3D Games Developer/Programmer

how exactly do you put a shape or make a character into the game do you just type in code and numbers and how do you program movement.

Asked by gael luna over 8 years ago

Good question! This was exactly my first curiosity when I first encountered Arcade games back in the 80s. The good news is there are softwares available to handle most of the under-the-hood mechanics involved with assembling and rendering 3D content. My favorite is 3D Max, but a very popular free 3D modeling/animating program is called Blender. After the model is assembled in a 3D program, it's then imported into a "Game Engine" like Unreal or Unity. From there, most of the programming involved is for playing and blending animations (by name) according to what is happening in the game, per user input, (such as a walk-cycle, or a punch, or a swim cycle.) The numbers which form the 3D mesh are organized in vertices and corresponding triangles (3 vertices each). These are auto-generated by 3D software during the modeling process which is more similar to molding clay than actually entering in data values by hand. Analogously PhotoShop let's you manipulate pixels with a paint brush without the artist needing to bother with individual pixel data values. If the process of modeling and animation interests you, there are hordes of excellent tutorial videos on YouTube covering this topic. ;)

What do you like the most about being a game developer/programmer?

Asked by newliving over 9 years ago

I am in love with, fascinated with, the magic that happens when giving a computer a list of instructions, it gives a responsive feedback, like a living breathing life form. To give life to art is the complete reward.

Is there one person who deserves credit for pioneering current 3D technology?

Asked by Synergy over 9 years ago

Everyone has their own personal hero in this area, but mine would have to be John Carmack: founder of id Software, the game engine Quake, pioneered video games Wolfenstein, Doom, and the foundational tech for Half-Life. He has a real passion for 3D / VR innovation which continues on to this day. For most questions containing words like "Where did all this 3D magic get started?" would have to be answered with John Carmack.

What's the "next frontier" in 3D gaming technology? If you had to guess, will games 10 years from now make today's games look as antiquated as games from 10 years ago look to us right now?

Asked by Rob Ford almost 10 years ago

The evolution of 3D game tech has tended to be exponential since its inception, and I would expect this trend to continue, such that in 10 years games of today will seem 100 times more primitive than games 10 years ago seem to us today. I'm betting that Voxel (volumetric) game engines will become the next big revolution. Voxels being the equivalent of atoms in simulated realism, we will likely see concepts like chemical reactions, virtual laboratories, bio-engineering, advanced fluid/aerodynamics in future games. ;)

I remember in the early 90s there were "virtual reality" demos where u put on a really heavy helmet & could battle vs another player in a VR arena. What ever happened to that? Is today's VR the evolution of THAT tech, or something different and new?

Asked by sunir almost 10 years ago

Which is a more important skill for someone wanting to get into your field: artistic abilities or quantitative? In other words, is 3D programming more of a mathematical exercise or an aesthetic one?

Asked by Crak almost 10 years ago

I see Video Game development as one of the most technical artforms and the most artistic of technologies.  I think the most appropriate question is what interests you most?  If you have a stronger passion for making awesome art than crunching numbers to simulate physics for example, then I would recommend focusing on art skills, particularly 3D modeling.  

Also consider that if you were to focus more energy on specific aspects of the field, this can get you that much more of a shine in the crowd, a greater potential to score a high paid career with large studios.  However, if you prefer to work alone or with a small studio, then having broader expertise becomes much more relevant.  I find myself to prefer the latter.   ;)

Do you develop your indie games completely by yourself? If not, did you fund the other aspects yourself or is it done by volunteers?

Asked by Tim Ridley almost 10 years ago

I handle the whole process from idea to engineering to testing, production, marketing, distribution, and LOTS of coffee!  About 50% of the art I purchase licenses or outsource so I end up focusing on the stuff it's harder to find people willing to do.  ;)

My whole life I have never had 'good' credit.  So, the development of my games is entirely funded by the games themselves.  I iterate them through several stages, and strategically earn revenue from each significant feature milestone by releasing first a couple free small games on online game sites (ad-revenue share), then a bigger game (might have small in-game purchases), then a final product (sold on Steam as downloadable).  Of course nothing is ever 'Final', but you get the idea...