Scrolling Game Development Kit Forum
General => Game Development Artistry => Topic started by: bluemonkmn on 2006-01-30, 06:43:49 PM
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Orion Pax has some content that will eventually be posted here. Until then (and thereafter) anyone else is also free to discuss artistic aspects of games. For example, what tools do you use besides the built-in graphics editor? I use POV-Ray and (once) the GIMP. I've heard Pixia might be good to, but I don't remember what people have said about it. For music I use Cakewalk Express Gold and a Roland XP-60 synthesizer (anybody know where to get these any more? I can't find any other synthesizer as reasonably priced and as powerful as the Roland XP-60).
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believe it or not, i actually used flash to make most of my (custom made) animated sprites. and photoshop helped a little too with the bigger stuff paint the paint had trouble with. so much powerful software, such menial tasks. ;)
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I tried several programs to paint with. I used the tile editor that comes with SGDK. Then I started to use paint shop pro and finally seddled on Graphics Gale, which I have been using for over a year and love it. http://www.humanbalance.net/gale/us/ (http://www.humanbalance.net/gale/us/). I also tried the GIMP, but couldn't get past the interface. I also tried photoshop but couldn't get past the interface. Im sure there is something better out there than graphics gale, but I just stick with it cuz its what I know and its been working really well.
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Has anybody considered exporting graphics from the SGDK2 graphics editor for use in version 1 (the file menu has an export command to export the current cell if I recall)? You'd have to convert it from PNG to BMP and lose the translucency, but it might be usable if you don't happen to have other good, free graphics editors.
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how different is the sgdk2 editor from the current verison? i've never dowloaded the prerelease. liek are there a lot of differences in the interface?
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It's about the same as the difference between Macromedia Flash 7 and a Pineapple.
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Wait, maybe I'm just interpreting this wrong, but that looks alot like transparency... I know in the current version you can edit with transparency with Paste+ or something, but does this allow for in-game transparency? So far, I haven't found any way to create semitransparent sprites or tiles without have a fast animation between the tile and a blank tile...
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Yes, that's just one of its many features. GameDev 1.x only supported transparency while SGDK2 supports 255 levels of real-time translucency. Of course if you export the graphics for use with GameDev 1.x, you will have to lose that feature in the conversion.
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While we're on the subject, why not add ability to scan images directly into the graphics editor? :-)
Keith
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Generally speaking, games don't use hand-drawn animations. There are exceptions of course, but since the majority of people would never use that feature, and since it (is || will be) easy to import graphics from another program, I don't think that feature would be necessary.
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I suspect there are a category of people who do use hand-drawn images for game graphics (Guildhall perhaps) but I suspect those users will be advanced or dedicated enough to figure out how to import graphics without having to have that feature built in. If it turns out that it would be a frequently used helpful convenience, I may eventually add such a feature on request, but I'm going to keep the initial release relatively basic.
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but if you do import hand-made graphics, you're still going to have to edit them, because you'll still have that messy "white outline" around the edge of the image. i'd think it would be easier to just scan them to your computer and just edit them with some other software, then import them to sgdk
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SDGK2's gfx editor, while offering many tools is not all in compassing art utility, nor does it try to be. For an included resource it quite amazing and what you need is at your finger tips, not buried away in countless menus. However there is still plenty of room for improvement, as cbass mentioned graphics gale is worth taking a look at.
Anyway scanning images for game art is fine but you wouldn't want to use the scan directly. The problem is that you need to clean the scans. In photoshop you might scan in the image, clean it, set that layer to multiply and then paint on a layer below (for a general art piece). The sgdk2 editor does not currently support layers. This means you would have to do a LOT of clean up, erasing, and tweaking to use the scan layer directly.
Hand drawn/on paper art is a great way to begin the process if that works best for you but SGDK2's editor at current is not the most well suited, though you *could* do it. For game art/sprites what you would typically do is trace the image on a layer above with the pencil tool to get clean line art from which to progress.
My feeling on the guildhall projects is that many of them have traditional art knowledge but a limited experience with digital art tools (isn't photoshop provided in one of the courses?). They are also either in teams or share resources (can't remember which) so there are a number of inconsistencies on the graphics front. I assume that are teaching game design more than game art design at the point the students use SGDK. It's interesting that this came up as I touch on the subject briefly in a piece I'm writing for this section.
You know drawing tablets aren't much more expensive than scanners these days. You can get a nice wacom graphire tablet for 70-80 bucks. I personally have an intous2 tablet but there is no real advantage for sketching purposes aside from available size (my mine is 12x12). Most of the differences between the graphire and intous tablets are realized when digitally painting. More pen sensitivity levels and pen tilt (brush angle) controls. The smaller tablets are more convenient and easily do the job so in less you have the need or money to burn I recommend the graphire. There is a learning curve so it may feel awkward at first but it doesn't take that long get use to it. Once you get past it you'll have many of the benefits of traditional art as well as digital tools in one. At the price point its something to consider even if it's for moderate use (quick concepts,etc). I have used mine for online pictionary =P
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Drawing on a tablet, doesn't have quite the tactile response that good ol' pencil and paper does. It's kind of tricky looking at the screen and then not having the immediacy of it on your drawing surface like you do with regular drawing. While a tablet may be great for painting backgrounds and such, I don't feel it's very good for animation, and thus why I don't own one.
Keith
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I believe I have seen tablets coming out now that have the screen right on the tablet, so you can see exactly what you're drawing, right there beneath your "pencil"
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Ah, yes, the Wacom Cintiq (http://www.wacom.com/lcdtablets/index.cfm) in particular has these capabilities (though it's a wee bit expensive)
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Yea, I've love to have a Cintiq but they are just a bit expensive =]
There are at least two issues to get beyond when drawing with a tablet
1. The awkwardness of drawing to the tablet surface while looking at the screen. Here all I can suggest is practice and line control exorcises. This is the learning curve. Practice inking comics - a skill where line control is essential.
2. The frictionless plastic on plastic feel. This can really screw up your line control. See below for a work around.
With the combination of those 2 factors I can understand why it feels awkward or just plain wrong. One trick I and many before me have found is to attach a peice of drawing paper to the tablet. The added friction/grip may be enough to give you the tactile experience you are looking for. Note however, the paper will begin to stretch/warp/degrade so you'll have to replace it every so often. You will also wear out your plastic nibs (pen points) much quicker but they are pretty cheap.
Certainly you loose something when switching to a tablet/digital solution but there are also benefits when compared to the traditional mediums. How digital tools find their place in your work flow is up to the individual., one is not necessarily a replacement for the other. I mentioned tablets because they are a viable alternative, at the very least an additional tool in your arsenal. As for animation... If you aren't comfortable with a tablet for sketching or precision work then obviously it will present problems.
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someone up there said they use flash??? i tried, but couldn't get the sizing right...