Book Image

Google SketchUp for Game Design: Beginner's Guide

Book Image

Google SketchUp for Game Design: Beginner's Guide

Overview of this book

Creating video game environments similar to the best 3D games on the market is now within the capability of hobbyists for the first time, with the free availability of game development software such as Unity 3D, and the ease with which groups of enthusiasts can get together to pool their skills for a game project. The sheer number of these independent game projects springing up means there is a constant need for game art, the physical 3D environment and objects that inhabit these game worlds. Now thanks to Google there is an easy, fun way to create professional game art, levels and props.Google SketchUp is the natural choice for beginners to game design. This book provides you with the workflow to quickly build realistic 3D environments, levels, and props to fill your game world. In simple steps you will model terrain, buildings, vehicles, and much more.Google SketchUp is the ideal entry level modeling tool for game design, allowing you to take digital photographs and turn them into 3D objects for quick, fun, game creation. SketchUp for Game Design takes you through the modeling of a game level with SketchUp and Unity 3D, complete with all game art, textures and props. You will learn how to create cars, buildings, terrain, tools and standard level props such as barrels, fencing and wooden pallets. You will set up your game level in Unity 3D to create a fully functional first person walk-around level to email to your friends or future employers.When you have completed the projects in this book, you will be comfortable creating 3D worlds, whether for games, visualization, or films.
Table of Contents (18 chapters)
Google SketchUp for Game Design
Credits
About the Author
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Index

Time for action – modeling a low polygon wrench


  1. First, find an image with a side on view of your wrench. Here's mine:

  2. Import it into SketchUp. Set the plan view and go to Camera ¦ Parallel Projection.

  3. Take out your pencil and draw around the outline. Remember this is going to have to be low polygon, so use as few clicks of the mouse as you can.

  4. Start with the curves, because these look circular, and so you will be able to use the Arc tool. When you click the tool, type in 3 (or 4) and Enter. All the arcs you draw will now have only 3 (or 4) sides to them, as shown next:

  5. When you've drawn in the curves, finish the outline off with the pencil tool.

  6. You can now Push/Pull the wrench out to give it some dimension.

  7. Move the image away from the wrench using the Move tool. Now, explode the image.

  8. Use the Sample Paint tool in the Materials pallet to sample the image, then paint it onto the top face of the wrench. Now it looks like we're getting somewhere!

  9. Use the pencil or arc tools to trace over the internal...