new voxcommunications with css

Using Maya To Create a 3D Game Characters

Essential Question for this project: What Does it Take to Work in the Video Game Industry?

In this project, you will create both 3D Models and Game environments using the same software that professional game designers use at companies like Electronic Arts. In the course of this project, you will accomplish a variety of things:

1. You will learn the basics of creating 3d models. You will create a collection of complex shapes, human figures, vehicles, structures, and creatures. These creatures can then be brought into a game environment that you will create using a program called UNITY.

2. You will research the world of game design and explore some of the career opportunities available in that field.

3. You will create 3d Models and game environments that apply directly to your English/Chemistry classes. We will have people from industry looking in on your projects to give you help and feedback along the way. You will work in a team of approximately four people.

You should also take a look at the official website of Autodesk, the company that makes Maya. You can download a free student version for your PC or Mac at home.

We will be using Lynda.com to learn Maya first and then Unity. There are six mini courses we will be covering over the next six weeks. Here are the links to the courses:

This first one covers how to make a human figure. I enjoyed this one the most, but it's pretty challenging. If this is too hard, don't worry, you can come back to it after doing the others.

Maya Essentials 1

Maya Essentials 2

First Project: The Gumby Robot

Take what you have learned from the first two videos and make your own Gumby style Robot. I have made two short videos to show you how to do this:

Gumby Robot Part 1

Gumby Robot Part 2

After you succeed at making the robot, make a more complex creature using what you have learned so far. Perhaps an animal or a monster. Be sure you save your work. We will be adding textures and animation to your work later This will count as two projects.

Maya Essentials 3

Maya Essentials 4

Second Project: Adding Textures

Here is a short video I made that summarizes the basics of adding color and textures.

Take your two models and add a variety of colors and textures to them. Select different faces and use different colors and textures on them.

Third Project: Make a stretched image self portrait in Photoshop and map it to a 3D object in Maya

Maya Essentials 5

Fourth Project: Create an animated Skeleton with Joints and Add it to one of your earlier 3D projects.

Here's a short video demonstrating how to do simple animations in Maya.

How to make a simple skeleton Simple Skeleton Modeling

How to make a skeleton for a human figure Human Skeleton Part 1

How to make a skeleton for a human figure Human Skeleton Part 2

Fifth Project: Animate a Fist opening up it's fingers.

Character Modeling

Introduction to Unity 3D

Unity 3D is a program that you can download for free. It works on Macs or PCs. The website is Unity 3D.com

I have made three quick intro videos to get you started:

Part One: Unity

Part Two: Unity

Part Three: Unity