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Game Anim: Video Game Animation Explained
The second edition of GAME ANIM expands upon the first with an all-new chapter on 2D and Pixel Art Animation, an enhanced mocap chapter covering the latest developments in Motion Matching, and even more interviews with top professionals in the field. Combined with everything in the first, this updated edition provides the reader with an even more comprehensive understanding of all areas of video game animation - from small indie projects to the latest AAA blockbusters.
Key Features
New 2nd Edition Content - An all-new chapter on 2D and Pixel Art Animation, motion-matching, and more.
20 Years of Insight - Accumulated knowledge from 2 decades of experience in all areas of game animation.
The 5 Fundamentals - Reinterprets the classic 12 principles & sets out 5 new fundamentals for great game animation.
Full Production Cycle - Walks through every stage of a game production from the animator's perspective.
Animator Interviews - Notable game animators offer behind-the-scenes stories, tips and advice. Free Animation Rig - Free AZRI maya rig, tutorials and other resources on the accompanying website.
About The Author
Jonathan Cooper is an award-winning video game animator who has been bringing virtual characters to life professionally since 2000, leading teams on large projects such as the Assassin's Creed and Mass Effect series, with a focus on memorable stories and characters and cutting-edge video game animation. He has since been focusing on interactive cinematics in the latest chapters of the DICE and Annie award-winning series Uncharted and The Last of Us. Jonathan has presented at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco and at other conferences across Canada and the United Kingdom, and holds a Bachelor of Design honors degree in animation.
Key Features
New 2nd Edition Content - An all-new chapter on 2D and Pixel Art Animation, motion-matching, and more.
20 Years of Insight - Accumulated knowledge from 2 decades of experience in all areas of game animation.
The 5 Fundamentals - Reinterprets the classic 12 principles & sets out 5 new fundamentals for great game animation.
Full Production Cycle - Walks through every stage of a game production from the animator's perspective.
Animator Interviews - Notable game animators offer behind-the-scenes stories, tips and advice. Free Animation Rig - Free AZRI maya rig, tutorials and other resources on the accompanying website.
About The Author
Jonathan Cooper is an award-winning video game animator who has been bringing virtual characters to life professionally since 2000, leading teams on large projects such as the Assassin's Creed and Mass Effect series, with a focus on memorable stories and characters and cutting-edge video game animation. He has since been focusing on interactive cinematics in the latest chapters of the DICE and Annie award-winning series Uncharted and The Last of Us. Jonathan has presented at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco and at other conferences across Canada and the United Kingdom, and holds a Bachelor of Design honors degree in animation.
392 pages, ebook
First published January 14, 2019
26 people are currently reading
191 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 20, 2019
I really liked this book. A certain amount of it was review from what I've learned about film-making and animation from other reading/research but there were also a lot of considerations especially for game animation that were also interesting.
Every so often I felt a little bit out of my depth, where a concept I'm not fully familiar with felt under explained, but as I'm relatively new and self taught when it comes to 3d modelling and animation, maybe this is something that I would have already known about with a more formal education.
I would have liked some more technical info, but browsing the book website it looks like the tutorials there might cover most of the things I felt like I wanted to know more about.
Including information about the actual process of production was a good call. I imagine a lot of people getting into studio work don't really know what to expect, so the author covering a number of different disciplines, what their concerns might be, and how they typically might interact felt like a really good inclusion.
Overall, it feels like a solid reference. It gave me a lot of things to think about.
Every so often I felt a little bit out of my depth, where a concept I'm not fully familiar with felt under explained, but as I'm relatively new and self taught when it comes to 3d modelling and animation, maybe this is something that I would have already known about with a more formal education.
I would have liked some more technical info, but browsing the book website it looks like the tutorials there might cover most of the things I felt like I wanted to know more about.
Including information about the actual process of production was a good call. I imagine a lot of people getting into studio work don't really know what to expect, so the author covering a number of different disciplines, what their concerns might be, and how they typically might interact felt like a really good inclusion.
Overall, it feels like a solid reference. It gave me a lot of things to think about.
January 10, 2021
Good insights into how game Animation workflow runs. A few applicable tips here and there, but most of the learning will be based on hands on work actually animating first. It mainly felt like an enhancement of knowledge one should already have before reading.
March 23, 2021
Invaluable
This book has been invaluable to me about setting up an animation pipeline for my game studio. Highly recommended, especially for beginners.
This book has been invaluable to me about setting up an animation pipeline for my game studio. Highly recommended, especially for beginners.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews