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 – fencing large areas


  1. Open up your level master in SketchUp. Yours will be called Map_Base_Master.skp or you can use the one from the download pack named Chapter5_Terrain_Textured.skp.

  2. Import the first version of your asset. This should be the one called FencePanelMASTER.skp.

  3. Move it into position as shown next:

  4. Now to copy it several times along the path, remember that we set the posts at 2m apart. If you now copy the fence using the Move tool and holding Ctrl (Option on the Mac) along the Green Axis, then type 2 and Enter, you should get the panel lined up correctly.

  5. Now type 10x and Enter. You should get ten versions of the fence, all spaced at 2m intervals!

  6. Copy the end fence so that the post is at the corner of the concrete yard. Now, use the Rotate tool to rotate on a right angle.

  7. Right-click on the end panel and click on Make Unique. Now, shorten the fence panel so that the edge just touches the column.

  8. Carry on with these steps until you've done one side of the yard as shown...