Course Syllabus DDSGN 180 - Fundamentals of 3D Game Design Summer, 2016 Online CIS 121 or equivalent computer experience. 3D modeling experience recommended. Section: 5509 5 Credits 7/5-8/24 Instructors Info: Brian Martin Office: Olympic 313 Office Hours: MW 1:45-3:15 pm; Martin is not on campus T, Th or F Email: bmartin@pierce.ctc.edu Telephone: 253-964-6473 Course Description: Learn how to make high quality 3D video games using Unity 3D. Students will learn game development design principles and practices. Learn how to create, acquire, modify and integrate assets such as sounds, music and 3D models all while learning how to build interactive 3D worlds. Software: This course covers 3D Game design using Unity 3D, a free program available from here: www.unity3d.com. During some times of the quarter there will also be reference to a 3D modeling program called Maya. It has a student version available for free here: Autodesk Maya. Both of these software titles are available for use in the Olympic 302 lab at Pierce College. The versions at school in the Olympic 302 lab on the Fort Steilacoom campus are Unity 5.3 and Maya 2016. Students are welcome to use other 3D software packages like Blender (not available in the labs) and Lightwave 3D (available in Olympic 302 and the Library Design Lab on the Fort Steilacoom campus.) The class will also be using Adobe Photoshop for texturing though ANY image editing/paint program will do the trick.
Course Help: Since this is a virtual classroom, there are no set meeting times (duh.) I am available during office hours as mentioned above, but for those of you that work, I can stay late on any Monday. All you have to do is make an appointment by calling or emailing. Appointments need to be scheduled at least one business day in advance and if done by email, do not assume it's scheduled until you receive an acknowledgement from your instructor. Online Lessons: The class lessons are all online at the Modules tab to the left. Each of the online training modules can be paused, rewound and skipped around like most online videos. The average lecture is 30-60 minutes in length with some lectures having more then one part. The lessons are condensed at times, so don't feel bad if you need to listen to one more then once. It is recommended to view the online lesson videos on a high speed connection as the file sizes run 60-400 megs. For those that don't have a high speed connection at home, the Pierce College computer labs at Fort Steilacoom have almost 70 hours of open lab time during the week and on the weekends and the Puyallup computer lab has open hours Monday - Thursday, however the Puyallup campus does NOT have the Unity or Maya software. That is ONLY at Fort Steilacoom in the Olympic 302 lab. Here's a link to the Fort Steilacoom and Puyallup Computer Labs web site. Email Responsibility: Each student is responsible for having a working email account that does not filter out instructor email and is checked by the students regularly if they submit questions to the instructor via email. Email the instructor at the school email listed at the top of this syllabus or better yet, through the Canvas system. Any emails sent to the instructor on a weekend will be responded to when the work week commences again. For those of you that only use messaging and not email, you will have to old school it and email. Martin is not a 24/7 service bureau despite the fact he has stayed up until 4:00 AM playing Uncharted 4 or Watch Dogs or Burnout or Angry Birds Go or even some old school N64 Mario. Computer Responsibility: Each student working from home is responsible for having a computer capable of playing a 3D game in real time. Unity will run on a very wide variety of systems, but older systems with weak video cards will not be sufficient for this class. The suggestion is to download the software, open a demo game and make sure it plays. Most anything with an Nvidia card or newer Radeon video card will be fine. Older non-gaming laptops running Windows XP with 2 gigs of RAM or Mac OS 10.7 will not be fine here. Unity states that "Anything made since 2004 should work" but they are talking about desktop computers (though Mac's need OS 10.8 minimum.) You can download the Example Project under the "Additional downloads" section on the Unity Download page.
Class Materials: 1) Brain 2) Unity 5.3 (better) or Unity 5.X (functional) - You can do most all of the assignments with any version of Unity. The lessons will mostly be presented in Unity 5.1 and were recorded last year (though Martin will edit in a few 5.3 sections when needed.) All video lessons are recorded in HD so when watching click on the full window button to make it fit you screen. Additional Software: 3a) Maya 3D or some equivalent modeling program for creating custom meshes. 3b) Adobe Photoshop or some other image editing program (like Gimp if you want to use something that's free) that has the ability to use and paint images for mesh textures 4) Audacity - Open source (i.e. free) and awesome. Sound is important in games even though we won't cover it until way past the half way point. 5) Book Recommendations (this class does not use a book. Below are some recommendations for those that want extra resources.) Unity Game Development in 24 Hours Mike Geig ISBN: 978-0672336966 A really decent and inexpensive book since it came out in 2013. Ya it gets a little too detailed with a into to scripting, but overall it's a worthy purchase, but it is older so if you buy it, but it used.
Unity 5 from Zero to Proficiency (Foundations): A step-bystep guide to creating your first game ISBN: 978-1518699894 Another excellent beginners book that using a lot of iteration and hands-on to get you into creation - sort of like this class. Don't let the stupid cover fool you on this one. 6) Portable hard drive or Flash drive, etc. Back stuff up - OFTEN 7) A High Speed Internet Connection as my lessons are in HD 8) Patience. Game creation takes time to make stuff that doesn't suck. Course Outcomes: Identify and navigate Unity 3D layout, panes and tabs. Add meshes to a scene. Select, move, rotate, scale, snap and parent objects. Import 3D models, textures and scripts. Add components to a game object. Identify and apply rigid body dynamics and colliders. Apply behavior scripting for procedural object instantiation and scoring. Use procedural and Mecanim character animation. Apply various types of lighting to a scene. Apply principles of game design to create a solid user experience. Identify and explore different delivery options for video games. Comply with ethics related to the use of copyrighted materials. Outcomes Assessment: All projects and quizzes assigned in and out of class will be assessed on a 5 to 20 point scale, except for the final project which will be worth 50 points. The following table illustrates the assessed attributes and their corresponding point values:
Attribute Emerging (1 point) Competent (3 points) Exemplary (5 points) Uses appropriate composition techniques. Uses correct technical attributes. Project makes a intended point. Project follows the class topics for the individual assignment. Game suffers from bad composition. Lighting, Textures, Headroom and Leadroom are seldom correct. Game play is hard to see due to bad contrast. Images or parts of images (incl. textures, etc.) disappear. Movement detracts from the presentation. The viewer is confused as to what the game is trying to show. The idea is lost among bad planning and worse execution. The project includes few of the requirements of the assignment. Those included detract from the project. Game has decent Lighting, Textures, Headroom and Leadroom Game objects maintain correct contrast attributes throughout most of the project. Game play flows with few problems that detract from the presentation. With little effort, the viewer is able to understand and follow what the creator is saying. The game is at times disjointed. The project includes the requirements of the particular assignment. The elements don't fit well as a whole. Game consistently maintains good composition. Subjects and environments are constantly aligned and balance well for the subject matter presented. Project has good contrast. The colors and textures are visible with correct attributes for the given scene. Game play is smooth and fluid, fitting within the context of the presentation. The viewer is clearly able to understand what the creator is trying to say. The game idea flows well. The project includes all the requirements of the particular assignment. The elements fit well into the project. Grading Scale: The following grading table is based upon the submission of all the assignments. Please note that the completion of ALL assignments is required to earn a passing grade. Having even ONE missing assignment will eliminate the possibility of earning credit in this class. Yes, assignments can be turned in late at a 50% reduction of score.
Failure to complete the prereq for this class will result in a 0.0 final grade. The prereq is CIS 121 or equivalent computer experience. This rule will only be enforced if you are incapable of using a computer. 3D modeling experience recommended (but not required.) Percentages: 95-100 4.0 90-94 3.7 87-89 3.3 83-86 3.0 80-82 2.7 77-79 2.3 73-76 2.0 70-72 1.7 Under 70 0.0 (Special circumstances will be determined on an individual basis.) Assignment Schedule: Each lesson will end with a project. The projects will all be submitted via the Canvas drop box. The Submission Button is in the right hand column when viewing an assignment. Cheating and Plagiarism: Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated and will result in a zero grade for the quarter. Martin plays a lot of games and cruises the Unity Asset store a lot so if you cheat, you will need to take your ball and go home. Special Needs: Your experience in this class is important to me, and it is the policy and practice of Pierce College to create inclusive and accessible learning environments consistent with federal and state law. If you experience barriers based on disability, please seek a meeting with the Access and Disability Services (ADS) manager to discuss and address them. If you have already established accommodations with the ADS manager, please bring your approved accommodations (green sheet) to me at your earliest convenience so we can discuss your needs in this course.
ADS offers resources and coordinates reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities. Reasonable accommodations are established through an interactive process between you and the ADS manager, and I am available to help facilitate them in this class. If you have not yet established services through ADS, but have a temporary or permanent disability that requires accommodations (this can include but not be limited to; mental health, attention-related, learning, vision, hearing, physical or health impacts), you are encouraged to contact ADS at 253-964-6526 (Fort Steilacoom) or 253-840-8335 (Puyallup). Emergency Management Plan: Call 911 and then Campus Safety in response to an imminent threat to persons or property. In the event of an evacuation (intermittent horns & strobes), gather all personal belongings and leave the building using the nearest available safe exit. Be prepared to be outside for one hour and stay a minimum of 200 feet from any building or structure. So long as it is safe to do so students are expected to stay on campus and return to class after evacuations that last less then 15 minutes. Do not attempt to re-enter the building until instructed by an Evacuation Director (identified by orange vests) or by three horn blasts or bell rings. Please notify the nearest Campus Safety Officer or Evacuation Director of any one left in the building or in need of assistance. Phone: Fort Steilacoom Campus Safety (253) 964-6751 or Puyallup Campus Safety (253) 840-8481 Special Rules: For those that just can't get enough: 1. All rules and regulations of Pierce college apply (duh!) 2. The last day to withdraw from class without a failing grade is August 8th. 3. The instructor (me again - hello) reserves the right to remove any student who is interfering with and disturbing the learning environment of another student and not on task. This can be on a short term or long term basis. *NOTE: This schedule and syllabus as a whole is subject to change at the whim of the teacher. He will tell you of changes though, so you are not expected to read minds. If you miss class, well, this in online, so just remember that the old excuse of your dog ate your hard drive does not work here.