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 – multiple copies


The neat thing about SketchUp is that you can do a lot more with it than is immediately apparent. The reason it's been designed this way is that it keeps a pleasant and uncluttered visual interface. Let's look at one such hidden feature now that will make a big difference in your modeling from now on.

  1. Press the spacebar to go back to the default Select tool. Triple click on one of the faces of the timber member you just made. This will select all the geometry connected to that face.

  2. Select the Move tool and click at the bottom right of the timber member, as shown next.

  3. Now press Ctrl (Option on the Mac) and move the copy to the bottom right-hand corner of the pallet, and click again. You now have two members, one at each side of the pallet.

  4. So far so good! But what about one in the middle? Use the move tool and hover the cursor near the bottom center of the extrusion. The cursor snaps to the midpoint of the line (see next).

  5. Click here, tap Ctrl (Option on the...