3D Game Textures. Create Professional Game Art Using Photoshop ED3

Description

Introduction
The basis of computer art is art itself, so before we dive into any
technical issues, we must first discuss the most basic, but important,
aspects of visual art. Teaching you traditional fine art skills is
beyond the scope of this book, but it is critical that you have an
understanding of some basic aspects of visual art so that you can
create game textures. Fortunately, these basic aspects of art are
fairly easy to present in book form. By studying these basics of art,
you will learn to see the world as an artist does and to understand
what you see and then be better able to create a texture set for a
game world.
The basic aspects of visual art that we will focus on are:
l Shape and form l Light and shadow l Texture l Color l Perspective
Learning to observe the basic visual aspects of the world around you
is a strong foundation for the process of seeing the world as an artist
does, communicating with other artists, and creating great game
textures. Technology is, of course, critical to the larger picture of
game textures, but the actual basics of art are where great textures
begin. Too often, would-be game artists are thrown into a discussion
on tiling or even game engine technology, when the skills that are
most important for the creation of game textures are the ability to
understand what you are seeing in the real world and the ability to
recreate it in the computer. Often a texture artist is required to break
a scene down to its core materials and build a texture set based on
those materials, so learning this skill is essential. Although you don’t
need to have an advanced degree in art to create great textures, let’s
face it: Almost anyone can learn what buttons to click in Photoshop,
but the person who understands and skillfully applies the basics of
art can make a texture that stands out above the rest.
There are many types of art and aspects of visual art that you should
further explore to develop as a game artist. Some of the things you
can study and/or practice are:
l Figure drawing l Still-life drawing l Photography l Painting (oil, water color, etc.) l Lighting (for film, still photography, the stage, or computer
graphics) l Color theory and application
CHAPTER 1: A Basic (Game) Art Education 5
l Sculpture l Drafting and architectural rendering l Anatomy l Set design l Technical illustration
It is even worth the time to study other areas of interest beyond
art, such as the sciences, particularly the behavior of the physical
world. Game artists are processing light, for example, more and
more in real time and not painting it into the texture to the extent it
was just a few years ago. The more you understand and are able to
reproduce effects such as reflection, refraction, blowing smoke, and
so on, the more success you will find as a game artist. We now have
technologies that reproduce the real world to a much greater extent
than ever before, but it still takes an artist to create the input and
adjust the output for these effects to look their best.
The areas of study that will help you deal with real-world behaviors
are endless. You can start by simply observing the world. Watch how
water drips or flows, the variations of light and shadow on different
surfaces at different times of the day, how a tree grows from the
ground—straight like a young pine or flared at the base like an old
oak—and you will soon be staring at the cracks in the pavement and
photographing the side of a dumpster while passersby stare at you.
An excellent book to inspire this type of activity is Digital Texturing
and Painting, by Owen Demers (New Riders, 2001). You can also
take tours of museums, architectural tours, nature walks, join a
photography club or a figure-drawing class—there is no end to the
classes, clubs, disciplines, and other situations that will open up your
mind to new inspirations and teach you new tools and techniques for
texture creation. And, of course, playing games, watching movies,
and reading graphic novels are basic food to the game artist