C++ Game Animation Programming: Learn modern animation techniques from theory to implementation using C++, OpenGL, and Vulkan

by Michael Dunsky, Gabor Szauer

Build your own OpenGL or Vulkan application in C++ and use it as a playground to explore the path from basic features to advanced techniques of character animations in modern games Are you amazed by the current state of video game characters? A detailed, unique, and still changeable appearance, and a variety of animations, blended perfectly from one to another. And did you ever wonder how all of this is made, how to start with some plain model file on your computer or your game console storage, and achieve a nice 3D avatar or NPC, which will be able to walk, run, swim, and jump through virtual worlds? Then check out this new edition, and be guided on a path from a simple graphical window to a large crowd of smoothly animated characters. Learn how to use modern high-performance graphics, dig into the details of how the virtual character is stored, and load the models and animations into a minimalistic game-like application. Get an overview of the components of an animation system, how to play the animations, how to combine them, and how to blend from one animation into another. You will also get an introduction to topics that may make your programming life easier, like debugging your code or how to strip down the graphical output. By the end of this book, you will have deep insights into all the parts and how they work together, seeing the magic behind that brings life to the virtual worlds on your screen. This book is for curious C++ developers, game programmers, game designers, and character animators, either doing this as a hobby or profession, who always wanted to look “behind the curtain” and see how character animation in games works. The book assumes basic C++ and math knowledge, and you should be able to read code and math formulas to get the most out of the book.

480 pages, Paperback

Published December 1, 2023