Low Poly Art For Video Games

Go to Course: https://www.coursera.org/learn/low-poly-art-video-games

Introduction

## Course Review: Low Poly Art for Video Games on Coursera ### Overview In the ever-evolving world of video game design, creating engaging visuals is essential for any aspiring game developer. The Coursera course titled **"Low Poly Art for Video Games"** offers a fantastic opportunity for beginners and budding artists to dive into the colorful realm of low poly art. Focusing primarily on creating simple 3D assets for the Unity game engine, this course blends artistic principles with practical application, ensuring that students not only learn the techniques but also understand the underlying concepts that make their work visually appealing. ### Course Structure The course is organized into five comprehensive weeks, each building upon the last: - **Week 1: Intro to Low Poly Art** In this introductory week, participants get acquainted with the basic concepts of low poly modeling. This week serves as a foundational stone, ideal for those new to 3D art. The course emphasizes the importance of mastering the essential skills in Maya LT for a smooth learning experience in the following weeks. - **Week 2: Low Poly Environment Art** Here, the focus shifts towards creating environments. Students will learn to create a variety of simple models that can collectively form immersive scenes in Maya. Given that larger projects take time, this week encourages dedication and attention to detail. - **Week 3: Low Poly Character Art** Week three is all about character design. Participants will explore techniques to create low poly characters that can seamlessly fit into their earlier environment models. This module aims to foster creativity and innovation as students shape their own characters. - **Week 4: Animating Low Poly Art** Once characters are created, this week dives into animation. With a focus on rigging and animating, students will learn how to bring their characters to life with simple yet effective animations. Those less familiar with rigging are encouraged to utilize the provided primer, ensuring everyone can effectively engage with this critical process. - **Week 5: Low Poly Art Project** The course culminates in a final project, where students revisit the assets they’ve created throughout the previous weeks. This is a vital opportunity for reflection and improvement, allowing learners to refine their work based on feedback and complete a set of polished low poly assets ready for implementation in a 3D game. ### Key Features 1. **Hands-On Approach**: The course promotes a practical learning experience through creating assets that are instantly applicable in game development. 2. **Focus on Artistic Principles**: Students learn vital concepts such as shape language, color theory, and composition, which are critical in producing visually engaging content. 3. **Feedback-Oriented**: The final week emphasizes the importance of feedback, encouraging learners to enhance their skills and produce higher-quality work. 4. **Accessible Learning Resources**: The inclusion of optional resources, like Maya LT intro lessons, ensures that participants of varying skill levels can find their footing. ### Recommendations This course is a must for anyone looking to create stunning low poly art for video games. Whether you're an aspiring game developer, a digital artist, or just someone interested in learning more about 3D modeling, “Low Poly Art for Video Games” provides the tools and knowledge you need to get started. What stands out about this course is its balance of artistic theory and practical application. By the end, you won’t just have learned to create low poly models; you’ll also have a sturdy conceptual foundation to enable you to expand your skills further in the world of game design. Moreover, the community aspect of Coursera allows for interaction with fellow learners, adding a collaborative layer that enhances the learning process. ### Conclusion In summary, Coursera's **"Low Poly Art for Video Games"** is an engaging and informative course perfect for budding creators eager to craft their own digital worlds. With a structured syllabus, seasoned instruction, and an emphasis on fundamental artistic principles, participants can confidently take their first steps into the realm of 3D art. I highly recommend this course for anyone passionate about game development and visual design.

Syllabus

WEEK 1: Intro to Low Poly Art

In this first week we will talk about the basics of creating a game model in the low poly style. This will likely be the quickest of the 5 weeks, so take some time to check out the optional Maya LT intro to make sure you have a grasp of all the essential skills we will be covering in the course.

In this week we will move onto environments. The goal is to create a set of simple models that can be used to create scenes in maya. Depending on the number of models and their complexity this might be a more time consuming than the previous week.

In this week we will be taking our character from week 3 and animating a few simple animations for it. Rigging can be tricky at first, so make sure you check out the rigging and animation primer if you need to. The goal here is to quickly get a character that we can animate, then create a few simple and expressive animations for use in a 3d game.

For the final week, take the project assets you have made so far and improve them based on the feedback you received. Take this week to go back and redo anything you would have like to tackle in a different way. The goal here is to finish with a series of low poly assets you could use in a simple 3d game.