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 – creating a large seamless texture


The main area that your character will be walking around in is made of worn concrete. This is brought on to site in huge slabs and laid down. The idea we're trying to give here is of a worn, old, and weathered surface:

  1. Go to CGTextures.com and find ConcreteFloors0060 using the search feature. Download the small versions of image 02 and 05.

  2. Open image 02 in GIMP. Select the Crop tool and use it to draw a box around the edges of six concrete squares as you can see here:

  3. When you've fine-tuned the corners so that they sit in the middle of the steel edges (as shown in the screenshot), press Enter to complete the crop.

  4. Now go to Image ¦ Canvas Size and de-select the chain icon.

  5. Change Pixels to Percent. Now, enter 200% in the height box.

  6. Click on Resize. You now have six concrete slabs at the top of the image, and room for six more as shown next:

  7. Go to File ¦ Open as Layers. Select the other texture you downloaded. This now opens in its own layer.

  8. Select...