Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
attention on that aspect of game design. Programmers, however, need to have a
solid background in computer languages like C++ and work at creating the arti-
ficial intelligence for a game along with the simulated physics and many of the
graphics for the game.
animator
Animators have been working in film and television for years, and when games
first started to gain popularity, many people who had worked in feature animated
films found their way into this industry. Animators need to have a strong back-
ground in the basics of animation, which can include lifelike, believable move-
ment for characters. Some mechanical animations may also fall under the job
description of an animator, such as frames per second (fps) and how to do 2D
and 3D animation. There is also the specialty of motion capture, which is gaining
in popularity within the industry.
modeler
A modeler is anyone who creates 3D polygonal models, whether they're charac-
ters or environmental pieces. Terms such as
character modeler
,
prop modeler
,
and
environment modeler
are common in game development. On small teams,
they're often the same person. Figure 9.3 shows another example of a 3D model
of an in-game character for a game from Artery Studios.
FiGuRe 9.3
An in-game character is one that is animated programmatically from the
game engine. Typically, nonplayer characters (NPCs) are animated this way.
