Inspire your own creativity with Digital Mayhem 3D Machine Techniques. Compiled by Duncan Evans, founder of 3D Artist Magazine, this book is the next installment of the Digital Mayhem series. Explore, page after page, spectacular machine images created by the industry's top talent. With over 500 stunning images, Digital Mayhem 3D Machine Techniques is not your basic software manual. It is where technique and inspiration meet - a detailed and innovative guide to great machine images. Each chapter contains vibrant images and an explanation of the artist's workflow, including a step-by-step tutorial to help you achieve similar results. From pre-viz to post production, this book takes you through the whole process of creating your very own machine masterpiece! Get inside the minds of the artists with breakdown overviews and supporting imagery to explain what went into their piece. Expand your digital canvas to include a variety of software techniques, tools and workflows. Visit the companion website for additional resources to help you develop your machine technique skills. Key Features Tutorials and images are provided by artists who are from all regions of the world Every image is coupled with a description of the artists' techniques and their problem solving solutions. Helps anyone develop time saving workflow tricks, apply software shortcuts, and keep abreast of industry trends Each artist highlights a specific creative technique or design element, offering cutting-edge insight and technical know-how of digital masters

There is nothing quite like that feeling you get when you see that look of recognition and enjoyment on your students' faces. Not just the strong ones, but everyone is nodding in agreement during your first explanation of the geometry of directional derivatives. If you have incorporated animated demonstrations into your teaching, you know how effective they can be in eliciting this kind of response. You know the value of giving students vivid moving images to tie to concepts. But learning to make animations generally requires extensive searching through a vast computer algebra system for the pertinent functions. Maple Animation brings together virtually all of the functions and procedures useful in creating sophisticated animations using Maple 7, 8, or 9 and it presents them in a logical, accessible way. The accompanying downloadable resources provide all of the Maple code used in the book, including the code for more than 30 ready-to-use demonstrations. From Newton's method to linear transformations, the complete animations included in this book allow you to use them straight out of the box. Careful explanations of the methods teach you how to implement your own creative ideas. Whether you are a novice or an experienced Maple user, Maple Animation provides the tools and skills to enhance your teaching and your students' enjoyment of the subject through animation.

The animation studio United Productions of America (UPA) was able to challenge Disney supremacy in the 1950s entertainment market by creating cutting-edge animated cartoons. UPA films express a simplified audiovisual language consisting of stylized layout designs, asymmetrical compositions, colors applied flatly and in contrast with each other, limited animation and a minimalist use of sound effects. UPA artists developed this innovative style by assimilating those aesthetic features already expressed by Modern painters, graphic designers and advertisers. This book considers UPA films as Modern animations, because they synthesize a common minimalist tendency that was occurring in US animation during the 1940s and 1950s. It examines the conditions under which UPA studio flourished and the figure of its executive producer Stephen Bosustow; the influence of Modernist stylistic features of painting, graphic design and poster advertising on UPA animations; and UPA animated cartoons as case studies of a simplified audiovisual language that influenced 1950s-1960s international productions. Key Features Looks at UPA's origins during the 1940s and postwar American stage, and how this influences later Modern movements and styles Learn about the production methods of UPA and its lasting graphic contribution to animation history Discover how UPA audiovisual styles were born from the assimilation of Modern paintings, graphic art, and poster advertising Explores how UPA influenced animation in other parts of the world, including Romania, Russia, and Japan Highlights the impact UPA had on styles with famous international legends like Dusan Vukotic, Fyodor Khitruk, and Osamu Tezuka

The games industry is serious business and the role of a games designer has dramatically changed over just the last few years. Developers now have to rethink everything they know about the creative, technical and business challenges to adapt to the transition to games as a service. Games as a Service: How Free to Play Design Can Make Better Games has been written to help designers overcome many of the fears and misconceptions surrounding freemium and social games. It provides a framework to deliver better games rather than theevil ormanipulative experiences some designers fear with the move away from wasteful Products to sustainable, trustworthy Services. Oscar Clark is a consultant and Evangelist for Everyplay from Applifier. He has been a pioneer in online, mobile and console social games services since 1998 including Wireplay (British Telecom), Hutchison Whampoa (3UK) and PlayStationHome. He is a regular columnist on PocketGamer.Biz and is an outspoken speaker and moderator at countless games conferences on Games Design, Discovery, and Monetisation. He is also a notorious hat wearer.

Digital Forensic Art Techniques: A Professional's Guide to Corel PainterTM illustrates hands-on techniques to digitally create forensic art for police and investigative purposes. Coverage focuses specifically on how to utilize the software to create realistic human likenesses, including composites of suspects and drawings of persons in unidentified remains cases. Drawing digitally is like using any tool in art: a pencil, a charcoal stick, a conte' crayon. A stylus is just another tool to master. Digital work is easier for artists to send to the case detective, and the work always reproduces exactly as it was completed. Another benefit to working digitally is that one can use video conferencing with a witness online to provide services remotely world-wide. This enables police departments who have never had access to a forensic artist to have a sketch done within hours of the crime. Chapters address the more basic functions to serve as a primer for those transitioning to working digitally. There is also instruction on light and shadow, and bones and muscles of the skull. All of the discussion is intended to make the reader see things as an artist to improve drawing skills and overall digital techniques. In short, Digital Forensic Art Techniques is a practical, easy-to-follow manual for working forensic artists that will give readers a solid base from which to start. It serves as an essential resource to greater skill and comfort with the hardware and software, thus furthering current best practices and technological advances in the field.

This collection offers an expansive, multiplatform exploration of the rapidly-expanding area of motion design and motion graphics, taking into account both theoretical questions and creative professional practice. Spanning interaction design, product interfaces, kinetic data visualizations, typography, TV and film title design, brand building, narrative storytelling, history, exhibits and environments, editors R. Brian Stone and Leah Wahlin offer an interdisciplinary range of academic essays and professional interviews that together form a dialogue between motion design theory and professional practice. Written for both those critically engaged with motion design as well as those working or aspiring to work professionally in the field, the book features a range of international contributors and interviews with some of the best-known designers in the field, including Kyle Cooper, Karin Fong, and Daniel Alenquer. The Theory and Practice of Motion Design seeks to illuminate the diverse, interdisciplinary field of motion design by offering a structured examination of how motion design has evolved, what forces define our current understanding and implementation of motion design, and how we can plan for and imagine the future of motion design as it unfolds. An accompanying online resource site, www.motionresource.com, contains visual representations of the examples described in the text.

Creative solutions without the filler. That is what you get from this practical guide to enhancing your titles, motion graphics and visual effects with Motion. Step-by-step instruction is concisely described and lavishly illustrated. The downloadable resources show the techniques at work so you can take them and run.

The three volume set provides a systematic overview of theories and technique on social network analysis.Volume 2 of the set mainly focuses on the formation and interaction of group behaviors. Users' behavior analysis, sentiment analysis, influence analysis and collective aggregation are discussed in detail as well. It is an essential reference for scientist and professionals in computer science.

Once Upon a Pixel examines the increasing sophistication of storytelling and worldbuilding in modern video games. Drawing on some of gaming's most popular titles, including Red Dead Redemption 2, The Last of Us, Horizon Zero Dawn, and the long-running Metal Gear Solid series, it is a pioneering exploration into narrative in games from the perspective of the creative writer. With interviews and insights from across the industry, it provides a complete account of how Triple-A, independent, and even virtual reality games are changing the way we tell stories. Key Features A fresh perspective on video games as a whole new form of creative writing. Interviews with a range of leading industry figures, from critics to creators. Professional analysis of modern video game script excerpts. Insights into emerging technologies and the future of interactive storytelling.

Animate the world around you! Follow along with veteran Disney effects artist Mauro Maressa as he teaches you how to create and animate natural phenomena like water, fire, smoke, lightning, lava, mud, and wind. Essential Effects will help you plan, draw, design, and animate traditional 2D effects, taking your ideas all the way from rough sketch to finished product. Using a series of full-color visual breakdowns and diagrams, this book gives you a clear, concise understanding of what it takes to create credible, compelling effects in your own projects. Key Features Build a strong foundation of observation and drawing skills that you can rely on for the rest of your career Tips and tricks for applying classic effects principles to computer-animated and CG projects Over 400 full-color images and diagrams for clear step-by-step learning

This book takes a real-world, in-depth journey through the game-design process, from the initial blue sky sessions to pitching for a green light. The author discusses the decision and brainstorming phase, character development and story wrap, creation of content and context outlines, flowcharting game play, and creating design documents. Special features include examples of both classic and contemporary games, and interviews with many of the game industry's brightest professionals who share their insights on key elements in game design, and their analysis on what makes a game a blockbuster hit. This book is a perfect guide for the novice, student, and game enthusiast interested in learning the nuts and bolts of the computer-game industry.

Ulead DVD Workshop is DVD-authoring software designed for video professionals and enthusiasts working on the Windows platform. It permits users to import video from digital or analog sources with sophisticated MPEG capture and conversion tools and build professional looking still or motion menus using an extensive set of design tools. Instant DVD Workshop 2.0 presents carefully detailed screen shots and step-by-step directions illustrating how to use DVD Workshop software. Beginning with the proper installation of the application, it covers the full scope of functions, including managing media, importing stills and graphics, editing video, inserting audio files, creating menus, and finish authoring, with professional tips and techniques covering workflow and other topics provided along the way.

Get the most from the most widely used application in the postproduction field! Gain the insider tips you need to compose eye-catching, imaginative Adobe After Effects projects quickly and effectively. In How to Cheat in After Effects, Second Edition seasoned AE expert Chad Perkins provides dozens of concise, step-by-step tutorials and lavish 4-color illustrations to get you on the fast track to producing amazing motion graphics and visual effects. Updated for CS6, this new edition has been revised to include: A brand new chapter on the most popular 3rd party effects including Trapcode Particular and Video Copilot's Element 3D New cheats on professional compositing, expressions, and high end visual effects Tons of cool light tricks and lessons on how to use Video Copilot's Optical Flares A thorough explanation of the Ray-trace 3D engine introduced in After Effects CS6 Downloadable resources with project files allowing you to work alongside the exercises in the book, as well as QuickTime movies displaying techniques There's no time to waste! Whether you are an intermediate After Effects user in need of its more advanced tools or a novice looking for techniques to up your game, this book will bring your motion graphics, visual effects, and graphic compositions to the next level. Downloadable resources project files are available at www.focalpress.com/9780415661065

Stanford mathematician and NPR Math Guy Keith Devlin explains why, fun aside, video games are the ideal medium to teach middle-school math. Aimed primarily at teachers and education researchers, but also of interest to game developers who want to produce videogames for mathematics education, Mathematics Education for a New Era: Video Games as a Medium for Learning describes exactly what is involved in designing and producing successful math educational videogames that foster the innovative mathematical thinking skills necessary for success in a global economy. Read the author's monthly MAA column Devlin's Angle

This second edition of Professional Techniques for Video Game Writing is updated with new chapters and new authors, but it's still a no-nonsense guide to the professional craft of writing for video games. Not only does the text cover story and narrative elements, but it also addresses dialogue, documentation, and strategy guides. Seasoned video game writers each address a different topic, including the best way to break into the video game industry, how to be an efficient part of a team, and the principles of narrative design. The book also offers script samples, technical writing advice, effective writing tips, and suggestions for how to innovate in game narrative. Key Features Comprehensive enough for veterans and accessible enough for novices Goes into detail about how to write tutorials, script doctoring, and writing for AAA games Delivers invaluable experiences directly from writers in the games industry Full of practical advice from industry pros on how to get a job, and then how to get the job done Author Bio Wendy Despain has more than two decades of experience spearheading digital media projects. She has worked with teams around the world as a writer, narrative designer, producer, and consultant on interactive experiences ranging from video games to augmented reality. She's worked with EA, Disney, Ubisoft, Cartoon Network, PBS, Marvel, and Wargaming. Currently, she's a Production Director at ArenaNet, makers of the Guild Wars franchise. Her books include: Writing For Videogame Genres: From FPS to RPG Talking to Artists/Talking to Programmers 100 Principles of Game Design

This is a beginner's guide to learning and implementing the essential aspects of modeling organic objects and using an organic workflow to model anything. This book gives an aspiring modeler all the tools that they need to know in order to begin creating great models that are efficient and laid out properly for rigging and texturing. The reader will be taken through all the primary techniques and methodologies for making "liveable" creatures for video, film, or games. The reader will also learn the basic physical structure that designates something as organic vs artificial, and how these varying structures can be tackled from a modeling perspective.through a practical, hands-on approach. Features Designed to approach organic modeling in a software-independent manner. Builds fundamental knowledge of 3D digital art from the ground up. Each lesson builds on the previous lesson. Has industry standard knowledge, based on simplicity and efficiency that will work for either production rendering or game development. Defines what organic modeling is and how it works, and why each technique was developed and implemented as it currently stands.

Virtual Reality Filmmaking presents a comprehensive guide to the use of virtual reality in filmmaking, including narrative, documentary, live event production, and more. Written by Celine Tricart, a filmmaker and an expert in new technologies, the book provides a hands-on guide to creative filmmaking in this exciting new medium, and includes coverage on how to make a film in VR from start to finish. Topics covered include: The history of VR; VR cameras; Game engines and interactive VR; The foundations of VR storytelling; Techniques for shooting in live action VR; VR postproduction and visual effects; VR distribution; Interviews with experts in the field including the Emmy-winning studios Felix & Paul and Oculus Story Studio, Wevr, Viacom, Fox Sports, Sundance's New Frontier, and more.

Quickly emerging from the fast-paced growth of mobile communications and wireless technologies, pervasive games take gaming away from the computer screen and back to the three-dimensional world. Now games can be designed to be played in public spaces like shopping malls, conferences, museums and other non-traditional game venues. Game designers need to understand how to use the world as a gamespace-and both the challenges and advantages of doing so. This book shows how to change the face of play-who plays, when and where they play and what that play means to all involved. The authors explore aspects of pervasive games that concern game designers: what makes these games compelling, what makes them possible today and how they are made. For game researchers, it provides a solid theoretical, philosophical and aesthetic understanding of the genre. Pervasive Games covers everything from theory and design to history and marketing.

Would you rather take months to learn every tool, every feature, and every concept in Adobe Animate or start right now making your own creations with just a few steps? Myra Ferguson is teaming up with Chris Georgenes to help you create great animation, bring objects to life with cool motion effects, and enhance your productivity in Animate CC! How to Cheat in Adobe Animate CC is a goldmine of artistic inspiration, time-saving practical tips, and step-by-step walkthroughs. Let your sasquatch sunbathe, your coyote howl, and your lint spider see the light of day. With real-world projects and project source files, you can follow along and try for yourself. This book includes all NEW content and cheats for Animate CC, such as making cinemagraphs, creating a double exposure effect, speeding up the process of making real life doodles, simulating a bokeh effect, converting your documents to HTML5, and more. Key Features * Glimpse into the workflow of digital media and animation experts and apply practical techniques and tips to your own projects with source files, examples, and tutorials. * Learn a myriad of tricks based on real-life working methods to help you work faster and more efficiently with new features in Adobe Animate CC and the Creative Cloud. * Work from the problem to the solution to gain the best possible results from Animate.

The Animator's Sketchbook will teach students of animation how to improve their work through observation and drawing. It will show readers how to access their inner "animator." With over 60 different gesture and drawing exercises, this book enhances vision, analysis, understanding, and the core skills required to become a master animator. Filled with extensive practice pages, Tony White's Sketchbook, invites students to demonstrate what they learn. Each exercise is timed, so that the skills acquired, are optimized for efficiency and comprehension. The style and technique of the art produced will be entirely up to the reader, thus making no two sketchbooks alike.

Design beautiful, professional-level animated effects with these detailed step-by-step tutorials from former Disney animator and animated effects expert Joseph Gilland. Filled with beautiful, full-color artwork, Elemental Magic, Volume II, breaks down the animated effect process from beginning to end-including booming explosions, gusting winds, magical incantations, and raging fires. He also breaks down the process of effects "clean-up," as well as timing and frame rates. The companion website includes real-time footage of the author lecturing as he animates the drawings from the book. In these videos, he elucidates the entire process from blank page to final animation. See it all come to life like never before. Throughout the book, Joseph refers to and includes examples from his own professional work from feature films such as Lilo and Stitch and Tarzan.

A compilation of key chapters from the top Focal game art books available today - in the areas of Max, Maya, Photoshop, and ZBrush. The chapters provide the CG Artist with an excellent sampling of essential techniques that every 3D artist needs to create stunning game art.Game artists will be able to master the modeling, rendering, rigging, and texturing techniques they need - with advice from Focal's best and brightest authors. Artists can learn hundreds of tips, tricks and shortcuts in Max, Maya, Photoshop, ZBrush - all within the covers of one complete, inspiring reference.

Written for the new generation of hobbyists and aspiring game developers, HTML5 Game Development from the Ground Up with Construct 2 shows you how to use the sophisticated yet user-friendly HTML5-based game engine Construct 2 to develop and release polished, two-dimensional games on a multitude of different platforms. The book also covers the foundational knowledge of game analysis and design based on the author's research and teaching experiences at DigiPen Institute of Technology, James Cook University, and other institutions. The author first helps you understand what really matters in games. He guides you in becoming a better game designer from the ground up, being able to play any game critically, and expressing your ideas in a clear and concise format. The book then presents step-by-step tutorials on designing games. It explains how to build an arcade-style game as well as a platformer integrating some physics elements. It also shows you how to create a more complex puzzle game the author's own published game, Turky on the Run. Lastly, the book discusses different ways to deploy and monetize games across several platforms, including Facebook, iOS, Android, and web-based marketplaces. Sample Construct 2 project files for the games designed in the book are available on the author's website. Integrating hands-on guidance with theoretical game design concepts, this book gives you a solid foundation in game development. It will help you advance in your journey as an indie game developer.

The book is concerned with narrative in digital media that changes according to user input-Interactive Digital Narrative (IDN). It provides a broad overview of current issues and future directions in this multi-disciplinary field that includes humanities-based and computational perspectives. It assembles the voices of leading researchers and practitioners like Janet Murray, Marie-Laure Ryan, Scott Rettberg and Martin Rieser. In three sections, it covers history, theoretical perspectives and varieties of practice including narrative game design, with a special focus on changes in the power relationship between audience and author enabled by interactivity. After discussing the historical development of diverse forms, the book presents theoretical standpoints including a semiotic perspective, a proposal for a specific theoretical framework and an inquiry into the role of artificial intelligence. Finally, it analyses varieties of current practice from digital poetry to location-based applications, artistic experiments and expanded remakes of older narrative game titles.

Affordable 3D printers are rapidly becoming everyday additions to the desktops and worktables of entertainment design practitioners - whether working in theatre, theme parks, television and film, museum design, window displays, animatronics, or... you name it! We are beginning to ask important questions about these emerging practices: * How can we use 3D fabrication to make the design and production process more efficient? * How can it be used to create useful and creative items? * Can it save us from digging endlessly through thrift store shelves or from yet another late-night build? * And when budgets are tight, will it save us money? This quick start guide will help you navigate the alphabet soup that is 3D printing and begin to answer these questions for yourself. It outlines the basics of the technology, and its many uses in entertainment design. With straightforward and easy-to-follow information, you will learn ways to acquire printable 3D models, basic methods of creating your own, and tips along the way to produce successful prints. Over 70 professionals contributed images, guidance, and never-before-seen case studies filled with insider secrets to this book, including tutorials by designer and pioneer, Owen M. Collins.