Analyzing 3D modelling, animation and environments

What are 3D models used for?

3D models are used in many different forms of media such as TV, Games, Movies etc, they can be used to create a character or object to place into a game environment and later can be animated, however they aren't only used for games as they can be used to 3D print objects in real life, create plans when creating new buildings or make animated videos which would be used for special effects such as explosions  and fire and characters. which could then be applied to a model of the body and limbs to create a character model to put inside a game or movie ready to be animated in order to enhance the quality and fluidity of the character. This only applies to 3D games/movies as 2D animations use sprites instead of models.

Flow chart of 3D modelling

Mesh Construction
One of the most popular pieces of 3D modelling software is Maya (other examples being Cinema 4D and AutoCAD)which is where the meshes will be made. the mesh is the collection of edges, vertices and faces to make the 3D model. where you start with a simple shape and slowly modify it to become the finished product as shown in the picture below where a box was modified bit by bit to look like a human head as seen with the wireframes, this called box modelling and usually consists of extruding faces of the shape outwards until it looks more like the object you are making, then smaller details are added such as the nose and mouth if making a face for example.

a box being made into a model of a human head

Geometric Theory
Geometric theory is the collection of all the components of a 3D model such as edges(lines connected to the vertices), vertices(corners of each face), polygons(the shapes containing the faces), surfaces(the shapes that make up the object and will have textures on them)and faces(the shapes that go around the edges), these all form to create an element(the finished object)

Shaders
Pixel and vertex shaders are both GPUs(Graphics Processing Unit) that can add shading to an environment in different ways. none of them are better than the other as they are just different styles of shading, vertex shades can be used to add cartoony silhouettes to the edges of the environment as seen in borderlands. Pixel shaders are used to create more realistic shaders by adding extra details such as facial hair to characters or adding more texture to objects using the shading. Generally most software can use both types of shading

vertex shading

pixel shaders

Graphics
Direct3D and OpenGL are APIs(Application Programming Interface) that are used to render 3D graphics in games. these APIs enable features such as mipmapping, HLSL shaders and spatial anti-aliasing which will improve the overall picture.The diagram below shows how Direct3D renders 3D graphics.

Constraints
Making and rendering 3D models can be a lengthy process and takes up lots of memory which will mean you should get an external hard drive when working with 3d models as you could easily run out of memory, your PC should also be fairly high end to be able to run these programs at a stable framerate

3D development Software
3D development software is what you can make 3D models in, examples are maya, 3D Studio Max, AutoCAD and lightwave. 3D models are usually saved in the following formats: .3DS, .B3D and .OBJ

3D Models in architecture
3D models can be used to create prototypes for buildings as you can recreate the plan without having to actually build anything, when the planning is


https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ff476882%28v=vs.85%29.aspx?f=255&MSPPError=-2147217396

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/832545/what-are-vertex-and-pixel-shaders

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct3D

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ff476882%28v=vs.85%29.aspx?f=255&MSPPError=-2147217396

https://yellowdog.co/2016/01/28/which-is-the-best-render-engine/

Killer Klowns game brief

Level Design Idea.
Plot: A man/woman was abandoned by a taxi driver on the road, due to some issue with the road ahead. The character is given directions quickly before the driver drove away. The character (man/woman) then travels through a natural environment (Level 1). In this level you are introduced with combat, due to a wild animal wanting to kill you. Then finally you arrive at a village (Level 2) The character wants to find the reason on why most of the population of the village has left so suddenly. With t problems talking to the villagers due to them locking themselves in there homes. the character then sets of to the main square, which he finds a clown in centre of. The clown then fights you with some help of other clowns. When the clowns are killed one of the villagers shouts you over and explains. The person explains on the history of the village and the "Killer Clowns" and where they live. This then takes you to the "Killer Clown tent" (Level 3). The villager that most of population didn't leave and in fact have been taken. Your objective is to collect (save) them before they are killed. When all the villagers are safe the character/player has to fight the boss in which eventually killed all the clowns in the place.

Weapons: Mostly melee but the odd fire-arm
Guns are less likely to be found compared to the melee weapons and so you will have to explore the game more to find these weapons.

Genre: Third Person-Shooter (with some other styles involved in mid-game).
It also allows free-roam which you can explore the map in more depth.

Platform: This would be made primarily for PC, yet could work for other platforms such as the console or mobile device.

The Main Screen:
When in the main screen for the game it will have two options:
"Play"
"Chapter"
The title screen will have 3 original backgrounds relating to the level:
Level 1: Will have a peaceful background of a mountain side and a lake.
Level 2: Will have a village in the background with some clowns seen in the shadows.
Level 3: Will have a clown and a tent in the background.
These images will be taken when you "PrtScn" the level. The animations will be created individually.
The main title screen will be identical to the last level design with some miner tweaks.
A idea would be a clowns eye following the selected option (play/chapters) or for PC it would follow the mouse cursor.

Level 1.
This will be designed by: Me
This will be based in a natural environment, that is peaceful and untouched.
This level will be set in the morning.
Ideal objects created:
Rocks, water, path, trees, mountains, grass, cliffs etc.

Information: This level won't have any proper combat compared to the other levels as the characters are investigating the klown tent and they wouldn't have weapons going in, they will have to stealth their way past the klowns whilst exploring, if a player gets caught they will be chased until either the klown catches up and kills you or you lose them by finding a hiding spot, before escaping the player would have to find the room filled with all the human bodies which are encased in cocoons, the player would find their first weapon here and it would end with the player running away from a horde of klowns and out of the circus tent whilst avoiding obstacles and enemy projectiles that would slow them down.

Level 2.
This will be designed by: Luke Anderson
This will be based in a village that has little to no people in it, due to its stories of the "Killer Clowns"
This level will be set at mid-day. and have much vegetation due to many people not leaving there homes.
Ideal objects created:
House, rocks, grass, trees and other items related to the village etc,

Information: Level 2 is the second level and less places for the player to hide from the Klowns. The player will have the ability to find melee weapons easiest in this stage and there will ranged weapons scattered about the town. Their will be klowns in the street which you can sneak around but there will enough melee weapons to fight the klowns but not enough for you to beat all of them.
When you head to the police station to get weapons, a clown how is controlling Officer Mooney like a puppet will attack you as a boss. The boss can use: Officer Mooney's gun, his baton and his taser. To defeat the boss you have to attack the klown that is controlling Officer Mooney, you only need to attack the klown three times but he is using Officer Mooney as a shield so you can't attack him until he lets his guard down to taunt at you.



Level 3.
This will be designed by both of us
This will be based in the abandoned circus which no one dares to enter.
This will be set at night.
Most of the level will be set inside the tent, however the level will contain a outside environment.
Ideal objects created:
Clowns, tent, environment (objects), and simple puzzles.

Information:
Level 3 is the last level and has a much different game style in the game. In this level when you enter the tent the player will drop their gun and lose it. The player will be vulnerable to the killer clowns until the player finds a weapon of some sort. Having no weapon makes it difficult to kill the clowns which results into the player having to make up a strategy when avoiding the clowns. This makes the player go through the maze hoping they find all the collectables (survivors) before being found by a clown.
When all survivors are found a exit will be shown and which you can go through. When the player exits they have to fight a boss which cannot be damaged by bullets, yet can be damaged by the surroundings. The boss brings in a wave of clowns which you have to kill, after each wave is destroyed a item will glow that you can shoot, this will damage the boss (clown). The boss has 3 weak spots that results into having 3 waves, each wave gets increasingly hard.
When you kill the boss all the other clowns will be killed and all the items relating to clowns such as the tent would disappear. Then a small credits screen will appear, which would then take you to the main menu.