Introduction to 3D Game Development

Course Description

This 1-day workshop intends to get students up and running with the Unity game engine focusing specifically on working with its suite of 3D features. Students will build a 3rd person game from scratch covering major areas of study such as: importing, animation, character configuration, implementing game mechanics, and publishing. Students will also learn the basics of publishing their game to PC.

Who Should Attend

Beginners looking to get into 3D game development.

Prerequisites:

• Prior basic experience with the Unity editor.

Course Outline:

Note: The curricula below comprise activities typically covered in a class at this skill level. The instructor may, at his/her discretion, adjust the lesson plan to meet the needs of the class.

Lesson 1: Unity Editor Basics

• Demonstrate the use of key features of the Unity toolset needed to create 3D games
• Identify the different Editor windows and their purposes
• Use common hotkeys and shortcuts in the Scene view
• Configure a Unity Project for 3D development

Lesson 2: Creating Environments

• Configure engaging game environments using project assets
• Create and configure physically based materials
• Use imported assets to build levels
• Create level component Prefabs for reuse throughout the game
• Apply Colliders for Physics interactions
• Modify default lighting to achieve more realistic effects

Lesson 3: Creating the Player

• Create a feature complete character controller for user interactions
• Use the Animator to manage different animation states
• Configure imported animation clips to blend appropriately with other animations
• Integrate scripts to create the third person camera effect
• Build a UI to display game data

Lesson 4: Implementing Gameplay

• Implement scripts to create gameplay mechanic structures
• Create Navigation meshes for enemy Pathfinding
• Configure NavMesh Agents to work with Navigation meshes
• Integrate scripts to create enemy behaviors

Lesson 5: User Feedback and Publishing

• Prepare completed projects for publishing
• Configure build settings for PC or Mac games