Practical Game Development with Unity and Blender

by Alan Thorn

Today�s game developers, particularly those working in smaller, independent studios, need to be �expert generalists��that is, skilled in a wide range of tasks, from coding and level design to 3D modeling, animation, and more. Beyond knowing how to make great games, they also need the perspective and the experience to develop products quickly�all while working with limited resources, time, and budgets. They must take a holistic approach to the art and science of game development, with an emphasis on optimizing workflow. In PRACTICAL GAME DEVELOPMENT WITH UNITY AND BLENDER, author and developer Alan Thorn presents a unique 10-stage workflow for development success, offering advice and ideas (and plenty of practical examples) for developing games quickly and efficiently using some of today�s most popular (and free!) software tools. You�ll work with Unity (game engine), Blender (3D modeling and animation), and GIMP (image editor), fusing them into a single, productive workflow. Far beyond simply teaching you to operate a specific piece of software, this book guides you through the full process of game creation, with concrete instruction and tangible examples (including project and asset files, available on the book�s companion website). PRACTICAL GAME DEVELOPMENT WITH UNITY AND BLENDER will help you become a more powerful developer�the kind of broadly skilled generalist who can thrive at any game studio, large or small.

368 pages, Paperback

First published June 5, 2014

Reviews

[Eman · Rating 2 out of 5]

A decent intermediate tome for anyone familiar with either Unity or Blender. Reading a book about development best practices in the era of free information warrants asking "why bother" when the information is available online ~somewhere~ but having a book like this takes the search out of it, and consolidates solid information between a couple of hundred pages, complete with images and step-by-step instructions, so a lot of the grunt work is taken out of the equation. This is a solid get for any multi-faceted developer looking to expand their indie arsenal. Plenty of tips as well as resources for keeping well within a free or low budget, and still making something marketable.
It reads, though, like an instructional, so obviously, that is going to create a bit of a slog through, but if knowledge on working from Blender to Unity and back is what you're after, then why not have the 1 book out there that bothers to simplify the process?