2. Three-Dimensional Art Composition
Chapter 10
Three-Dimensional Art Composition

3. Objectives
Describe the different video game design team roles available for people with art and animation skills.
Outline the key elements of three-dimensional modeling.
Compare and contrast raster images and vector images.
Explain the legal rights and artist has in protecting artwork as well as steps taken by game designers and artists to physically protect content from being copied.

4. Game Art Team
There are many different team roles available for people with art and animation skills
The highest-ranking artist is usually called the art director
To keep all projects flowing well, the major decisions are recorded in design documents
When the concepts are approved, the concept art is converted into model sheets

5. Game Art Team (Continued)
The model sheets are used to compile the world-design document
A lead artist manages the details of a single project
Other team members may include
Texture artist
Environment artist
Three-dimensional modeling artist
Video director
Asset manager
Animator
Each person on the team serves an important role in making the entire project look great

6. Three-Dimensional Modeling
The first concept to master in 3D modeling is the idea that you are creating the outside of an object, not a flat surface
Primitives are standard building blocks used to create other objects
A mesh is a combination of four or more polygons connected to make one piece
A designer can edit a mesh to change the size and shape of the mesh

7. Three-Dimensional Modeling (Continued)
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8. Three-Dimensional Modeling (Continued)
Mesh smoothing takes a sharp edge between faces and applies a radius
Polycount is the number of 2D faces (polys) used to create the 3D mesh model
A NURBS model is based on a mathematical calculation that creates a curve or surface from specified control points
NURBS stands for non-uniform rational basis spline

9. Three-Dimensional Modeling (Continued)
When rendering 3D scenes, lighting is important
Shadows and shading are needed to show depth and edges
Most 3D modeling programs have at least point light, spotlight, and sun light
Once a 3D model is created, materials must be added to the model

10. Three-Dimensional Modeling (Continued)
A material is an image stretched over the model to make it look as if it is made of wood, plastic, skin, or any other material
The three basic color components that define the overall color of an object are specular, diffuse, and ambient
Once a material is defined, it is applied to objects in the scene

11. Three-Dimensional Modeling (Continued)
Usually, several adjustments need to be made to each material after a rendering is created
A texture map is a picture or pattern assigned to an element of the material definition
A map may be assigned to the diffuse color, bump setting, opacity or transparency element, or any other part of the material definition

12. Three-Dimensional Modeling (Continued)
A bump map is a texture assigned to the bump property of a material
The light and dark areas create the illusion of raised and lowered areas on the model
Mapping is the process of determining how a material is positioned on an object
When applying a map to the model, the software tessellates the texture

13. Material Mapping
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14. File Formats File size is a major limiting factor in 3D modeling
The larger the file size, the longer it takes for the computer to process the information
File formats are a standardized way to organize the information of a digital image
Raster images record the location and color of each picture element (pixel) of the image

15. File Formats (Continued)
Raster images lose clarity with size changes
The file size of a raster image can be very large
The two most popular image-compression algorithms are lossy and lossless
Vector images store image data as a mathematical definition, not by pixel data
If a vector image is enlarged, the software calculates the result using this definition

16. File Formats (Continued)
Vector images can be expanded infinitely without loss of clarity
A standard computer monitor or television cannot display vector images
For a vector image to be displayed, the software must rasterize the image
Then the image is sent to the display device

17. Legal Issues
There are several legal rights an artist has in protecting artwork
The most critical legal standing is ownership
A work contract will lay out the rules for what the company owns and what you own
A work-for-hire contract states what you are expected to produce, the starting and ending dates of the work, and what you will be paid

18. Legal Issues (Continued)
A confidentiality agreement states that you cannot share any information about the company or its products with any other company
A noncompete agreement states that you cannot create work that competes with the company while you are employed by it and for a certain period of time after you leave the company

19. Legal Issues (Continued)
The United States and most other countries have copyright laws
Misusing or making unauthorized copies of a copyrighted work is copyright infringement
A game company may use a software key code to allow only one installation of the game
A digital watermark makes an image unusable, but allows someone to review the art for potential use

20. Legal Issues (Continued)
Example of a digital watermark
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21. Think of the many team members that may be on a design team
Think of the many team members that may be on a design team. Which of these jobs do you find most interesting or appealing? Why?
Under US copyright laws, as soon as a creative work is in tangible form, it is automatically copyrighted. What creative works have you developed?