Reimagining Characters With Unreal Engine S Metahuman Creator

Discover the power of Unreal Engine 5 and the MetaHuman Creator in this illustrated guide to develop realistic digital characters, infusing them with full body and facial animation Key Features Create realistic characters using the MetaHuman Creator using a mixture of preset and custom tools Import your character into Unreal Engine 5 to access more editing options and begin animating it Combine face and body motion capturing to fully animate your digital humans Book DescriptionMetaHuman Creator (MHC) is an online, user-friendly 3D design tool for creating highly realistic digital humans that can be animated within Unreal Engine (UE) and enhanced with motion capture technology. This means that filmmakers and game developers now have access to a high quality, affordable solution that was previously only available to specialist studios. This book will focus on using UE5 and MHC from a filmmaker angle. Firstly, you’ll understand how to use the online MHC to create a digital character, changing its facial structure, body type, and clothing. After that, you’ll learn all the necessary steps to bring the character into UE5 and set it up for animation. Then, using an iPhone and a webcam to capture face and body movements, you’ll mix these motion capture files, refine the animations using the MetaHuman Control Rig, and save these takes to be reused and edited again within the Level Sequencer. On top of that, you’ll learn how to create a rendered video file for film production using both the Level Sequencer and a VR Cinematic Camera. By the end of this book, you’ll have created your own MetaHuman character, as well as face and body motion capture data, and learned the necessary skills to give your future projects further realism and creative control.What you will learn Create your own bespoke character using MHC Develop custom faces based on real people Utilize Blueprints to take control of your digital character Retarget animations using the Unreal Mannequin Use DeepMotion and Live Link for complete body and face animation Use the Control Rig to refine animations Export and render your character Who this book is for This book is for filmmakers and hobbyists who are planning to make a film using Unreal Engine for the first time, having worked in live action or purely digital media previously, either professionally or as a hobby. No experience with Unreal Engine is required, however it is useful to have some knowledge of 3D development applications and concepts like wireframes, skin weights, transform tools, and motion capture. It is recommended that you have access to an iPhone X (or a later model). Alternatively, you can use a free or paid version of Faceware, along with a basic webcam.

Discover the power of storytelling with Unreal Engine 5's real-time technology, exploring storyboarding, character creation, world building, animating using sequencers, and much more Key Features Harness Unreal Engine’s real-time technology to create limitless, high-fidelity content Generate and animate near-photorealistic actors using the innovative MetaHuman technology Build expansive worlds with Nanite and Lumen Global Illumination and Reflections technology Purchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free PDF eBook Book DescriptionVirtual Filmmaking with Unreal Engine 5 is the first Unreal Engine book to guide you through the complete process of virtual film production. Encompassing the full spectrum of filmmaking, this book demonstrates the use of an industry-standard tool used by studios such as Disney, ILM, DNEG, and Framestore. Walking through the process systematically, you’ll first collect references and create a simple storyboard to plan your shots. Then you'll begin to create virtual environments, importing 3D models and adding materials and textures to create photorealistic, dynamic worlds. After that, you’ll learn how to create actors using highly customizable MetaHumans, understanding how to import, re-target, and animate them. Finally, you’ll bring it all together with cinematic lighting and camera animation before exporting your film. By the end of this book, you’ll have honed your skills, discovered new tools for your toolkit, and gained the confidence to work on your virtual film projects in Unreal Engine 5, leveraging Quixel Megascans, Lumen, Nanite, and MetaHuman technology.What you will learn Grasp the principles of photography and the art of storytelling Collect references and create storyboards Discover Unreal Engine’s hidden features and useful keyboard shortcuts Explore the capabilities of Quixel Megascans, Lumen, Nanite, and MetaHumans Adopt cinematic techniques to achieve professional-looking shots Creatively apply Lumen Global Illumination and Reflections techniques Use multiple virtual cameras and apply post-production techniques Implement best practices for optimization, post processing, and rendering Who this book is for Whether you’re a beginner or intermediate filmmaker, 3D artist, animator, visual effects artist, or virtual production professional with just basic knowledge of the Unreal Engine, this book is designed to help you enter the world of virtual films and animations. While prior experience with the Unreal Engine would be beneficial, a deep working knowledge is not essential, as the book introduces the relevant tools and features needed throughout the activities.

"A thoughtful, practical read about the future of the flexible office."—Adam Grant “Office shock” is an abrupt, unsettling change in where, when, how, and even why we work. In this visionary book, three prominent futurists argue that the office is both a place and a process—offices and officing—with a new range of choices, including what they call the emerging officeverse. To see the possibilities with fresh eyes, we must use future-back thinking to ask, What is the purpose of your officing? What are the outcomes—especially regarding climate—you want to achieve? With whom do you want to office? How will you augment your intelligence? Where and when will you office? How will you create an agile office? Traditional offices were often unfair, uncomfortable, uncreative, and unproductive. This book explores how to seize this great opportunity to transform office work.

A stunning, content-rich update to this top-selling ZBrush guide! This second edition of ZBrush Character Creation has been fully updated for ZBrush 4, the newest version of this fascinating and popular 3D sculpting software. ZBrush enables users to create detailed organic models using a brush-based toolset and tablet. The startling results look as though they've been painted with real brushes and oils, and ZBrush is increasingly popular for use in film, game, and broadcast pipelines. Author Scott Spencer is embedded in the ZBrush community and his movie credits include Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix and the upcoming The Hobbit. Learn Spencer's invaluable techniques for texturing, chiseling, posing, costuming, and more with his newest ZBrush guide. Explains ZBrush 4, the newest version of the revolutionary software tool for creating 3D organic models in a way that appears to be traditionally painted or sculpted Shows you how get the most out of ZBrush, from the fundamentals to new tools for texturing, chiseling, and costuming Offers plenty of insights and professional techniques for creating characters for films and games, drawing from the author's own experience on such films as Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix and The Hobbit Demonstrates the author's own techniques of using traditional sculpting and painting concepts and applying them to digital art for greater artistry Discover the beauty of ZBrush with this colorful, in-depth guide.

Discover all the secrets of Unreal Engine and create seven fully functional games with the help of step-by-step instructions About This Book Understand what a Blueprint is and how to create a complex visual scripting code Discover the infinite possibilities that Unreal Engine offers, and understand which tool to use, where and when Learn to think like a real game developer in order to create enjoyable and bug-free games using this comprehensive and practical handbook Who This Book Is For This book is ideal for intermediate level developers who know how to use Unreal Engine and want to go through a series of projects that will further their expertise. Working knowledge of C++ is a must. What You Will Learn Write clean and reusable Blueprint scripts Develop any kind of game you have in mind, following the rules used by experts Move through Unreal Engine 4, always knowing what you are doing and where to find the right tool for your needs Integrate C++ code into your projects using Visual Studio and the tools that Unreal provides Extricate between classes, nodes, interfaces, macros, and functions Work with different types of assets, from 3D objects to audio sources, from UI buttons to animations Explore all the aspects of the game logic—collisions, navigation meshes, matinees, volumes, events, and states In Detail With the arrival of Unreal Engine 4, a new wonderful tool was born: Blueprint. This visual scripting tool allows even non-programmers to develop the logic for their games, allowing almost anyone to create entire games without the need to write a single line of code. The range of features you can access with Blueprint script is pretty extensive, making it one of the foremost choices for many game developers. Unreal Engine Game Development Blueprints helps you unleash the real power of Unreal by helping you to create engaging and spectacular games. It will explain all the aspects of developing a game, focusing on visual scripting, and giving you all the information you need to create your own games. We start with an introductory chapter to help you move fluidly inside the Blueprint user interface, recognize its different components, and understand any already written Blueprint script. Following this, you will learn how to modify generated Blueprint classes to produce a single player tic-tac-toe game and personalize it. Next, you will learn how to create simple user interfaces, and how to extend Blueprints through code. This will help you make an informed decision between choosing Blueprint or code. You will then see the real power of Unreal unleashed as you create a beautiful scene with moving, AI controlled objects, particles, and lights. Then, you will learn how to create AI using a behavior tree and a global level Blueprint, how to modify the camera, and how to shoot custom bullets. Finally, you will create a complex game using Blueprintable components complete with a menu, power-up, dangerous objects, and different weapons. Style and approach This is an easy-to-follow guide full of practical game examples. Each chapter contains step-by-step instructions to build a complete game and each game uses a different tool in order to cover all the topics in a detailed and progressive manner.

Get to know techniques and approaches to procedurally generate game content in C++ using Simple and Fast Multimedia Library About This Book This book contains a bespoke Simple and Fast Multimedia Library (SFML) game engine with complete online documentation Through this book, you'll create games that are non-predictable and dynamic and have a high replayability factor Get a breakdown of the key techniques and approaches applied to a real game. Who This Book Is For If you are a game developer who is familiar with C++ and is looking to create bigger and more dynamic games, then this book is for you. The book assumes some prior experience with C++, but any intermediate concepts are clarified in detail. No prior experience with SFML is required. What You Will Learn Discover the systems and ideology that lie at the heart of procedural systems Use Random number generation (RNG) with C++ data types to create random but controlled results Build levels procedurally with randomly located items and events Create dynamic game objects at runtime Construct games using a component-based approach Assemble non-predictable game events and scenarios Operate procedural generation to create dynamic content fast and easily Generate game environments for endless replayability In Detail Procedural generation is a growing trend in game development. It allows developers to create games that are bigger and more dynamic, giving the games a higher level of replayability. Procedural generation isn't just one technique, it's a collection of techniques and approaches that are used together to create dynamic systems and objects. C++ is the industry-standard programming language to write computer games. It's at the heart of most engines, and is incredibly powerful. SFML is an easy-to-use, cross-platform, and open-source multimedia library. Access to computer hardware is broken into succinct modules, making it a great choice if you want to develop cross-platform games with ease. Using C++ and SFML technologies, this book will guide you through the techniques and approaches used to generate content procedurally within game development. Throughout the course of this book, we'll look at examples of these technologies, starting with setting up a roguelike project using the C++ template. We'll then move on to using RNG with C++ data types and randomly scattering objects within a game map. We will create simple console examples to implement in a real game by creating unique and randomised game items, dynamic sprites, and effects, and procedurally generating game events. Then we will walk you through generating random game maps. At the end, we will have a retrospective look at the project. By the end of the book, not only will you have a solid understanding of procedural generation, but you'll also have a working roguelike game that you will have extended using the examples provided. Style and approach This is an easy-to-follow guide where each topic is explained clearly and thoroughly through the use of a bespoke example, then implemented in a real game project.

Get to grips with programming techniques and game development using C++ libraries and Visual Studio 2019 Key Features Learn game development and C++ with a fun, example-driven approach Build clones of popular games such as Timberman, Zombie Survival Shooter, a co-op puzzle platformer, and Space Invaders Discover tips to expand your finished games by thinking critically, technically, and creatively Book Description The second edition of Beginning C++ Game Programming is updated and improved to include the latest features of Visual Studio 2019, SFML, and modern C++ programming techniques. With this book, you'll get a fun introduction to game programming by building five fully playable games of increasing complexity. You'll learn to build clones of popular games such as Timberman, Pong, a Zombie survival shooter, a coop puzzle platformer and Space Invaders. The book starts by covering the basics of programming. You'll study key C++ topics, such as object-oriented programming (OOP) and C++ pointers, and get acquainted with the Standard Template Library (STL). The book helps you learn about collision detection techniques and game physics by building a Pong game. As you build games, you'll also learn exciting game programming concepts such as particle effects, directional sound (spatialization), OpenGL programmable shaders, spawning objects, and much more. Finally, you'll explore game design patterns to enhance your C++ game programming skills. By the end of the book, you'll have gained the knowledge you need to build your own games with exciting features from scratch What you will learn Set up your game development project in Visual Studio 2019 and explore C++ libraries such as SFML Explore C++ OOP by building a Pong game Understand core game concepts such as game animation, game physics, collision detection, scorekeeping, and game sound Use classes, inheritance, and references to spawn and control thousands of enemies and shoot rapid-fire machine guns Add advanced features to your game using pointers, references, and the STL Scale and reuse your game code by learning modern game programming design patterns Who this book is for This book is perfect for you if you have no C++ programming knowledge, you need a beginner-level refresher course, or you want to learn how to build games or just use games as an engaging way to learn C++. Whether you aspire to publish a game (perhaps on Steam) or just want to impress friends with your creations, you'll find this book useful.

This is the first textbook dedicated to explaining how artificial intelligence (AI) techniques can be used in and for games. After introductory chapters that explain the background and key techniques in AI and games, the authors explain how to use AI to play games, to generate content for games and to model players. The book will be suitable for undergraduate and graduate courses in games, artificial intelligence, design, human-computer interaction, and computational intelligence, and also for self-study by industrial game developers and practitioners. The authors have developed a website (http://www.gameaibook.org) that complements the material covered in the book with up-to-date exercises, lecture slides and reading.