Games development and programming Books

Book SynopsisUnity brings you ever closer to the author once, deploy anywhere dream. With its multiplatform capabilities, you can target desktop, web, mobile devices, and consoles using a single development engine. Little wonder that Unity has quickly become the #1 game engine out there. Mastering Unity is absolutely essential in an increasingly competitive games market where agility is expected, yet until now practical tutorials were nearly impossible to find. Creating Games with Unity and Maya gives you with an end-to-end solution for Unity game development with Maya. Written by a twelve-year veteran of the 3D animation and games industry and professor of 3D animation, this book takes you step-by-step through the process of developing an entire game from scratch-including coding, art, production, and deployment. This accessible guide provides a non-programmer entry point to the world of game creation. Aspiring developers with little or no coding experience will learn charaTrade Review"Watkins (Univ. of the Incarnate Word) devotes most of the first half of the book to 3-D digital asset creation in Maya with a very light overview of animation. The remainder of the book provides an artist-friendly introduction to game scripting that should be enough to get beginners started on developing games on their own using the game engine. Therefore, those who are new to 3-D modeling, texturing, and character rigging will likely benefit most from this book. 3-D artists who have a working proficiency in Maya or those who are more interested in game design or programming may be b etter served elsewhere. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Students of all levels in digital arts or game art programs, researchers/faculty, and professionals/practitioners."--A. Chen, Cogswell Polytechnical CollegeTable of ContentsIntroduction; Chapter 1 Game Production Process; Chapter 2 Asset Creation; Chapter 3 Asset Creation; Chapter 4 Asset Creation; Chapter 5 Asset Creation; Chapter 6 Asset Creation; Chapter 7 Asset Creation; Chapter 8 Asset Creation; Chapter 9 Asset Creation; Chapter 10 Asset Creation; Chapter 11 Unity Sound; Chapter 12 Introduction to Unity Scripting Basics and Graphical User Interface; Chapter 13 Unity Triggers; Chapter 14 Unity Raycasting; Chapter 15 Unity Prefabs and Instantiation; Chapter 16 Unity; Chapter 17 Health Systems, Winning, and Losing the Game; Chapter 18 Unity Debugging, Optimization, and Builds;

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Book SynopsisFrom a steamy jungle to a modern city, or even a sci-fi space station, 3D Game Environments is the ultimate resource to help you create AAA quality art for a variety of game worlds. Primarily using Photoshop and 3ds Max, students will learn to create realistic textures from photo source and a variety of techniques to portray dynamic and believable game worlds. With detailed tutorials on creating 3D models, applying 2D art to 3D models, and clear concise advice on issues of efficiency and optimization for a 3D game engine, Luke Ahearn gives you everything students need to make their own realistic game environments.Key FeaturesThe entire game world development process; from planning to 3D modeling, UV layout, and creating textures.Exercises and projects to practice with; each section includes projects to guide you through creating different world genres.The updated companion websiteâwww.lukeahearn.com/textures/ now includTable of ContentsChapter 1: Orientation to Game World Optimization Chapter 2: 3D Concepts Chapter 3: Shaders and Models Chapter 4: Planning the Low Polygon Urban Environment Chapter 5: Modeling the Large Urban Environment Chapter 6: Texturing the Large Urban Environment Chapter 7: Introduction to Natural Environments Chapter 8: Terrain Chapter 9: Filling the World—Trees, Plants, Rocks, Water, and Sky Chapter 10: Modeling and Texturing the Jungle Base Chapter 11: Focus on the Futuristic Interior—Normal Maps and Multipass Shaders

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Book SynopsisThis accessible book critiques the limits and implications of games and considers how they may redefine what it means to produce knowledge, to play, to educate, and to be a citizen.Trade ReviewThis book is accessible on many levels and creates opportunities for game players, game designers and game scholars to understand their own knowledge-building processes when working with games. Times Higher Education ... a substantial literature review of the vast - and rapidly growing - field of games that contribute to knowledge production. Reflective Teaching ... Knowledge Games serves as our entry point into a new conversation about the potential-and soon to be reality-of video games. elearn Magazine ... Schrier does a great job of clearing a space where we can chat about games' potential for giving us new perspectives on old problems. NEW SCIENTISTTable of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroductionPart I What Are Knowledge Games?1. Contribution2. DesignPart II Why Knowledge Games?3. Problem Solving4. Motivation5. Social InteractionPart III Perspectives, Potentials, and Pitfalls6. Amateurs7. Participation8. Data9. KnowledgeAppendix A. Categories and ExampleAppendix B. Design Principles, Recommendations, Considerations, and ImplicationsAppendix C. Guiding QuestionsNotesIndex

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Book SynopsisThe book offers information about the iOS platform. It explains the use of OpenGL ES for 2D/3D graphics and OpenAL for sound, both of which are recommended for game performance on the iOS platform. It covers new APIs such as the GLKit, GameKit, and Box2D Physics Engine.Table of ContentsIntroduction—Let There Be…Games! The Basics—How Does It All Work? Game Development from 0 to 60 in No Time Flat. Making Connections: Multiplayer Games with Game Kit and Game Center. OpenGL ES: Turbocharged! The Third Dimension: 3D Games. On the Trail of Angry Birds—Physics Engine Box2D. The GLKit Framework—OpenGL ES Made Easy. Complete Control: Game Sounds with OpenAL. Waiting to Be a Millionaire. Bibliography. Index.

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Book SynopsisBringing concrete examples from industry to light, this book explains how to use Blender to create visual effects for video/film production. It supplies readers with a practical way to learn how to use Blenderâs tools across a wide range of scenarios in video/film production, including setting up cameras on a stage, lighting, and other production processes. Maintaining a focus on composition, the book not only explains how to use the most common tools, such as tracking, rendering, and compositing, but also explains how to deal with software limitations and sort out problems. Since the best way to learn something is with a practical example, this book follows one of the authorâs own projects, starting with how to prepare the elements that will be needed later on. The example illustrates how to use Blender tools and features for scene tracking, setup, rendering, masking, and other post-production functionsâfrom start to finish in a professional workflow. The book examines all the compositing nodes that can be used in Blender. It details time-saving tips, features such as the motion tracker, and rendering techniques so readers will have enough information to accomplish the most common tasks encountered in the creation of a professional visual effects composition. By following the example project presented in the book, you will gain the practical understanding required to use Blenderâs tools in the most common scenarios in video/film production. You will also gain industry insights into the limitations of the software and how to sort out the problematic scenarios that may come up through the various stages of your project.Table of ContentsProblem Definition. Preparation. Tracking. Scene Setup. Rendering. Masking. Compositing.

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Book SynopsisJohn Funge introduces a new approach to creating autonomous characters. Cognitive modeling provides computer-animated characters with logic, reasoning, and planning skills. Individual chapters in the book provide concrete examples of advanced character animation, automated cinematography, and a real-time computer game. Source code, animations, images, and other resources are available at the book's website, listed below.Table of ContentsForeword -- Preface -- 1 Introduction -- 1.1 Cognitive Character -- 1.2 Domain Knowledge -- 1.3 Character Instruction -- 1.4 Knowledge Acquisition -- 1.5 Phenomenology -- 1.6 Implementation -- 1.7 Other Models -- 2 Background -- 2.1 Geometric Models -- 2.2 Kinematic Control -- 2.3 Physical Models -- 2.4 Noninterpenetration -- 2.5 Biomechanical Mode -- 2.6 Behavior and Cognitive Model -- 2.7 Notes -- 3 Domain Knowledge -- 3.1 Mathematical Logic -- 3.2 Situation Calculus -- 3.3 D iscussion -- 3.4 Notes -- 4 Sensing -- 4.1 Knowledge Producing Actions. -- 4.2 Interval Arithmetic -- 4.3 Interval-valued Epistemic Fluents -- 4.4 Inaccurate Sensors -- 4.5 Sensing Changing Values -- 4.6 Correctness -- 4.7 Operators for Interval Arithmetic -- 4.8 Knowledge of Terms -- 4.9 Usefulness -- 4.10 Notes -- 5 Character Instruction -- 5.1 Predefined Behavior -- 5.2 Goal-directed Behavior -- 5.3 The Middle Ground -- 5.4 A Simple Tutorial Example: Maze Solving -- 5.5 D iscussion -- 5.6 Notes -- 6 Learning -- 6.1 Machine Learning -- 6.2 Creating a Training Set -- 6.3 Representation of the Learned Function -- 6.4 Learning Algorithm -- 6.5 D iscussion -- 6.6 Notes -- 7 Putting It All Together -- 7.1 A Predefined Behavior Layer -- 7.2 Interface. -- 7.3 Roiling Forward -- 7.4 Embedding Goal-directed Behavior -- 7.5 Intelligent Flocks -- 7.6 Notes -- 8 CML -- 8.1 Precondition and Effect Axioms -- 8.2 Complex A ctioNS -- 8.3 Discussion -- 8.4 Notes -- 9 Cinematography -- 9.1 Automated Cinematography -- 9.2 Implementation -- 9.3 Discussion -- 9.4 Notes -- 10 Prehistoric World -- 10.1 The Prehistoric World -- 10.2 Effect A xioms -- 10.3 Precondition A xiomS -- 10.4 Character Instruction -- 10.5 Implementation. -- 10.6 D iscussion -- 10.7 Notes -- 11 Undersea world -- 11.1 D iscussion -- 11.2 Overview -- 11.3 Evasion BehavioR -- 11.4 The Great Escape -- 11.5 Pet Protection -- 11.6 General Melee -- 11.7 Visibility Testing -- 11.8 Low-level System Implementation -- 11.9 Discussion -- ll.lONotes -- 12 Conclusion -- 12.1 AI Accelerator cards -- 12.2 R obotics. -- 12.3 Electronic Commerce and Web Avatars. -- 12.4 Other Applications. -- 12.5 Conclusion -- Bibliography -- Index.

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