the help of Adobe Photoshop, GameSalad, and a hard working team. My team and I decided to create an app for this project for the same reasons why indie developers choose to create apps; It is easy and quick to make and apps has been very popular for the past few years. Jump Jump And Away is actually a part of our game app series called, Project Anti Extinction. We wanted to spread the awareness of animals in danger to children from four years old and above. The outcome was such a huge success that professional game designers and judges at a panel were impress that they wanted to share it to others.

Platform Video Game

Limbo, Braid, Slender, Super Meat Boy, and Fez. All these games have one thing in common and that one thing changed the gaming community forever. Independent video games or indie games for short got their nickname through their creators, which are independent game developers. A lot of these game designers usually work with a small group and sometimes with just one or two people. Most of these developers usually begin pitching their ideas at Kickstarter, which is known for the largest funding platform for projects such as animations, films, and of course, games. Once, the indie developers’ reach their goal for funds, they begin creating their game. Their budget would be very low, not unlike big video game developers that have been in the field for years. So, these indie developers would tend to create a type of game that is easy and fast to make. Majority of these games are platform games, because they are easy to program, design, and render. The biggest advantage of platform games are most of the design are 2D art and the reason why indie developers choose to go this route is because, 3D art takes a lot of designing, preparing, and rendering. Deadlines aren’t really a problem when it comes to indie games, but the budget won’t be enough for such a big project.

The video above is an example of what a platform game would look like. The project was to create an animation that resembled to the style of Limbo, a popular black and white game. The art in Limbo are all silhouettes and the project’s goal was to create that same exact look. The game that I created is called Prey And Pray and it is about giant mutated insects that chose humans as their prey. All the art, except for the running character, is original and was created in Adobe Photoshop CC and I animated everything in Adobe After Effects CC. I used the principles of background design to my knowledge to create the illusion of atmospheric perspective. The images at front are darker than what is behind it to create that effect of the mountains being further away. I also made the mountains at the back move slower to create that realistic feel. Overall, I am happy with the outcome, I thought that it looked a lot like Limbo and I hope to create something as great someday.