Game Modeling Using Low Polygon Techniques (Charles River Media Graphics) (Paperback)

by Chad Walker (Author), Eric Walker (Author) "For any artist, the tool you draw with can be as important as the kind of car you drive..." (more)
Key Phrases: outside vertices, vertices welded, side view port, Mech Robot, Ancient Barbarian, Civil War Soldier (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The computer game industry is growing at an incredible rate, and the competition to create real-time games with faster, more realistic effects is fierce. With Game Modeling Using Low Polygon Techniques, beginning artists and modelers can gain the skills needed to be part of this exciting industry.

Using a tutorial-based approach, you’ll learn the necessary instructions, organizational techniques, and 3D applications needed for a working knowledge of low polygon modeling. Designed to benefit anyone interested in making 3D models (whether you’re a talented artist or not) Game Modeling Using Low Polygon Techniques establishes solid foundations and principles for modeling low polygon 3D objects, from the initial sketch phase to final development. Detailed how-to guidelines are included to teach you all about the conceptual phase, U.V. mapping coordinates, texturing, and much more. A wide range of 3D applications (e.g. 3ds max, Lightwave, Maya, C4D XL, etc.) can be used to apply these methods and techniques with little difficulty. By the end of the book you’ll have created a set of game-ready, low polygon characters and models to use in your own game creations. So start up the computer, and get ready to create a whole world of characters that utilize simple techniques and industry proven tips and tricks.

Key Features: - Clear, easy-to-follow steps explain how to conceptualize and sketch models - Detailed tutorials provide hands-on practice with sketching, modeling, and texturing - Ready-to-use models are provided throughout the book - Concise coverage of U.V. mapping and how to properly map models - How-to guidelines explain the details of creating solid texture maps including selecting, photo-graphing, editing and blending pictures to create maps - CD-ROM includes ready-to- use low-polygon models and all the tutorial files

About the Author
Chad and Eric Walker are computer game artists, comic book illustrators, and instructors. They both attended the exclusive Joe Kubert School of Design and Graphic Arts, Inc. in New Jersey, and worked for Ensemble Studios where they helped design the award-winning “Game of the Year” Age of Kings for Microsoft and Age of Conquerors x-pack.

Product Details

• Paperback: 353 pages
• Publisher: Charles River Media; 1 edition (August 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584500557
• ISBN-13: 978-1584500551
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #635,325 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Low Polygon bomb, May 10, 2002

By	MRam (Spokane) - See all my reviews

The book shows you how to model various characters and stuff using the same techniques: over and over again!

Essentially, the authors have the reader trace each 3d character's profile with splines and extrude. The model is then mirrored as an instance. The flat side is rescaled, [were not good]in and divided while in mesh mode. The new Geometry created with the divide tool is moved to round out the model. Finally the instanced half is made unique and welded to it's companion.

Some body parts are made seperately and attached later, using the above techniques.

That's most of the book!

This isn't really modeling in my opinion, just a quickie rig...

I was shocked at the bad quality of writing, the authors appeared to be trying to BS their way through and were doing a bad job of it. Paul Steeds "modeling a character in 3ds max" is a far better book.

But both books leave out edge loop modeling which allows clean subdivison of surfaces: no distortion in smoothing.

A 3D modeling student would learn much more reading Max tutorials (available free on the web) than buying this book. I would not recommend it!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't waste your money. False advertising., January 14, 2003

By	LatinMessiah (Berkeley, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Please pocket your money. Don't shell it out on this book. This book is ALL about using the extrude feature in your 3D program. Extrude this, extrude that. It's tutorials are also VERY unclear and leave you hanging in the dark with unanswered questions. It uses awful, uninspiring art for sample work throughout the tutorials. You're better off learning on your own, experimenting with the controls and what not. What a "lie" . The title is very misleading. I am never buying anything from that publishing company ever again.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Place to Start, May 3, 2002

By	Dave Astle (GameDev.net) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book seems to be targeted at beginning to intermediate game artists. The only assumption it makes is that you know how to use your modeler of choice. The book is written to be software independent, although the only samples provided on the CD are for 3D Studio Max.

The book takes you through the creation of a wide range of models, including a barbarian, a female marine, a couple of cartoonish characters, a horse, several vehicles, and a weapon. For each model, you are shown the step-by-step details at every phase of creation, including creating the concept art, turning the concept art into a base model, sculpting the model to it's final form, creating a UV map, and then texturing. Lots of screenshots are included (they take up about half of the book) making it easy to follow along.

Although the book is definitely useful to someone just starting out in modeling, it seems a little light on content. The fact that so many different models are used - some of which are similar to each other - means that a lot of the information is repeated. I would have preferred fewer models with unique attributes, and more space spent on different methods or tips and tricks.

Overall, though, I was happy with the book. If you're just getting started in game modeling, and want to see a lot of detailed examples of model creation, this book is definitely worth a look.