Launch your career in writing for video games or animation with the best tips, tricks, and tutorials from the Focal press catalog--all at your fingertips. Let our award-winning writers and game developers show you how to generate ideas and create compelling storylines, concepts, and narratives for your next project. Write Your Way Into Animation and Games provides invaluable information on getting into the game and animation industries. You will benefit from decades of insider experience about the fields of animation and games, with an emphasis on what you really need to know to start working as a writer.Navigate the business aspects, gain unique skills, and develop the craft of writing specifically for aniamtion and games. Learn from the cream of the crop who have shared their knowledge and experience in these key Focal Press guides:Digital Storytelling, Second Edition by Carolyn Handler MillerAnimation Writing and Development by Jean Ann WrightWriting for Animation, Comics, and Games by Christy MarxStory and Simulations for Serious Games by Nick Iuppa and Terry BorstWriting for Multimedia and the Web, Third Edition by Timothy Garrand

Flash Designers: push Flash to the next level with After Effects' robust toolset. CS5 delivers more complete integration of these two powerhouse applications-so you can expand your multimedia horizons. Flash plus After Effects gives you a working understanding of the AE toolset and professional techniques that raise the design bar for web, HD broadcast, or CD/DVD delivery. The companion web site contains project media for hands-on practice of essential production skills, including: Working with live video in Flash and the After Effects timeline Using alpha channels for keying and enhancing interactivity Integrating new CS5 features including the Roto Brush and Code Snippets Exporting layered After Effects compositions for Flash Building interactive 3D environments with video, cameras, and lights Enhancing character animation using IK and Puppet Tools Exporting video in HD and for the Web

This book focuses on the history of video games, consoles, and home computers from the very beginning until the mid-nineties, which started a new era in digital entertainment. The text features the most innovative games and introduces the pioneers who developed them. It offers brief analyses of the most relevant games from each time period. An epilogue covers the events and systems that followed this golden age while the appendices include a history of handheld games and an overview of the retro-gaming scene.

Since Steamboat Mickey, animators have been creating characters and films that are charming, warm and humorous, allowing people to connect with the animated medium. Animation fans love the characters for a lifetime. This is the legacy of the countless animators and artists who created the classic characters and fun stories, and it is the legacy of Disney Legend, Floyd Norman. Written with wit and verve, Animated Life is a guided tour through an entire lifetime of techniques, practical hands-on advice and insight into an entire industry. This is a vital tutorial in animation's past, present and future for students who are now poised to be part of another new generation in the art form. Apply artistic magic to your own projects and garner valuable insight and inspiration from a True Disney legend. Animated Life is a classic in the making with completely relevant techniques and tools for the contemporary animation or fine arts professional.

Get an inside look at the creation of production-ready creature rigs for film, TV and video games. Garner strategies and techniques for creating creatures of all types, and make them ready for easy automatic use in many different types of media (transmedia): film, TV, games - one rig for all. You will move step by step from idea, to concept, and finally to completion through a proven production-pipeline. "Digital Creature Rigging" gives you the practical, hands-on approaches to rigging you need, with a theoretical look at 12 rigging principles, and plenty of tips, tricks and techniques to get you up and running quickly. This is the definitive guide to creating believe production-ready creature rigs with 3ds Max.The companion web site has all scene files, scripts, tutorials from the book.

Frequently not enough attention is given to producing a comprehensive business case or to producing an economic justification for an information systems investment. In fact many organizations are not clear as to what constitutes a sound business case and how to go about producing one. This Professional level book for the Computer Weekly Professional Series will show how to go about justification for I.T. spend. This book is designed for all those who are involved in the decision to invest in information systems. This book is especially relevant to senior business executives, senior financial managers and IT executives. Business consultants, computer and corporate advisors will also find the ideas and material addressed in this text of particular benefit as will anyone involved in corporate and strategic planning.In addition, senior students such as those working towards their MBAs will find this book of use.A business case is a statement or a series of statements that demonstrate the economic value of a particular intervention, a course of action or a specific investment. A business case is not simply a financial forecast of the hardware and software costs and the expected benefits. A business case for an information systems investment involves a comprehensive understanding of both the likely resources as well as the business drivers which will assist business managers improve their performance and thereby obtain a stream of benefits from the investment.In general there are approximately six steps in producing a business case for an information systems investment.1. Determine the high-level business outcomes that will be clearly and comprehensively expressed as a set of opportunities the organization can take advantage of, or problems that need to be rectified.2

Discover the secrets of the Google SketchUp with the 16 real-world professional-level projects including parks, structures, concept art, and illustration. Google SketchUp Workshop includes all the wide variety of projects that SketchUp can be used for-architectural visualization, landscape design, video game and film conception, and more. SketchUp masters in every field will get you up to speed in this agile and intuitive software and then show you the real uses with through projects in architecture, engineering, and design.

Create lush terrains and atmospheres in Vue and enhance your knowledge of all the features in this software such as lighting, cameras, and Python scripting. Ami and Vladimir Chopine, from GeekAtPlay.com guide you through 17 stand-alone tutorials, each with a different focus on the key components of Vue. The companion website includes brand new video tutorials from Geekatplay as well as materials, atmosphere settings, image maps, models, project files, and completed images and animations.

Digital interactive audio is the future of audio in media - most notably video games, but also web pages, theme parks, museums, art installations and theatrical events. Despite its importance to contemporary multi-media, this is the first book that provides a framework for understanding the history, issues and theories surrounding interactive audio. Karen Collins presents the work of academics, composers and sound programmers to introduce the topic from a variety of angles in order to provide a supplementary text for music and multimedia courses. The contributors cover practical and theoretical approaches, including historical perspectives, emerging theories, socio-cultural approaches to fandom, reception theory and case study analyses. The book offers a fresh perspective on media music, one that will complement film studies, but which will show the necessity of a unique approach when considering games music.

Editor's note, 1/15/2013: We have discovered an error with the Table of Contents and are currently working on correcting it. If you find an error in your book, please visit the companion site http://www.focalpress.com/books/details/9780240522500/ for the correct version. Whether you are creating an animated short, catchy and fun cartoon or mobile game, save time and money with expert cheats by renowned Flash Expert, Chris Georgenes with all new content for the Flash CS6 revision. With practical applications and step by step tutorials solve problems quickly to develop creative projects to time and to budget. Many of these walkthroughs are real-world client projects, with the source files supplied for you to open and explore. With these real-life professional projects you'll discover how to: bring objects to life with cool motion effects, make it rain, snow or set your world ablaze, develop flash mobile applications and many more tips and tricks not found anywhere else! With his in-depth knowledge of the little-known secrets used by the pros to produce creative, professional animations, Chris is the go-to guru for designers and animators who want to create great animation, applications or motion design with Flash. Fully updated for CS6, How to Cheat in Flash CS6, is a goldmine of artistic inspiration, timesaving practical tips, tricks and step-by-step walkthroughs that you'll wonder how you survived without it. New! CS6 cheats and examples with practical solutions for the busy animator with a focus on Action Script, Flash for mobile applications, specifically for Android development, as well as a focus on an improved physics engine. Put the Adobe Flash CS6 cheats to the test with the fully updated companion website with downloadable Flash source files, examples and video tutorials, and a creative commons game, developed with Adobe, to demonstrate the new functionality of CS6!

Whether you are creating an animated short, catchy and fun mobile game, or an innovative application, save time and money with expert cheats by renowned Flash Expert, Chris Georgenes with all new content for the Adobe Flash Creative Cloud revision. Solve problems quickly and develop creative projects, practical applications, and step-by-step tutorials. Chris Georgenes shows you how to work from the problem to the solution - from the viewpoint of an animator who has been commissioned to create a job and is working on a deadline and to a budget. Many of these walkthroughs are real-world client projects, with the source files supplied for you to open and explore. With these real-life professional projects you'll discover how to: center your stage, utilize the retina display support, navigate the new UI, learn how to develop interactive content, and how to use the Adobe Creative Cloud to your advantage. Put the Adobe Flash CC cheats to the test with the downloadable Flash source files, examples and video tutorials, and a creative commons game, developed with Adobe, to demonstrate the new functionality of CC!

Meet some of the finest digital 2D and 3D artists working in the industry today, from Patrick Beaulieu, Philip Straub, Benita Winckler, Alessandro Baldasseroni to Khalid Al Muharraqi, Marcel Baumann and Marek Denko and see how they work. More than just a gallery book - in Digital Arts Masters each artist has written a breakdown overview, with supporting imagery of how they made their piece of work.With Digital Arts Masters you'll understand the artists' thought process and discover the tips, tricks and techniques which really work.

Learning a 3D visualization software is a daunting task under any circumstances and while it may be easy to find online tutorials that tell you what to do to perform certain tasks you'll seldom learn "why" you are performing the steps. This book approaches training from a top-down perspective way you will first learn important concepts of 3D visualization and functionality of 3ds Max before moving into the finer detail of the command structure. By learning how things work and why you might choose one method over another the book will not only teach you where the buttons are, but more importantly how to think about the holistic process of 3D design so that you can then apply the lessons to your own needs. The goal of the learning presented here is to familiarize the new user of 3ds Max with a typical workflow from a production environment from planning to modeling, materials, and lighting, and then applying special effects and compositing techniques for a finished product.

Create effective cinematography for your games with this film-based approach to creating cinematic games. Cinematic Game Secrets gives game producers, directors, and developers insight into how to make their games more cinematic. Game developers will learn how to create compelling video games by: developing quality stories and characters; visualizing scenes within the game through the eyes of a cinematographer; and using tried and true film industry methods for casting, voice-over, direction, and production.Includes interview with luminaries and leading figures in the field such as Warren Spector (Founder, Junction Point Studios), Bruce Block (Author, The Visual Story), Ron Burke (Founder, GamingTrend), Bob Sabiston (Flat Black Films), Tom Buscaglia (GameDevKit.com), Daniel Erickson (BioWare), Jay Duplass (Director, The Puffy Chair), Ray Pena (Spacetime Studios), Richard Rouse III (Author, Game Design: Theory and Practice), Mathieu Raynault (Artist, 300, King Kong), Donise Hardy (C.S.A.), Patrick Hamilton (President, Wardog Studios), and Marc Schaefgen (Midway Games).

In the past, not being able to program meant not being able to make video games. Now if you can draw a flow-chart you can use powerful State Machine technology to create your dream game! No-Code Video Game Development using Unity and Playmaker will teach you how to substitute flow-charts for code. As a complete course, it uses a project-based approach. The FPS project comes with over a hundred dollars worth of free #gamedev DLC: Unity Packages, Playmaker Templates, Character Models, Animations, Materials, and more! You'll also learn game design documentation and theory, Mecanim, Particle Systems, and UI. By the time you're done you'll have gained the skills needed to create your own dream game, all without writing any code!

Unique, believable characters that think, feel, and captivate your audience are ones that involve emotion, personality, and story. Successful animators balance all of these elements within a single character and narrative. With Acting and Performance for Animation, discover how to create dynamic, dramatic performances and believable character interaction for 2D and 3D animation and motion capture. An invaluable resource, Acting and Performance for Animation is a practical guide to the variety of performance techniques relevant to animators. Develop believable character interactions with chapters detailing the principles of performance, performance types, character emotion and personality, physical and psychological performance, and scene composition. Analyze scripts, sound, acting, action and performance with hints, tips, and animated examples featured in an extensive guide for animators working in film, TV, games, and commercials. Explore different performance techniques based upon the experiences of seasoned animators and actors with case studies featuring Peter Lord, John Stevenson, Marco Marenghi, Mark Baker, Neville Astley, Joanna Quinn, and more.

Master the fundamental concepts and techniques of motion media design so you can apply--and occasionally break--the rules to achieve your communication goals. This authoritative guide presents all of the design essentials in an engaging and inspiring way. Each principle is explained with text, illustration and photography where necessary. An accompanying website will contain any necessary digital files for download, updates and links to other resources.

The Maya guide for animators, How to Cheat in Maya 2012 presents everything you need to know about character animation in Maya. Fully updated for the latest revision of Maya, this book provides you with complete, step-by-step walkthroughs of essential animation techniques to increase your efficiency and speed. This is an animator's workflow in book form, written by professional animators-not a software book with a few animation pointers thrown in.In addition to all the gold-mine coverage and interviews with expert animators from the previous edition, How to Cheat in Maya 2012 also features a new in-depth chapter on the principles of animation, updated information on camera settings and animation using Maya's new Camera Sequencer tool, the ins and outs of the brand new Editable Motion Trails tool, new techniques for working with characters in multi-shot animation tests and short films, a new cycles chapter covering actions like flying and walks, time-saving scripts, and advanced tricks with the new Graph Editor. The proven "How to Cheat" series gets you up to speed quickly, and in a way that's fun.

Learn how to model comic-stylea Pixar with the expert techniques found in 3ds Max Modeling for Games Volume 2: Insider's Guide to Stylized Modeling. This new volume will show you the ins-and-outs of stylized modeling, including characters, vehicles, environments, and much more. Follow the story of cover characters Robert and Robot as their adventure takes you through the world of modeling, vegetation, alpha-maps, and much more! This book is also packed with highly detailed tutorials feared toward enhancing your modeling skills and expanding your portfolio. The companion website (www.3d-for-games.com) is unique - an online forum where readers can post and answer questions about their work. In terms of developing a portfolio, online peer critiques are invaluable, and current readers have made use of this feature, in fact some have happily become the forum responders (along with Andy) to coach and develop new artists at work. Also included: step-by-step project files for each chapter; all the relevant texture files and source photos; panoramic skies, small scene objects, bonus texture maps and models so that artists can create whole scenes very quickly without starting from scratch each time; countless examples of what's hot and what's not in 3D modeling and also enough support images and photos to keep the budding artist busy for months. Unrivalled support in over 10,000 current posts - backing up the book with a lively forum and community of readers from all over the world, ready to help your work.

Learn how to create professional models for advertising on TV and the web. Blending real-world experience and the technical aspects of poly-modeling, this book shows how to ultimately create content in a dynamic, efficient manner.This collection of tips, tricks and techniques will give you the freedom to determine the edge flow and overall mass of your models through this free-form digital sculpting method. The accompanying website offers instructional files that show the models in progressive stages of development. In addition there is a free user forum for interactive feedback and information.

With 18 years under his belt in the game industry, a key contributor to the MotorStorm series, and the creator of the 3ds Max in Minutes video series (at FocalPress.com), Andrew Gahan delivers the expert techniques in 3ds Max Modeling for Games, 2nd edition. This updated edition is packed with new tutorials that will enhance your modeling skills and pump up your portfolio with high-quality work in no time. Along with Anthony O'Donnell and a team of experts, Gahan covers all of the fundamental game modeling techniques, including character and environment modeling, mapping, and texturing. Finally, a bonus section in 3ds Max Modeling for Games offers readers insights and tips on how to get their careers started in the game industry. New, expanded tutorials take readers of all abilities through full character and environment modeling from beginning to endCompanion website (3d-for-games.com) offers a robust, supportive forum where readers can get commentary on new work, develop skills and portfolio art, as well as network with other game artists on a variety of projects. Also features project files for all tutorials in the book and enough support images and photos to keep the budding artist busy for monthsCompletely updated gallery allows the reader to build on various models

Design and implement video game sound from beginning to end with this hands-on course in game audio. Music and sound effects speak to players on a deep level, and this book will show you how to design and implement powerful, interactive sound that measurably improves gameplay. If you are a sound designer or composer and want to do more than just create audio elements and hand them over to someone else for insertion into the game, this book is for you. You'll understand the game development process and implement vital audio experiences-not just create music loops or one-off sound effects. The Game Audio Tutorial isn't just a book-you also get a powerful website (www.thegameaudiotutorial.com), which includes:

How to create a simulation where participants have a sense of freedom and personal control while still maintaining the structure necessary for an effective story is a difficult task indeed. This book examines how to create an engaging, effective story (necessary to teach participants), while relating practical considerations of building a simulation. It also looks at stories as classic ways of teaching and gathering knowledge and considers other theories of interactive narrative design such as synthetic story creation and management and participant-generated story experiences. It also discusses enabling technologies in artificial intelligence, synthetic characters design and development, speech recognition technology, 3D modelling, and the future of story-driven games. Story Driven Simulations reviews the existing efforts in this field as well as focusing on the recent efforts of Paramount Pictures and The Institute for Creative Technologies at the University of Southern California, where this expert author team created successful simulations for the U.S. Army, Department of Defense, as well as other educational simulations.

Hollywood is going 3D! Join the revolution with this primer to all of the essential skills for live action 3D, from preproduction through distribution. 3D perception and science is presented in an accessible way that provides the principles of Stereoscopic vision you need to make the transition from the 2D world. Tools of the trade are enumerated with an eye on current constraints and what is coming down the pike to smooth the way. Step-by-step instructions detail how 3D processes affect every stage of the production including screenwriting, art direction, principle photography, editing, visual effects and distribution. The downloadable resources include an array of 2D and 3D images that demonstrate concepts and techniques, 3D movie shorts that showcase alternative techniques, After Effects project files to explore and manipulate for effect, and a resource list of software tools and tutorials that demonstrate techniques.

Data Visualization for Design Thinking helps you make better maps. Treating maps as applied research, you'll be able to understand how to map sites, places, ideas, and projects, revealing the complex relationships between what you represent, your thinking, the technology you use, the culture you belong to, and your aesthetic practices. More than 100 examples illustrated with over 200 color images show you how to visualize data through mapping. Includes five in-depth cases studies and numerous examples throughout.