Game Art: Creation, Direction, and Careers

Game Art: Creation, Direction, and Careers is written to give 3D artists who want to move into the games industry the tools and techniques they need to be successful. It is also written for practicing game artists looking to increase their knowledge and skills so they can advance to the next level. As the gap between GFX programmers and artists continues to grow, it is more important than ever for artists to understand how and why art works in games. This doesn't mean you have to become a programmer, but if you can understand the terminology and know why the technical details of your art are so important, you'll have the skills every studio wants. This book teaches you these skills. The first two parts define the artistic process involved in creating game art, including the basic knowledge and skills you need to solve common problems artists face. The last two parts cover technical performance information and the more advanced techniques for game art creation. Due to the similar workflows in today's 3D packages and the many in-house programs used in game development, the book teaches game-industry methods from a non-program specific perspective. The book does assume a working knowledge of at least one major 3D program (3ds max® or Maya®) and Photoshop®.