Perspective, Scene Design, and Basic Animation

2. 4 Perspective, Scene Design, and Basic Animation

3. Explain game perspectives • Describe the elements of a scene. • Identify elements used to convey mood and theme. • Explain issues of clarity for scaled computer-generated images. • Describe how to construct 3D models. • Contrast static and active animation.

4. Define terminology used in artistic creations and computer-generated images. • Create artistic assets for a video game. • Summarize how pixel and vertex shading are used to create the illusion of depth.

5. Perspective • How gameplay is displayed • Position of player on screen • First person • Second person • Third person

6. First-Person Perspective • First-person perspective is seen through the eyes of the character • Like a head-mounted camera (www.freeonlinegames.com)

7. Second-Person Perspective • Second-person perspective is seen through the eyes of the opponent • Very rarely used (www.kongregate.com)

8. Second-Person Perspective • In this game, the player is the batter and the computer is the pitcher

9. Third-Person Perspective • Third-person perspective is seen through the eyes of a spectator • Overhead • Behind • Profile or platform view • Many other viewing angles

10. Third-Person Perspective • These games have a classic platform view (www.kewlbox.com; www.freeonlinegames.com)

11. Third-Person Perspective • This game has an overhead view (www.freeonlinegames.com)

12. Changeable Perspective • “Switch view” button (player selects) • Switch view due to game action (game determines); for example: • Third person while running • First person while in targeting mode

13. Changeable Perspective • This game features a “switch view” button

14. Scenes • Placement of game objects • Attractive layout • Obstacles • Objectives • Conveys story • Conveys mood

15. Object Placement • Foreground • Background • Active objects • Background objects • Backdrop objects • Text objects or buttons

16. Scene Feature • Examine the objects in this scene. • Identify and discuss the scene elements that do not match. • Why do these elements not match?

17. Design Objects • Active objects • Interactive • Can move • Background objects • Not interactive, like the sky • Backdrop objects • Scene elements, like platforms and walls • Player avatar • The character

18. Design Objects • Note the various types of objects in a game

19. Mood • Through color palette • Red = passion • Yellow = cheerful • Blue = peaceful • Gray = gloomy • Through object shape • Sharp edges = scary • Soft edges = calming

20. Theme • Through traditional or historic objects • Cultural themes • Historic periods • Mythology • Religion • Holidays

21. Mood and Theme Feature • Examine both scenes • Similar objects appear in both • How does color palette set the mood in each? • How is theme established by use of traditional objects in each?

22. Scene Design Feature • Consider the scene on the next slide: • List five background objects • List one foreground object • List the active objects in the scene • What is the mood of the scene? • How does color palette help set that mood?

23. Scene Design Feature

24. Storyboards • A plan to tell the game story • Sketch important frames • Describe important action

25. Image Properties • Digital images • Measured in pixels • Clarity • Resolution

26. Clarity • Pixel density • Dots per inch (dpi) • High resolution vs. low resolution

27. Resizing and Resolution • Enlarging low-resolution images • Pixilation • Blurry • Interpolation • Color blending • Native poles • Dithering

28. Resizing and Resolution • The computer may blend colors when interpolating pixels

29. Game Map • Game map often is larger than screen size • Map must scroll into the visible screen • Images can blur if movement is too fast • Game can lag if image resolution is too high

30. Digital Color Model • RGB • Red, green, and blue • Colors blended to create all other colors

31. Digital Color Model • Creating an RGB color in Microsoft Office

32. Digital Color Model • HSL • Hue, saturation, and luminescence • The values for these properties create all colors

33. Digital Color Model • Creating an HSL color in Microsoft Office

34. Two-Dimensional Games • Length and width only; no depth • Game frame • Includes all items needed to complete a level • May not be all visible to player at once

35. Two-Dimensional Games • Visible play area • Part of the game frame seen by the player • Scrolling if needed • 2D assets are called sprites • Sprite character set (sprite sheet) • Movement direction animations • Stopped animation images

36. Two-Dimensional Games • A sprite character set from RPG Maker XP

37. Two-Dimensional Games • Game frame coordinates • Cartesian coordinate system has +Y up • The Games Factory 2 has +Y down

38. Two and One-Half–Dimensional Games • Hybrid • 2D game map with 3D objects • 3D game map with 2D objects • Isometric board games

39. Two and One-Half–Dimensional Games

40. Three-Dimensional Games • Length, width, and depth • Coordinates in X, Y, and Z directions • 3D assets are called models

41. Three-Dimensional Games • Perspective • Visual perspective • Vanishing point

42. Displaying 3D Objects • Pixel shading • Light from light source • Results in light and dark areas on the model • Vertex • Point on a 3D object • Faces are between vertices • Wireframe view shows hidden edges and vertices

43. Displaying 3D Objects • Models are composed of vertices, edges, and faces

44. Scaling 3D Objects • Rendering • Resizing • Proportional (A) • Nonproportional (B)

45. Moving a 3D Object • Resizes in line with visual perspective • Distance between vertices is scaled • Reading edge programming • Bounding box programming

46. Round Objects • UV sphere • U = X • V = Y

47. Round Objects • Geodesic sphere • Faces may be any regular polygon • Icosphere most common type

48. What Is a Mesh? • Mesh is polygonal shapes (polys) “glued” together • Provides the shape for the object • Texture • External color or image on the object • Tessellates over the mesh • Stretched on the surface of each poly

49. What Is a Mesh? • Texture is an image stretched over a mesh (Model courtesy of Autodesk)

50. What Is a Mesh? • Poly count • Increased poly count = smoother • Increased poly count = longer render time