Get the best out of your games by scripting them using UE4 About This Book * A straightforward and easy-to-follow format * A selection of the most important tasks and problems * Carefully organized instructions to solve problems efficiently * Clear explanations of what you did * Solutions that can be applied to solve real-world problems Who This Book Is For This book is intended for game developers who understand the fundamentals of game design and C++ and would like to incorporate native code into the games they make with Unreal. They will be programmers who want to extend the engine, or implement systems and Actors that allow designers control and flexibility when building levels. What You Will Learn * Build function libraries (Blueprints) containing reusable code to reduce upkeep * Move low-level functions from Blueprint into C++ to improve performance * Abstract away complex implementation details to simplify designer workflows * Incorporate existing libraries into your game to add extra functionality such as hardware integration * Implement AI tasks and behaviors in Blueprints and C++ * Generate data to control the appearance and content of UI elements In Detail Unreal Engine 4 (UE4) is a complete suite of game development tools made by game developers, for game developers. With more than 100 practical recipes, this book is a guide showcasing techniques to use the power of C++ scripting while developing games with UE4. It will start with adding and editing C++ classes from within the Unreal Editor. It will delve into one of Unreal's primary strengths, the ability for designers to customize programmer-developed actors and components. It will help you understand the benefits of when and how to use C++ as the scripting tool. With a blend of task-oriented recipes, this book will provide actionable information about scripting games with UE4, and manipulating the game and the development environment using C++. Towards the end of the book, you will be empowered to become a top-notch developer with Unreal Engine 4 using C++ as the scripting language. Style and approach A recipe based practical guide to show you how you can leverage C++ to manipulate and change your game behavior and game design using Unreal Engine 4.

Take your game development skills to the next level with one of the best engines on the market About This Book * Build an entire AAA game level throughout the book * Take your C++ scripting skills to the next level and use them extensively to build the game * An advanced practical guide with a tutorial style approach that will help you make the best of Unreal engine 4 Who This Book Is For This book is for game developers who have a basic knowledge of Unreal Engine and C++ scripting knowledge. If you want to take the leap from a casual game developer to a full-fledged professional game developer with Unreal Engine 4, this is the book for you. What You Will Learn * Script your player controls in C++ * Build a superb and engaging level with advanced design techniques * Program AI with C++ * Use Cascade to add life to your games * Use custom shaders and advanced shading techniques to make things pretty * Implement an awesome UI in the game * Control gameplay using data tables In Detail Unreal Engine 4 has garnered a lot of attention in the gaming world because of its new and improved graphics and rendering engine, the physics simulator, particle generator, and more. This book is the ideal guide to help you leverage all these features to create state-of-the-art games that capture the eye of your audience. Inside we'll explain advanced shaders and effects techniques and how you can implement them in your games. You'll create custom lighting effects, use the physics simulator to add that extra edge to your games, and create customized game environments that look visually stunning using the rendering technique. You'll find out how to use the new rendering engine efficiently, add amazing post-processing effects, and use data tables to create data-driven gameplay that is engaging and exciting. By the end of this book, you will be able to create professional games with stunning graphics using Unreal Engine 4! Style and approach An advanced guide that will take you to the next level of developing games with Unreal engine with illustrative examples that will make you confident of creating customized professional level games on your won.

A recipe-based guide to give you practical information on Unity 5.x animation techniques and tools About This Book * A straightforward and easy-to-follow format. * A selection of the most important tasks and problems. * Carefully organized instructions to solve problems efficiently. * Clear explanations of what you did. * Solutions that can be applied to solve real-world problems. Who This Book Is For This book is for Unity developers who have some exposure to Unity game development who want to learn the nuances of animation in Unity. Previous knowledge of animation techniques and mecanim is not necessary. What You Will Learn * Importing animations to Unity * Work with different animation assets and components * Create, visualize, and edit animated creatures * Animating game cut scenes * Design character actions and expressions * Create gameplay by animating characters and environments * Use animations to drive in-game logic In Detail This recipe-based practical guide will show you how to unleash the power of animation in Unity 5.x and make your games visually impeccable. Our primary focus is on showing you tools and techniques to animate not only humanoid biped characters, but also other elements. This includes non-humanoid character animation, game world creation, UI element animation, and other key features such as opening doors, changing lights, transitioning to different scenes, using physics, setting up ragdolls, creating destructible objects and more. While discussing these topics, the book will focus on mecanim, the Unity 3D animation tool, and how you can use it to perform all these tasks efficiently and quickly. It contains a downloadable Unity project with interactive examples for all the recipes. By the end of this book, you will be confident and self-sufficient in animating your Unity 3D games efficiently. Style and approach This practical no-nonsense guide is recipe-based with real-world examples of almost all the techniques mentioned.

Design, model, and texture complex mechanical objects in Blender About This Book * Develop realistic and awesome machines for your 3D projects and animation films * Gain the ability to look at a piece of machinery in real life and then recreate it in Blender * Develop a comprehensive skill set covering key aspects of mechanical modeling Who This Book Is For This book is intended for consumers and hobbyists who are existing users of Blender 3D want to expand their capabilities by diving into machine modeling with Blender 3D. You are expected to have experience with basic Blender operations. What You Will Learn * Reacquaint yourself with Blender's modeling toolset * Practice fundamental skills that are applicable to a range of modeling projects * Know when and where to use various types of geometry-something that saves time in one instance will pose significant problems in another * Think ahead and plan your project out to significantly improve both quality and efficiency * Create models for freestyle use * Overcome challenging modeling problems * Create customized game models that can easily be exported to other formats. This is one of the most popular uses of Blender, and the results can be incorporated into game design! * Get comfortable with the start-to-finish process to create any type of hard surface model In Detail Blender 3D is one of the top pieces of 3D animation software. Machine modeling is an essential aspect of war games, space games, racing games, and animated action films. As the Blender software grows more powerful and popular, there is a demand to take your modeling skills to the next level. This book will cover all the topics you need to create professional models and renders. This book will help you develop a comprehensive skill set that covers the key aspects of mechanical modeling. Through this book, you will create many types of projects, including a pistol, spacecraft, robot, and a racer. We start by making a Sci-fi pistol, creating its basic shape and adding details to it. Moving on, you'll discover modeling techniques for larger objects such as a space craft and take a look at how different techniques are required for freestyle modeling. After this, we'll create the basic shapes for the robot and combine the meshes to create unified objects. We'll assign materials and explore the various options for freestyle rendering. We'll discuss techniques to build low-poly models, create a low-poly racer, and explain how they differ from the high poly models we created previously. By the end of this book, you will have mastered a workflow that you will be able to apply to your own creations. Style and approach This is an easy-to-follow book that is based around four concrete projects. Each topic is explained sequentially in the process of creating a model, and detailed explanations of the basic and advanced features are also included.

Design a complete workflow with Blender to create stunning 3D scenes and films step-by-step! About This Book * Give life to a character within a full animated short film by learning the rigging and animation process * Make use of the powerful tools available in Blender to produce professional-quality 3D characters and environments * Discover advanced techniques by adding fur to a character, creating a grass field, and fine-tuning a shot with post-processing effects to enhance your creations Who This Book Is For This book will give any beginner the necessary skills and knowledge to create own 3D projects with Blender. You don't need to have any previous experience in 3D modeling, but if you do, then this book is a great way get you started with Blender. This book is for anyone who wants to learn Blender by creating concrete projects. What You Will Learn * Understand the basics of 3D and how to navigate your way around the Blender interface * Create a 3D robot toy model from start to finish using the basic modeling tools of Blender * Make a full alien character using the skin mesh modifier and the sculpting tools with an artistic approach * Use re-topology techniques to create a clean 3D version of the previously sculpted alien * Model a full haunted house and its environment using more advanced modeling tools and techniques such as the Array Modifier, Instance duplication, or Curves * Discover the power of the texture paint tool in order to add color to the haunted house * Get to know the Cycles render engine by creating different materials for the house and the environment In Detail Blender is a powerful tool, stable, with an integral workflow that will allow you to understand your learning of 3D creation with serenity. Today, it is considered to be one of the most complete 3D packages on the market and it is free and open source! It is very efficient for many types of productions, such as 3D animated or live action films, architecture, research, or even game creation with its integrated game engine and its use of the Python language. Moreover, Blender has an active community that contributes to expanding its functionalities. Today, it is used in many professional products and by many companies. Through this book, you will create many types of concert projects using a step-by-step approach. You will start by getting to know the modeling tools available in Blender as you create a 3D robot toy. Then, you will discover more advanced techniques such as sculpting and re-topology by creating a funny alien character. After that, you will create a full haunted house scene. For the last project, you will create a short film featuring a rat cowboy shooting cheese in a rat trap! This will be a more complex project in which you learn how to rig, animate, compose advanced material, composite, and edit a full sequence. Each project in this book will give you more practice and increase your knowledge of the Blender tools. By the end of this book, you will master a workflow that you will be able to apply to your own creations. Style and approach This is an easy-to-follow book that is based on four concrete projects, with increasing levels of difficulty. Each chapter will teach you how to create these projects step-by-step. New tools and techniques are introduced in a theoretical and practical way, so you can apply them in your own projects later.

Over the past 25 years, Pixar s team of artists, writers, and directors have shaped the world of contemporary animation with their feature films and shorts. From classics such as Toy Story and A Bug s Life to recent masterpieces such as Up, Toy Story 3, and Cars 2, this comprehensive collection offers a behind-the-scenes tour of every Pixar film to date. Featuring a foreword by Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter, the complete color scripts for every film published in full for the first time as well as stunning visual development art, The Art of Pixar is a treasure trove of rare artwork and an essential addition to the library of animation fans and Pixar enthusiasts.

Perfect the art of creating CRYENGINE games through exciting, hands-on game development projects About This Book * Create CRYENGINE games from scratch with CRYENGINE Blank Game Starter-kit * Discover good working practices and tips to quickly jump into making a new level in the game * Build practical game projects and discover advanced concepts of CRYENGINE game development using the examples in the book Who This Book Is For This book is intended for CRYENGINE game developers, wanting to develop their skills with the help of industry experts. A good knowledge level and understanding of CRYENGINE is assumed, to allow efficient programming of core elements and applications. What You Will Learn * Create a CRYENGINE game from scratch with the Game Starter-kit * Add custom methods to allow the player/AI to use a weapon * Create complete "start" and "end" game menus using Scaleform and C++ * Discover how to use highpoly modeling workflow and techniques within the pipeline for the SDK to use * Use the Crytiff exporter from Photoshop * Export the CHR-the format the engine needs to read the skeleton * Integrate the character in the engine using the character tool * Better understand the rules to create and author skeletons to rig characters designed for CRYENGINE * Debug common setup issues that might appear during production with useful tools In Detail CRYENGINE is a game engine developed by Crytek for PC, Playstation, Xbox, Android, and iOS. It can be used to create AAA games, movies, high-quality simulations, and interactive applications. It is most popularly used for game development. In this book, you will start off by exploring the CRYENGINE "Blank" Game Starter-kit, creating a completely playable character from scratch and controlling its movement. You will learn how to implement a weapon and ammo class, and will create complete "start" and "end" game menus using Scaleform and C++. Additionally, you will learn some key texturing techniques for PBR and how to create and bake maps to the lowpoly model. You will also explore how to get a static model from Maya and shaders setbup in the SDK to check the textures during creation, and create all the necessary engine files to export and see the game character's animations in your engine. In the final third of the book, you will learn how to create objectives, set up saved games, layer on audio polish to help immerse the player in the experience, and debug game issues. Style and approach An easy-to-follow, practical guide covering three exciting projects. As you work through each project you will explore new topics including complex animation, advanced scripting, and complex character motion. All the code used in each project is explained in detail.

About This Book Create a curriculum, exercises, and assessments to leverage the interactivity of edX Get well versed with preparation, planning, and production techniques of instructional videos A step-by-step guide to master the art of managing edX Who This Book Is ForIf you are an educator creating a course for edX or a corporate trainer using Open edX for large-scale learning and development initiatives, then edX E-Learning Course Development is the ideal book for you.

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