Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Once the joint hierarchy is created, it must be connected to the character mesh in order for the
mesh to move in response to a joint being animated. Connecting the mesh to the bones of the joint
hierarchy is called
skinning
(Figure
5-8
).
Figure 5-8.
Illustration of Interactive Skin Bind from the Unity User Manual
If you are going to make your own character models, you can find helpful guidelines in the Unity
User Manual.
The Asset Store
Fortunately for indie game developers there is the Unity Asset Store. The Asset Store is a fantastic
resource for models, scripts, textures, audio, complete projects, and more. Don't let the name fool
you—there are many free assets available for you that are great for learning and prototyping, not to
mention that it's a great way to sample what the various artists and studios have to offer.
The Unity Asset Store works much like an app store, where the assets might be from an indie artist
or developer, a studio, or even Unity Technologies itself. You can find simple bits and pieces all the
way up to complete finished projects. The Unity editor is designed to integrate easily with the Asset
Store. To access the Asset Store, in the editor top menu, select Window ➤ Asset Store (Figure
5-9
).
