My Assetto Corsa Teams

In #AssettoCorsa and with Content Manager, I assembled some teams. And in this "John's Creative Space" blog post, I will share you those team creations of mine. This continues my groove of car skinning for Assetto Corsa. You can view all of my work on my Weebly site, but I want to share my work here as well to keep this blog flowing.

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My Assetto Corsa Teams

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When creating liveries for Assetto Corsa, you can just create a basic skin for any vehicle. You and then program any number of racing suits for the driver and the team.

But before I show you my team liveries, let me share this with you...

Skins... AND Team?

I practiced looking at making a car livery along with making a team and driver set to make a complete team. This was my first practice:


This was practice on making a team. What isn't visible are the headphones on the teams underneath the tent.

There is an ac_crew.dds file to each skin in Assetto Corsa. The elements of that file determine the image details expressed by the team. Assetto Corsa offers a good array of default racing gear to where you feel you lack enough quality suits, gloves, and helmets. You kind of have to play around with the options of already-available content, but you should be fine unless you want to make completely unique racing gear.


Now on to my team liveries. I will share with you three teams I created.

Team: Victoria's Secret Racing.

This is "Victoria's Secret Racing" with some very sexy BMW Z4 GT3s.

My first team I attempted to put together in a team picture is "Victoria's Secret Racing." This is a team of thee BMW Z4 GT3s. The premise was to make a sexy set of paintschemes for a sexy race car. I initially planned on all cars to be black with pink accents. Eventually, I chose to make only one of them black with pink accents. The other two were two shades of pink and pink with white. The cars represent three different lines from the Victoria's Secret line. The first one is Victoria's Secret itself, the second one is the Juniors-oriented Victoria's Secret PINK line, and the third one is the Victoria Sport (or VSX) line.

Team: Sodexo Sport.

Three Porsche 911 RSRs make up this French team of the French brand Sodexo.

Sodexo is a company that specializes in quality of life services. It is a French company I learned of when I was hospitalized last year. I mostly know them for providing good food to stay nourished. In making my Sodexo team, I had trouble wondering how to utilize the template for the car. So I did my best and came up with the scheme you see for this team in Assetto Corsa.

Team: Roshfrans Racing.

Meet this Mexican team of BMW M3 GT2s.

Of the three teams I am featuring here in this post, "Roshfranz Racing" is the only team based on freely-available cars in Assetto Corsa. So this is not downloadable content for AC. Roshfranz is a Mexican company that produces car care products. I picked to paint the cars black, but each team car features the three different colors that make up Roshfrans. Also among the sponsors is Volaris. Volaris is a Mexican airline.


Now you know about the teams I created. For more plans with my work, visit the next section.

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My Plans With These Assetto Corsa Teams

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Thank you for looking at my teams! I want you to know something if these pictures have interested you, though. I am thinking of providing my skins and other work to sites like RaceDepartment or NoGripRacing. I hope I can generate enough interest to be able to offer my work to all of you. So if I somehow get a good amount of interest, I will provide my work online for you to enjoy. Just be sure to thank me, of course!

All of the teams do not have actual drivers assigned to them. I'll leave that up to you in case you want to set up team liveries and such. To see all of my work work for Assetto Corsa, please visit my Assetto Corsa portfolio on JMDesigns.





I hope you enjoy my work here. Glad you could drop by! Thank you for reading! Take care and be well.

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3D Track Modeling

(UPDATED: September 28, 2017)

As I returned to 3D modeling recently, I want to make cars and tracks. The latter is what I have mostly been doing lately in my return. This blog post shows practice runs of mine modeling tracks in Wings3D. It will give you an idea of what I hope to provide in the future for all of you.

LATEST UPDATE(S)/REVISION(S):

SEP 28 2017 - added another section, edits made

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3D Track Modeling

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When designing a race course, you have to consider designing a course in regards to making something that will be enjoyable and fun. Your ability to create a virtual space that serves as a quality race track is paramount to making something memorable. I tend to believe you need quality locations to challenge the limits of vehicles in games. Without fine venues, a car, nor its driver(s) will ever shine. So it pays to build some quality material in your own world and with your own level of craftsmanship and expertise.

A long time ago, I had envisioned making tracks for rFactor. Nothing ever materialized from my work then, and I lacked the skill and desire to make 3D models. It wasn't until recently that I decided to give 3D modeling another try. You may remember I discussed why I abandoned the 3D modeling scene some time ago. Now... I'm back!

I want to show a bit of my evolution in trying to re-learn Wings3D and Blender. I still use Wings3D for my modeling, but I am doing more of re-learning Blender to put everything together. The next section will show some practice modeling runs of mine.

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Track Designs

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None of my designs here will be part of any project, but I did practice designing courses. I have shown a few of my practice runs in pictures in my Facebook profile, but never truly worked on them much since. So what you are going to see are mostly practice runs with a slow evolution of my skill.

NOTE: I am now using Flickr to display some of my images.

Practice Run 1: Oval.

A lot of racing fans would find oval racing boring. However, these are some of the most basic courses anyone can construct. Just think about it for a moment- you have some simple straights and a few corners. Completely simple to make. If you want to do more complicated ones, though, you'll have some extra work to do.

Practice Run 2: Oval With Objects.

This practice run was about designing a race course with objects. The objects on this course include a gate at the Start/Finish line, grandstands, and a garage. Even the outside concrete wall is a separate object. The advantage to a design like this is that if the performance is low, certain track objects can be removed to help improve frame rate for games. I probably shouldn't have made the outside wall a separate object, but I did. Remember- this is practice. This probably will not likely going to materialize into a track.

Practice Run 3: Road Course.

One time, I learned a skill important in the design of race courses- the ability to bend geometry. I made a road course once that was mostly a bunch of rough cubes. Learning how to bend pieces allowed me to make smoother corners for tracks. As you can see in my test run for a road course, you can see the smooth corners.

Practice Run 4: Elevation Changes and Overpass.

(ADDED: September 28, 2017) This unusual-looking track was created to practice making elevation changes and an overpass. Careful placement of vertices were key in making this possible. Selecting individual loops were key in preparing this model and making the different elevation changes. Elevation changes, when making a race track, are paramount on how you actually model them. Providing too steep an angle can almost make a vehicle seem like it is hitting a wall. So you need to be careful to not make the angle too steep for whatever vehicle(s) may maneuver around it.


Please note that in all of my pictures and in my test modeling runs before my 4th practice run, the track itself is flat. I have not yet gone to the level of making modeling runs of race tracks with elevation changes or overpasses. Perhaps I will share those runs in a future post. Stay tuned to my blog for more on that front! Meanwhile, check out the next section.

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Explaining the Workflow

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How did I create these in Wings3D, and how can you make your own work? Well, part of my workflow is to design the basic proportions of the course followed by drawing points through the center of the different edges. The center line drawn around the track is then beveled using the Bevel function. Three colors are used to mark the outer section (usually grass), the bounds of the course (usually the white lines marking the edges of a track, and the road itself (usually tarmac or non-tarmac). It is also possible to extrude the outer portions of the track to put up barriers to help keep the car in-bounds. Or in the case of temporary circuits, what could be used to define the boundaries of the road and the outer part can simply be used as the barriers as you see on most street course tracks.

You can build your courses any way you please, but this is how I've come to learn how to design courses.

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An Interesting Observation...

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I imported a model of one car from one game and did a little experiment on it. When you make a basic cube in Wings3D or Blender, you get a cube that is about 2x2x2 units. Each unit from the basic scale is one foot (or one meter for Metric measurements). A car with a measurement of two units wide and four units long will require about two cubes under it to properly fit it onto the ground. When you make a 3D model or a scene, you can always upscale it to your heart's content. So in the case of a 4x4x4 cube, a car of 2x4 dimensions would fit onto it but wouldn't look too good on such a small surface. So you would need to scale it up by twice or thrice as much for it to be used as a model to race on a track.

You can start small but then raise the scale to make it better able to be used in a game or in any animation. If you are making a track for a game, be mindful of performance limitations of whatever device(s) you are developing for.


Other than that... have fun modeling!





That's all for this post. If I do offer something fun, I'll share it with all of you. Meanwhile... thank you for reading! Take care and be well.

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Historically-Accurate Car Skins

I attempted historically-accurate GTR2 skins. It wasn't the period I initially hoped for, but I tried out some minimalist skins for the 1986 Volvo 240 Turbo. A GTR2 mod had someone convert "Volvo: The Game" cars into GTR2. So I took the opportunity to take templates for the cars and paint up some cars. My first attempt to try historic style cars was to be with "GT Legends" cars converted to GTR2, but I wanted to try the Volvo 240 Turbo because I was somewhat '80s nostalgic. I focused on computers and software, especially the likes of two companies as you'll see below:


^ 1986 Apple Volvo 240 Turbo


^ 1986 Microsoft Volvo 240 Turbo

I don't do period-specific style cars. Sure it offers authenticity and realism, but I am just not good at certain time-themed works. You can see more of my work by going to my "JohnMarineDesigns" page and going to the Game Mods page of my Portfolio. Or if you want to go there now, visit: JMDesigns - Game Mods.

What I really want to do in terms of historically-accurate liveries is work with the GT Legends cars. You amy see that work in the future from me.





Thank all of you for your support! Please continue to support my work if it interests you. Thank you for reading! Take care and be well.

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One Game a Month

#1GAM, or One Game a Month, is a gaming initiative devised by Christer Kaitila, also known as "McFunkypants." Making games for the love of making them is the primary encouragment for #gamedev and #indiedev. Even if your game looks unimpressive, just making a game for the sake of making one is better than making nothing at all. Some people- especially in game jams- can make a game in two days or less. Heck, even Jayenkai makes a game EVERY WEEK! I usually see Jayenkai on the OUYA/Cortex Store with new games. You can see Jayenkai's work at agameaweek.com. A finely polished game can be created within a month. A full month of development and such means you can sort out as many details as you would like prior to release. You can do everything from the programming to all the assets for a game within a month (or less). If you aren't a solo developer, you surely can make a quality game as a team. Just know you can provide quality gaming thrills without having the budget or skill of most gaming studios.

What makes the "One Game a Month" challenge so enticing is that it encourages you to make certain games of certain themes. Whether you code everything yourself or rely on programs like GameMaker or Construct 2, you are still making games. Making games means you have a chance to express your creativity and offer quality experiences to gamers worldwide. This more importantly makes you a viable entity in the gaming realm. You could spend all kinds of money and time like with the major game development studios, or you can make your own quality titles as a hobbyist or even a fairly small game studio. A visit to the One Game a Month website features certain themes for various projects. What you obviously want to do is make your own gaming creations based on such themes.

If you want insight that you CAN create a game a month, Christer Kaitila put up this blog post showing it is DEFINITELY possible to create games within a month and every month: 12 games in 12 months (McFunkypants).

Final Thoughts... and an Announcement?

Just on enthusiasm and dedication, the One Game a Month challenge is a boon to all of us game developers ranging from hobbyists to professionals. You really can devote a month towards making a quality game within the span of a month. Some people could even make great games in less than a month- sometimes even in a week or a few days! Christer Kaitila deserves loads of credit for being such a positive insight and inspiration for making games. Why PLAY games when you can MAKE games? Give it a shot. One Game a Month offers a fine initiative.

As of this blog post, I have not considered joining in on the 1GAM challenge. However, I may challenge myself to make a game every month once I finally make my first-ever game of any kind. I just lack the confidence and the programming skill to actually make one. I do hope to eventually break out of this shell and put myself on the map as a game developer.

For More Information...

Visit the official site of the "One Game a Month" challenge at onegameamonth.com. Or to learn of the individual who makes games every week, visit agameaweek.com.





Maybe this post will grant you some confidence in making games. You can make whatever kind of game(s) you want only as long as you have the confidence and focus to make them happen. That's all for this post. I hope you enjoyed it. Please be sure to Subscribe and Follow my blog(s) for more content. Thank you for reading! Take care and be well.

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Gaming Videos

Some people record game videos. Programs like FRAPS, Bandicam, CamStudio, and OBS among others allow people to make and record videos to upload online. I recently entertained the thought of making my own game videos. So for this blog post, I will discuss the different options as well as my ambitions of making and uploading videos.

By the way... I can't believe I introduced this label yet...

About the Label: Videos

Blog posts in this category relate to the production of videos. It includes video-related posts as well as different thoughts on making videos of various kinds.

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Gaming Videos

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First of all, why would you want to make videos on games? There are many- tutorials, simple gameplay, walkthroughs, long plays, fail videos, trolling,... you name it. A good amount of reasons are there for anyone to even attempt wanting to make and post videos of games. People want to share their love of gaming and showcase it in special ways. Among the popular names in gaming and game videos are the likes of CaptainSparklez, PewDiePie, iHasCupquake, and others. Regardless, you want to be able to provide gaming videos with your own sort of charm to them.

So how do you get started? Well first, you need screen capture software and/or hardware. Consider the latter for recording videos from console to your PC/Mac.

Gaming Videos: Hardware.

You don't need anything spectacular if you plan on recording from a console to PC on the hardware front. For example, you could simply get one of those USB capture card devices that have multi-out ports to record from the Multi-Out of consoles. You could get something like a VHS to DVD or VHS to USB kit and use the different inputs to capture media. This is great mostly for those who don't have HDTV units for which to record media from. One of the real negatives of using these devices is that you can't have HD-quality video and sound in your recording unless you you try to stretch out the regular video or something. This is still an effective and efficient method for capturing some simple game videos.

If you want to record from devices that have HDMI inputs, you are going to need a capture card device capable of reading HDMI input. A capture card capable of HDMI input will allow you to post high-definition videos of games. However (and as you would imagine), HDMI devices can be quite expensive, not to mention also taxing on your PC/Mac space trying to record such videos. What you get can be quite amazing once you put it all together. Two of the most popular options for capturing HDMI video of games today are HDMI capture cards from the likes of Elgato (like the Elgato Game Capture HD) and Hauppauge (like the Hauppauge HD PVR 2 Gaming Edition). There are other options (including better offerings from the brands I mentioned), but this gives you a start in regards to wanting to record game videos.

Gaming Videos: Software.

If you prefer your game videos through software, consider any number of programs to help you to record your finest gaming moments. Sad thing is that there are not many quality programs for screen capturing, game capturing, or even game streaming (to be discussed in the next section). FRAPS has long been a favorite of screen capturing for some time. Unless you get the paid version of FRAPS, you are going to be severely limited to how much you can do. There have been many other programs trying to offer their own appeal in the screen capturing and recording department. There was a program used with some early videos called Hypercam. Some old videos have had "Unregistered Hypercam" as a watermark in the top-left corner of videos. One of the more enticing screen capture programs is Bandicam. Bandicam, for what it is, is an excellent program at capturing game video. However, you'll need to buy Bandicam to take full advantage of its capabilities and to be able to edit without having so many restrictions. Even though it an open source program, you will have a tough time trying to make videos using CamStudio unless you find quality codecs and do a good amount of tuning. The good news is that you don't have to pay anything to get the full power of CamStudio. You also don't have to pay anything to use the full power of another free program- OBS (Open Broadcast Software). OBS is more catered towards streaming, but you can still create some quite good screen capture videos of games and programs. I have been using OBS the past few days to envision the possibility of making game videos. For the most part, I want to use OBS to make some videos using the racing game rFactor. Most of my testing has gone pretty well. Only thing is that I wish I can make something proper and complete to provide some quality video material on YouTube.

Gaming Videos: Streams.

I will admit- I have no experience in game streaming. All I do know is that for people who are on Twitch and post game streams, you obviously want to consider some hardware and software to stream effectively. People who stream videos of games online need to consider things like resolution, connection speed, audio and video, and other factors to effectively provide quality streaming media of gaming. Again- I have no experience or any recommendations to anyone in this category.


Once you consider all of these things, be sure to make the most of your experience making game videos.

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Game Videos: Resources

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Most of what I wanted to discuss has been discussed. What I want to do here is offer you all some resources in case you enjoyed this blog post. Feel free to take a look at these links and items to help start your own adventures in game videos. I would appreciate your business if you looked into some of these items.

• FRAPS
• Hypercam
• Bandicam
• CamStudio (free!)
• DXTory
• Action!
• PlayClaw
• OBS (free!)

Now for you game capturing folks... consider this a gift from me to you for reading my blog post. Help yourself to these items in case you're interested (availability may vary):




Happy shopping! :)





Best wishes to all of you either wanting to make your own gaming videos or your own gaming channels. I'm glad you took time out of your day/night to visit my blog here. I hope you enjoyed your time here. Subscribe and Follow to get more of my work and to know when it is released. Thank you for reading! Take care and be well.

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Gaming Jams

The way I understand them, gaming jams are challenges in creating a game within a certain amount of time. These jams challenge you to make as complete a game as possible within a certain time, sometimes even creating to a theme. Some of the most unique gaming concepts result from these jams from developers ranging from single hobbyists to multiple people part of a team. Whatever the case, gaming jams can really bring out the best in developers. This blog post offers a few thoughts of mine in regards to game jams.

BEFORE I BEGIN...

I have never participated in a gaming jam as of this post. Thoughts expressed here in this blog post are all based on opinions and ideas of mine.

--- Gaming Jams: General Thoughts ---

NOTE: Some topics and thoughts expressed here may be featured in their own blog posts in the future.

Creating a game from start to finish takes a lot of time and money. Especially among the independent gaming circuit, however, games don't have to take ages to complete. They also don't have to be overly fancy. So to put people to the test, people take part in game jams. In the past, I thought game jams was like when you have musicians who simply perform music to others. You know- like jam sessions. But as I learned, game jams and their namesake are named for trying to put in as much content to make a proper game within a short amount of time. Some jams even have an added challenge- making a game to a certain theme. If taking part in a gaming jam, people do have an opportunity to try to practice their skills before taking part in a gaming jam proper. This sort of practice will sort of ease the burden and limits being completely unprepared and inexperienced. Some people on YouTube set up YouTube videos showcasing time lapses of their created games from concept to completion.

Of all gaming jams, one is considered the biggest and the most popular of all game jams. That gaming jam is called...

Ludum Dare.

The most popular of gaming jams is Ludum Dare (pronounced: "loo-dum dar-eh"), a 48-hour gaming challenge. Many developers of various levels have made a number of games within these challenges. The challenge of gaming jams like Ludum Dare involve creating a game that is as complete as possible. Sometimes, a theme is offered that participants must try to stick to as part of the Ludum Dare challenge. For example, participants in Ludum Dare may be asked to build a game with the theme of friends and family. So developers want to try to make a game focusing on these concepts. Once the time limit has expired and once the game has been submitted for review, it is up to gamers like you and I to test them out and play them to determine who wins.

Now if you think Ludum Dare is some brand new deal with very few iterations, think again. As of the date of this initial post (August 13, 2015), Ludum Dare is about to enter its 33rd iteration with Ludum Dare 33 happening between August 21, 2015 and August 24, 2015. Good luck to anyone who may be taking part in LD33 and in future Ludum Dare jams.

IN CASE YOU'RE INTERESTED: Learn more about Ludum Dare by visiting its official website at ludumdare.com.

The Psychology of Game Jams.

Hypothetically, a game could be completed in just one day. In theory, anyone could create a game in less than 24 hours. Some even could create a decent game in even less time- even in one hour or less! Can you imagine making 365 or 366 games- one game each day? We all know this is humanly impossible since we need to take part in a variety of activities to stay alive and such. However, in the case of game jams, it shouldn't take forever to build a game as long as you have the proper skills to build a game from start to finish. What if you were trying to meet deadlines to complete games for a company or some client? Can you complete a decent game within the time frame of a game jam?

The primary challenge of a game jam is to try to create a game within a certain amount of time. It does not have to be overly fancy- it just has to work and work properly. The game can be made by one person or be part of a team. Many people who participate in gaming jams learn lessons in trying to create games in short order.

Learning from Gaming Jams.

I have read multiple posts on Ludum Dare's website and in others' blogs about what they learned in working on the games they attempted to create for gaming jams. Many wish they had more time and resources to develop games. Some others think of taking certain measures to be more efficient in developing games, especially when you don't have so much time to work with. So while the challenge of making a game in such a short amount of time is a great challenge, there is a lot to learn. I would say that people in gaming jams learn of the essentials to making a game before refining them further. Most gaming jams mean most developers have to do with certain development pieces since you don't have as much time to create certain elements as you probably would you had seemingly unlimited time to develop a game. The impression I get from those who do jams like Ludum Dare is to find out how much game they can create in the allowed time one has to develop a game. Because you have a set amount of time, does that mean you will create a game as complete as possible? Not all the time. Some games created in jams may even be broken messes that still are remotely serviceable. A game jam is NOT a contest of perfection, and games are only going to be as perfect as what one deems perfect (or at least decent) with games created in game jams. You're going to have to be REALLY good if you're going to make a game in a gaming jam that even would challenge any Triple-A developers or Triple-A games. If you're expecting perfection or play to a level of perfection, then you've already lost the battle before the battle even starts. Just like in life, you sometimes have to learn some lessons from mistakes you make from making games in gaming jams.

Would I Participate in a Gaming Jam?

Programming is not one of my strong suits in creative work. While I am a stay-at-home person not in college or having any proper job, I seemingly have all the time in the world to do as I please. That unfortunately doesn't mean I could create a game from start to finish should I take part in a gaming jam. As a solo person who takes on a vast array of publishing tasks ranging from art to music to blogging, I don't think I could stay focused enough and be as educated enough in programming to develop a game within a short amount of time. I also tend to think highly of myself. I would feel bad releasing something that isn't to a level that I think is acceptable of my talent level. While not the very best, I certainly don't see myself the very worst.

So the chances of me taking part in a gaming jam would be rather unlikely. Maybe I'll try a gaming jam when I feel I'm experienced enough and talented enough to take one on.

--- Gaming Jams: Final Thoughts ---

I think gaming jams exist for one purpose among others- challenging people to create games in a short amount of time and usually without resources that most major developers and games would utilize. On a positive and encouraging note, being able to make so much using so little is always something encouraging. The dedicated developer would participate in gaming jams and be able to learn how to make their games more efficiently. I also feel gaming jams are the cornerstone of game development in a gaming culture in which games somehow have to be pretty and elaborate to be worth caring. Some people these days won't even go next to a game that isn't something Triple-A quality in every possible aspect. What such people would miss out on is the pure essence of games- playing them. Games don't have to be overly pretty. While not to say that games made by independents are ugly, at least there are people who remember that games are about proper play and are not beauty contests. In case anyone wants to know why the indie gaming community is so strong and appealing and why it seems almost anyone can get into the indie gaming scene and be their own star, follow game jams and games made in gaming jams. I would probably go as far as to say that gaming jams help you appreciate and respect the indie gaming scene and why games from indie developers have the sort of appeal that they have. So I'd say these gaming jams are the perfect platforms for indie developers ranging from hobbyists to proper studios.

If you take part in a gaming jam, be sure to try to create a game as complete as possible giving your full effort and dedication. Each game created in a gaming jam is both a chance to enjoy gaming, but also to learn how to make games more efficiently. Make something great while also being ready to take on various challenges in putting a game together to begin with. Your title probably won't be a Triple-A game killer, but at least making something you can be proud of through so much time and effort (and in such limited time) is something to be proud and boastful of. You are not going to be the next legendary game developer or lead gaming's next top gaming studio or company through gaming jams, but you have a chance to push yourself and your skills to the limit while also making great games through gaming jams.

Gaming jams are both great challenges and learning experiences. I salute all who take part in these jams regardless of talent and/or talent level.





These are at least my thoughts about gaming jams. I want to know what you think, though...

What are your thoughts about gaming jams? Have you participated in one? What would you recommend to others who may want to try a gaming jam?

This concludes another post of my creative works blog- "John's Creative Space." This is a blog where I share my own creative works as well as thoughts regarding making such creative works. It falls in the "anything and everything" mantra I follow for all of my online publishing work. If you enjoyed my blog post here, then please subscribe and follow this blog and my others. Get social with me on social media if you want to connect with me better. Thank all of you for your support. Simply visiting my material is the bare minimum that you somewhat care. That's all for this post, have a great day/night! Thank you for reading! Take care and be well.

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Pusheen the Cat Camry

#Pusheen the Cat is wildly popular. The cute animated cat has her fair share of cute and silly pictures both static and animated. I designed a car of her for fun using the NASCAR Generation 6 mod in "NASCAR Racing 2003 Season" (or NR2003). I will share with you my creation in this blog post.

Before I Begin...

DISCLAIMER: Pusheen the Cat is a trademark of Pusheen Corporation. For more on Pusheen, visit www.pusheen.com.

--- Pusheen the Cat Toyota Camry ---

Here is the car I created featuring Pusheen the Cat:


^ from: (one of my Facebook photo albums) - Meow! It's Pusheen the Cat decorated on a Toyota Camry stock car.

In case you know nothing about Pusheen the Cat, let me give you a little introduction. Pusheen the Cat is a big tabby cat inspired by a real cat from the past of Claire Benton, the owner of Pusheen. Pusheen has a sister named Stormy. The term "Pusheen" comes from the Gaelic word "puisin," meaning kitten. Pusheen the Cat was featured a lot in an old Tumblog called "Everyday Cute" run by artists Claire Benton and Andrew Duff. Web comics featuring Pusheen basically showcase her hopes and dreams. Two of Pusheen's favorite activities are eating and sleeping. Both of which she does very well, I might add. Her popularity ultimately garnered her own site on Tumblr. As her popularity grew, Pusheen the Cat later became popular with various merchandise and goods in her image. There is even a book about her called "I Am Pusheen the Cat." It is safe to say that Pusheen may be the most popular fictional cat not named Hello Kitty. In fact, she may even be more popular than Hello Kitty!

I blogged about Pusheen the Cat before. You can read more in my main blog by clicking on this link in case you are interested: Pusheen the Cat (John's Blog Space). Now on to the car I created.

I chose the Toyota Camry as the car to feature Pusheen with. The car is adorned with the number 18 to represent the calendar day Pusheen was born (February 18). The car was painted to demonstrate the sponsor layout for cars in NASCAR for the Generation-6 stock car. Since no actual driver was thought of as the one to drive it, I decided to let Pusheen be the star of her car! So she is the one who has her name atop the windshield visor along with the Toyota logos. I was really unsure what pictures to put on the car to represent Pusheen. I've saved a LOT of pictures of Pusheen from various animated GIFs. The one I chose for the hood was a cute picture I would sometimes see in Facebook sticker comments. The chosen hood picture was Pusheen sitting up with a heart over her head. Up front is one image on both sides of the car with Pusheen waving hello to you. On the sides is Pusheen running; and on the rear quarter panel is Pusheen next to a laptop. The roof of the car features Pusheen on a scooter. Originally, I wanted to have that as the image on the sides of the car. However, I didn't think the running animation of Pusheen would work well as the roof image. So what I did was put the scooter Pusheen on the roof of the car. Past the rear windshield is "pusheen.com." The rear of the car features some graphics I grabbed from an app called PopCam, which is a vastly popular photo app in Japan. Pusheen appears over the Toyota logo on the back of the car saying "meow." And to complete the design, I added some hearts because after all, Pusheen just wants to make friends and look cute.

For More Information...

Here is where you can learn more about the different elements of this car:

• NR2003 NASCAR Generation 6 mod on BullRing Motorsports - includes mod and templates.
• Pusheen the Cat official page

Cross-Promotion/Other Reading.

More on Pusheen from me:
Pusheen the Cat (John's Blog Space)
^ More on the animated cat that inspired the creation of this car.

I Am Pusheen the Cat (John's Blog Space)
^ My review of Pusheen's book.


That concludes this post.





I may share more of my work with you as I make them available in posts. So be sure to stay with "John's Creative Space" for more! Thank you for reading! Take care and be well.

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Moonlight Motorsports

My fictional racing team in games is called Moonlight Motorsports. It is the team I use for racing/driving games that allow for customization or in which cars can be painted. The same blue and gold that identify my work also make up the team colors for Moonlight Motorsports. I am making this post basically to introduce another avenue of creative works of mine. This one pertains to custom art for games. So welcome to my creative works blog- "John's Creative Space!"

About the Label: "Custom Art"

In games that allow for customization of art, I offer my own custom art in my posts. These posts feature artwork of mine designed for computer games. Some of my work may or may not be made available for download. I will consider offering some of my work for download based on interest from the general public-at-large.

--- Moonlight Motorsports ---

Any official cars or logos or such haven't been made available. So this post may be updated from its original posting (August 8, 2015) to reflect new changes. Here is my car in "NASCAR Racing 2003 Season" to share with you in the meanwhile...


^ from: (one of my Facebook photo albums) - This is the team car for my team in "NASCAR Racing Racing 2003 Season." I haven't yet decided on a proper primary sponsor.

One thing to note is that I haven't selected a primary sponsor for my team. I do have an idea for one in mind. This car is really just a team car just to identify myself and my team. There are two different primary sponsors I was considering as my proper car to use in NR2003- Samsung and Logitech. Both cars are Chevrolet SS models I have in mind. For now, I just have my blue and gold car to represent myself and my team in the game. The number I use in racing games is #25. Alternatively, I use #3; but there are very few games or times where I use the #3. So my driver/rider number is 25.

The car was created using a Photoshop template of the NASCAR Generation 6 stock car mod. I used Adobe Photoshop Elements 13 to paint the car up. NR2003 uses TGA format for uploaded images- which PSE13 unfortunately doesn't support. So what I have to do is use another program to save images in TGA format. What I use is the free Paint.NET program to save in TGA format. I then upload everything into the game and enjoy racing my car!

For More Information...

Here is where you can learn more about the different elements of this car:

• NR2003 NASCAR Generation 6 mod on BullRing Motorsports - includes mod and templates.

That's all!





I hope I can share more of my art creations with NR2003 with you all. So be sure to stay with this blog to check out my latest material. Thank you for reading! Take care and be well.

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Game Prototyping

If you want to make a game, it is understandable to jump right into simply making your game right away. However, you need a game to be effective. So prototyping is a key element in game development. This blog post is about game prototyping and my own thoughts on the whole process. I hope you get to enjoy this post and maybe share my blog and its posts with others if you enjoy my work.

There is game prototyping ranging from digital gaming to board game prototyping. The post here primarily concerns game prototyping for digital games. So I'm speaking to all of you who produce indie games. I am not a professional at this topic, nor have I successfully developed a prototype for a game.

--- Game Prototyping ---

Just like with engineers, the process of making something begins with a vision and is further brought to reality with prototyping and eventually the final product. Gaming is no different. Those who take the time to prototype and brainstorm are the ones who produce some of the best games. Take it from me- you want to jump right into making a game using whatever skills you have. However, this jumping in can lead to you getting into or making a hot mess. You don't want that. Instead, it is best to take your time through the development process.

Building a game prototype allows you the opportunity to convert your vision into code. A prototype is NOT the final game. The main purpose of a prototype is to put your vision into a tangible form for which to be edited further. Once a prototype is created, you have to continually modify and enhance your game to where it becomes something you hope to release and maybe even profit from. Anyone who cares about making some of the best games have to master the art of prototyping.

Everyone has different methods of prototyping including various workflows. Some developers even use board games they created and even some other software bits to properly plan prototypes. The main key is to try to create something that can be used towards building a prototype through coding and using multiple samples and assets.

--- Mastering Game Prototyping ---

Allow me to discuss some of the finer elements of game prototyping.

Remember that a prototype is NOT the final product. A game prototype should be a realistic vision of a created game, and all of the different elements going into producing a prototype should be realistic. It is okay to screw things up or not have a fully complete prototype. The main goal is to try to create something that you can work with.

Having said this, prototypes don't have to be pretty and polished. In fact, a lot of prototypes use primitive shapes and even sometimes, copyrighted material.

Game Prototyping: Mock-Ups.

One of the first bits of prototyping that some developers like to do is provide mock-ups. These mock-ups provide a vision of what one wants to accomplish in building a game. Mock-ups of games are not in any way playable. These mock-ups are essentially concepts. They don't have to be purely elaborate. However, a mock-up of a game gives a clear vision and a baseline for what will hopefully lead to a completed game. You don't need to make mock-ups, but they can go a long way towards providing a proper focus on what kind of game you are trying to create. Ideas will change based on the mock-up(s) you create. Ultimately, the finished product may or may not equate to the original mock-up concept. Mock-ups will still help keep you focused. So create something to give you an idea of what it is you are trying or hopeful to create with your prototype for your game.

Game Prototyping: The Programming.

The programming aspect is a real factor in game development. Feel free to use any sort of programming language you are most comfortable with using in making your game. Some of the basic prototyping with programming is mostly in trying to come up with something that you can use in further development of a game. Part of making the final game can be about having errors in coding. Some of those coding errors could result in infamous elements of the game. Like according to Minecraft, the Creeper wouldn't have been possible had it not been for some sort of coding error. Programming prototypes will give you a chance to make the game before tidying the code to be more efficient.

Some game engines, such as GameMaker Studio, Construct 2, and Stencyl (among many others) have been heralded by developers for their game prototyping functionality. Such game engines provide people with a solid foundation for which to prototype games without needing to invest lots of time in providing coding and graphics. You may not be able to export code from most of these programs (or at least not with free versions), but you at least can get started in seeking a vision for whatever game(s) you are trying to create.

Game Prototyping: The Graphics.

Unless you are developing a text-based game, having a great graphics package will help make your game look as amazing as it can be. Until you develop something more stylish, you are best setting up either primitive shapes or (not recommended) images from copyrighted material. What a lot of people do is mostly use certain images as placeholders. These placeholders can serve as baselines towards further development. If primitive shapes are used, these shapes can always be replaced with actual images.

Game Prototyping: The Sounds and Music.

Having an array of sounds and music will help bring life to a game. At the earliest stages, it is best not to think about sound or music until you developed a proper looking prototype. I would think about sound and music after you have a good measure of the programming and the graphics. Look at sound and music as final touches. Early on, you probably will come up with either sounds and music from copyrighted material. Maybe later, you can work to make more original sound effects and music. You may also look to hire or use music from other people. Just make sure to credit the original artist of any protected work.

Game Prototyping: Bringing it All Together.

Once you have the programming, graphics, and sound down; you have yourself a great idea of what you want to build as a game once the prototype is built. Making prototypes will help you to further push your creative boundaries in trying to make your game go from prototype to a final build you can be proud to release. Never stop working to improve your material.


The next section provides examples of other developers making prototypes and development videos on games.

--- Game Prototyping Examples ---

If you poke around on YouTube, you may find some videos on game development. Some developers ranging from single hobbyists to proper game studios have put together their own prototypes for games. I want to dedicate this section to show you how some developers created prototypes for their games. This will hopefully give you some insight on the process of prototyping for games. Some of these games eventually saw final versions; some others remained prototypes. If you need inspiration to develop prototypes for games, this section may hopefully be of great service to you. So take a look at these videos to get an idea of the prototyping process in making games.


NOTE: Since most of these videos had embedding disabled, I will only feature links to videos for you to see for yourself.

• Flixel Platformer Game Prototype
• Game #1 - Environment test, basic movement...
• Torque Game Builder platformer prototype
• C++/SDL Platformer Game Test
• [gamedev} Amber Battles prototype Gameplay
• KnightFyre #GameDev - Day 1 Recap
• Double rope gameplay (prototype v0.2)

As you can tell from these links, I mostly geared my focus on platform games. But of course, prototyping can be done for any game of any genre.

Game Prototyping: Evolution.

This set of videos is an example of how a game evolves through individual builds. The indie game "Chasm" is a great example of how you continually build and build until you make something real special. Take a look at these videos below as inspiration to improve the development process of games. Three development videos are followed by a trailer. So gain some inspiration to build prototypes with these videos:

• Chasm - Development Video #1
• Chasm - Development Video #2
• Chasm - Development Video #3
• Chasm Kickstarter Trailer

The moral of this story- keep working to improve your game so you can make something awesome to release in the future!

--- Game Prototyping: Final Thoughts ---

Prototypes of games and the prototype process are key elements in the final production of a game. Making games is a tedious process, even for established game engines respected for their prototyping abilities. Success in game development all depends on trying to come up with prototypes to help speed up the development of games. Prototypes and various alphas and betas help make this possible. Prototypes don't have to be pretty- they just have to WORK. From a prototype, you can then go ahead and further refine a game project to make it special.

To any game developers out there reading my post, best of luck to you in making and completing your games!





That's all for this blog post. I'm hopeful you enjoyed this post and maybe found something to enjoy about it.

What would you suggest to others in prototyping for games?

You read another post of "John's Creative Space"- my blog concerning my own creative works as well as advice on various aspects of creative works. If you enjoyed this blog and its posts, please Subscribe and Follow for more! Thank you for reading! Take care and be well.

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Game Development

#gamedev can be expensive- mentally and financially. Building assets and trying to develop games efficiently can be quite consuming. There is also programming that plays into it. These days are more like a Golden Age to make a game. Reason(s) why is because there are so many resources out there for game development. Also, hobbyists and independent (indie) developers have gotten themselves across in ways never before possible in making quality games vs. what major developers are making.

This blog post is a general look at game development.

About the Label: Game Development

Topics under this label are directed towards game development. This also includes programs and other insights in regards to game development.

--- Game Development in General ---

Do a search on social media. Look up terms like #indiedev and #gamedev on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or some other place. Everyone involved in creating games offer a variety of different games in development. Everyone has a certain level of creativity that they want to share with others and include in games. I have been thankful through Twitter and Instagram to see so many different game developers offer their own creations to the Internet. It never ceases to amaze me just what developers will come up with.

Some game developers are a collective effort. Some others may even be one-person studios: art, media, and programming. Proper teams and studios make games. No matter what, making games can be quite a task with a good amount of reward for successful games.

Game Development Today.

When I was in my teenage years in the 1990s, there were times I envisioned creating a proper game. I had many different ideas, but NEVER being able to actually go through all that makes a game a game- especially coding and building assets. I used to be a Computer Animation major before going to Graphic Design and then Broadcasting/Journalism. So I was never formally trained to program. I even tried back in the mid-late 1990s to learn Visual Basic.

Now look at today. Not only are independent and hobbyist types try to develop games, there are more resources available to help make even the simplest of games. This is somewhat a golden time of game making with the advent of many indie developers. A lot of programs these days are helping in making game development more efficient rather than take a very long time to develop one single game, let alone a prototype of a game.

Harsh Realities of Game Development.

Perhaps the harshest reality of game development is that is is expensive. I literally swear that with some of the resources available to you in this day and age, you need something equal to at least $100 US Dollars to have proper access to and gain full features of a lot of different gaming interfaces and platforms. That is especially if you intend on developing games for certain platforms and even making material for commercial use. For example, you can create and publish a Flash-based game to certain online game sites like Kongregate and Newgrounds. But if you want to port a Flash game to something like Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, or something like that; most programs and interfaces require you to buy a license or pay for a subscription service. You may even need to download extra material to be able to create games for certain platforms.

The Cost of Game Development.

How much can this cost? It can be quite expensive! Let me give you a few examples of how much it costs to buy licenses for certain downloadable programs. Don't worry- I will include links to these products later in this blog post and into the sidebar of my blog in case you want to learn more about each item. (Prices as of April 17, 2015; in US Dollars, and excludes taxes):

• ImpactJS (a paid HTML5 gaming interface): $99 USD

• Stencyl: free for Starters to publish to the Web; $99 USD a year for Indie developers (Web and Desktop); $199 USD a year (Web, Desktop, iOS, and Android)

• Construct 2: free to download, develop only for Web, no commercial use; $129.99 USD for Personal License (develop to Web, iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Linux, Amazon Store, Wii U, and make in-app purchases, limited commercial use); $429 USD for Business License (develop to Web, iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Linux, Amazon Store, Wii U, and make in-app purchases, full commercial use)

• GameMaker Studio: free for Personal Use; $49 USD for GameMaker Studio Professional package; $799 USD for GameMaker Studio Master package

• Marmalade: free to download for personal usage; $15 USD (excluding tax) per month or $149 USD per year (excluding tax) for Community license; $499 USD (excluding tax) per year for Indie license; $1,500 USD (excluding tax) per year for Plus license; $3,500 USD (excluding tax) per year for Pro license

• Corona: free to download for Personal Use; $79 USD developer per month, billed annually for Enterprise Small Business; $199 USD developer per month, billed annually for Enterprise Unlimited

• Unity: Personal Edition is free with certain limitations; Professional Edition starts at $75 USD per month


Some of these programs even offer reduced prices for students. Some licenses may even require you to upgrade to higher licenses if you make a certain amount of revenue from your game sales. For example, if you make about $5K USD in revenue from your game sales, and if you are using a certain program for your games, you may be asked to buy a higher license. I only noted game engines that have pricing plans to them.

--- Game Development: What the OUYA Taught Me ---

I mentioned earlier in this post that today is sort of like a Golden Age of game development. Nowhere is this more apparent to me than with games offered for the OUYA. The OUYA is an Android-based gaming console that gained fame as being this different kind of console. People backed this console via its Kickstarter campaign back in 2012 or so. Many people were frustrated with the OUYA, especially those who waited for a long while for their OUYA to be delivered to their homes. Some others totally dislike the OUYA since it used outdated technology (it has an nVidia Tegra 3 processor, for example).

The key element that I take away from the OUYA is how simple it can be to make and publish a game. Did you know that two games posted in the OUYA's gaming lineup were made by (respectively) an eight-year old ("Asteroid Rescue") and another game made by a 12-year old ("Knockout")? Not everyone who publish games for the OUYA are proper game studios. On top of that, the OUYA team looks at every uploaded game and reviews them before including them into their ever-expanding game library. One thing I have learned is that you don't have to be overly talented to make a decent game. People usually think you have to be anywhere from a very popular independent game studio to a Triple-A level developer to make games. This, however, is certainly untrue. Some games created by some developers are actually quite good or could be much better. A lot of people would easily hate on people because their games aren't Triple-A quality. Some others, however, can find enjoyment in even simple games as much as they do more of the higher-quality games.

As much as people have different skill levels of making art and other creative works, people have different levels of skill in making games. You have fully detailed games done by talented individuals and studios, and then you have more casually designed games made by some lesser studios and hobbyist game developers. Being able to create games is possible by almost anyone. And with so many people willing to design games to publish online and for a console like the OUYA, that's why I think almost anyone these days can make a decent quality game to publish online. That's why I say this is somewhat of a Golden Age of game development. You can be a total hobbyist and make a game that ends up selling wildly and becomes enjoyed by many people. Formal training in game development or in mathematics is not required to be a celebrated game developer. Both, of course, are good to have in making games.

So look around the OUYA games marketplace to gain perspective on the many games created by people of various skill levels. You would be surprised at what all people have done to make such games worthy of being played by others.





Here on John's Creative Space, I will be sure to highlight on certain game making engines. I want my visitors to gain my thoughts and such in regards to such game development engines. I want to send all of you my best wishes in developing games ranging from prototypes to full-on games. "John's Creative Space" will certainly help in expressing and exposing such game development programs and engines. So be sure to visit my blog here for more information and insight from me. Thank you for reading! Take care and be well.

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Creativity With Gaming

Gaming is much different today compared to times past. It used to be that you had to work for a major company and have all kinds of programming knowledge to make games. That clearly isn't the case today. It is almost like anyone can make a game these days. Some have the resources and skills to make games; some others don't. Even I had my own gaming concepts. I have no work to share here. Instead, I just want to discuss creativity in regards to gaming. Feel free to offer your thoughts if you want to.

About the Label: "Gaming"

One such creative category is in the realm of gaming. Video games, computer games, and mobile games are what this label entails. This involves various insights and perspectives in regards to expressing creativity in gaming.

--- Creativity With Gaming ---

While I don't have any knowledge or experience in creating games, I certainly am attentive to and mindful of gaming. Any game should be as engaging as a good book or a good movie. What makes gaming fun and engaging is the ability to have the audience engaged in a story or an environment where one's actions dictate the pace. In other words... gaming creativity lies entirely in having the individual engaged and active in trying to engage in a story. You are letting others experience a story rather than being told a story. This lends itself to the joy and fun of gaming.

--- Programs for Gaming ---

There are many different programs these days that allow for inexperienced people to create their own games. In the past, you had only so limited resources to make your own content. Most of that created content was never really as good as what even material by lesser game developers would create. Some games even allowed players to customize content in helping make their own games. Certain game engines help make this possible.

Unity 3D.

Unless you have the money to fully pay for this program in its entirety (some $1.5K US Dollars worth!), you're likely better off getting a subscription or paying for some lesser version of this program. Unity 3D is one of the best game development software going today. You can make 2D games with Unity 3D, so don't let the "3D" in Unity 3D mislead you. Unity involves a lot of different elements to build games with. Even an amateur can create a simple game using Unity and its many different resources. More proper companies and more professional types can make games that could even rival Triple-A game companies and franchises.

GameMaker.

More casual gaming types can enjoy what GameMaker provides. YoYo Games is the creator of the GameMaker program. You can make both 2D and 3D games with GameMaker.


Those are only two of the more popular game-building software you can download or purchase.

--- Creativity With Gaming: Why Bother? ---

If you think about it, there is a reason why games have their appeal. Games tell stories in which the game player is directly involved. Games operate differently from literature in the sense that a game offers a level of immersion and influence that reading literature doesn't really provide. When you play a game (or even reading some kind of literature), you become part of the realm provided by the creator. You become part of a realm outside of our own and must try to exist within this alternate realm. Most games, unlike most forms of literature, give you the control to adversely affect the outcome of whatever story is being told. Many games have an ultimate goal (or sometimes multiple goals) for which the participating player will eventually reach. Some of these goals can come in the form of alternate endings or even bad endings. A gamer obviously wants to be involved in good endings because that is where all the hard work goes towards.

Why did I say "most games" in my description of gaming? The reason why is because not all games have specific goals or elaborate storylines, and not every game has an overall goal to accomplish. Not every game has that definitive final level or that final battle. Some games seem to have an end level or some sort of difficult level, but then loops back to the very first level as you already have a super high score. So not every game has a true "final level" or "final boss."

Creativity With Gaming: Design.

A lot of the games from some of the top gaming companies and developers offer the insight and the passion that fuels our creativity and gets us to play them. After seeing a lot of what a lot of independent (or "indie," because I tend to think of India for some reason when I hear "indie" sometimes) game makers are designing, indie game companies and developers offer more unique experiences with the sort of character and personality most big budget companies are devoid of. A lot of indie developers are progressive thinkers and take on different gaming avenues against the usual standards set by the more mainstream companies. There are cases even where indie games are just as popular- if not more so- than most mainstream titles! Part of the reason is because a lot of indie games are designed with a sort of unique style which seems fairly casual in nature while still making sure to focus on great gameplay. In fact, some may argue indie games are designed with more personality and focus a lot more on gameplay than a lot of other mainstream titles.

--- Creativity With Gaming: Final Thoughts ---

No matter what kind of gamer you are or what you find paramount to gaming, everyone has a certain level of creativity based on many design elements. There is no right way or any proper guidelines on how games should be designed. Everyone designs games based on what they want to offer to players. Only the better developers are able to capture an experience that will be revered and loved by many for a long while.

--- Creativity With Gaming: Indie Game Examples (BONUS SECTION!) ---

I am devoting this entire section to a variety of indie games. You can click on the links below to check out some of various games in case you're interested. I am providing this section to further extend the point about creativity with making games. So take a look and get involved with these titles if they interest you. Each featured game is met with a description. Read the description below each link to get a general idea of what each game is about.

NOTE: Be warned that some of these featured titles may or may no longer be in development. Some games may still just be in Alpha or Beta stages. Some games still in development may NEVER be released. So in other words... I am only providing these links for educational purposes.


• Stonehearth
Stonehearth is a city-building game. Gather resources with your crew and also battle monsters that dare threaten your city and your people.

• Build and Shoot
After "Ace of Spades" was sold off to Jagex, dedicated fans made their own re-imagining of "Ace of Spades." "Build and Shoot" is a voxel first-person shooter built in just about the same vein as the former Ace of Spades.

• Voxatron
Voxatron is third-person shooting game. It is styled somewhat by games like Smash TV. Players can take part in any number of the different levels and challenges offered. Also, players can make their own levels and characters.

• King Voxel
Mostly in the likeness of the very first The Legend of Zelda, King Voxel is an action RPG that will seriously appeal to Zelda fans.

• Blocky Roads
This is a driving game where you must rebuild your farm after a hurricane destroyed everything. You'll have to venture out into the world and rebuild your farm piece-by-piece. The goal is to traverse around the terrain while collecting coins to purchase material. Later with progress in the game, you will be able to make your own machines. You can change skins as well as upgrade vehicles and buy new ones.

• Trove
An action RPG with a Minecraft style to it in survival and in crafting items. Collect resources and build and maintain a city. Loads of monsters roam the colorful world of Trove. So make sure you're equipped to take on these challenges... or die trying!

• Fist Puncher
A beat-em-up in the vein of games like "River City Ransom" and "Double Dragon," with RPG-style customization and upgrading elements.

• Drift Stage
An independent racing game with a style that screams '90s arcade racer. It is purely arcade.

• Space Qube
This is a shoot-em-up styled like the After Burner series but in space.

• Spark Rising
Build and customize ships and take part in battle with this futuristic action game.

• DISCOVERIE
Here is a game where you go through a dungeon and try to survive against the many monsters that inhabit the dungeon.

• Continue?9876543210
As a failed game character, you are part of a world trying to learn about life before you eventually die. It is a 3D voxel game.

• Crisential
This game takes place in a post-apocalyptic world. You are trying to survive against a handful of evil people, creatures, and machinery.

• The Kindred
This game is allows you to explore and build cities. There are also elements of exploration and survival as you go about creating your cities and living within this realm. (SPECIAL NOTE: I included this title in respect to one of the people behind this project- Nellie.)


I just wanted to make a notion to these games to help push the point across about creativity through gaming. I'm sure if you are reading this blog and this blog post, and if you represent any of the games I mentioned; then I'm sure you wouldn't mind giving you a shout-out here, right?

A Quick Note...

One thing to note... a lot of the 3D games I made mention to were constructed using Qubicle Constructor. If you want to read my blog post on Qubicle Constructor, visit this post: "Qubicle Constructor" (John's Creative Space).





I hope to expand upon creativity with gaming involved. This post is just a start. Thank you for reading!

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Blender

The Blender Foundation created one of the single most powerful freeware modeling software dating back to 1995. Blender is capable of so much that novices up to professionals use Blender for modeling and movies. It has been a great alternative to 3D Studio Max, which can be quite expensive. Blender has also been quite challenging to grasp and understand for rookies. Even I can attest to not knowing the first thing to do when attempting to model something. Regardless, when you gain a general understanding of what all Blender has to offer, you will see that it is one of the single most powerful 3D modeling programs either free or commercial.

There are even tutorials online on how to use and utilize Blender 3D to your liking. For instance, I've seen a handful of videos on how to create various effects or enhance your modeling skills. I learned today about separating and merging models. If you know where to look, you can find some great tutorials. Some people do a great job teaching the ins and outs of Blender. Later in this blog post, I will share a few links you can visit to help enhance your skills in using Blender. This blog post is my "John's Creative Space" contribution to the amazing program known as Blender.

For more information on Blender, please visit Blender's official site. Even though the most recent version of Blender is Version 2.71, I am using Blender 2.69 for my own Blender work. That is the version for which I am basing my material on.

--- Blender Talking Points ---

Before I go into any detail discussing Blender, let me show you a demo reel provided by Blender to show what is possible with Blender (if you can not view embedded media, click on the link below the video to view in YouTube):


^ "Blender Demo Reel 2013"

Now for a few talking points on Blender. I won't explain everything, but I will attempt to give you a basic introduction to some of Blender's many functions. Read on...

Gaming With Blender.

You already read that Blender is a great modeling program. However, is that ALL it can do? No! Blender also has a suite designed for gaming. It is possible to make your own games from start to finish through a combination of modeling and coding with Blender 3D.

Animating With Blender.

While Blender won't exactly replace Sony Vegas (or whatever you consider a great video-making program), you can make animations and such with Blender. You can render animations after setting up various aspects of models.

Methods of Modeling.

The two main forms of rendering are with the Blender Render and the Cycles Render. The Cycles Render system can perform more complex and more impressive renders than the internal render provided by Blender. Some renders and render effects can be better accomplished with the Cycles Renderer than with the Blender Render. For example, you can make a beautiful and realistic render of a car through some rendering with the Cycles Render as opposed to the Blender Render. The Cycles Render even requires you to add some more material to scenes to make them impressive.

The Compositor.

More advanced effects require you to use Blender's awesome tool known as the Compositor. By connecting nodes and editing more options, you are able to come up with many kinds of unique effects and settings. I personally have no knowledge or experience with the Compositor except for trying to introduce myself to it.

Force Fields.

Blender won't make a shield to protect you from disaster, but you can use certain force fields to enact certain real-world features, such as wind simulation and soft body physics. These can be powerful in delivering nearly movie-quality effects for animations.


There are so many other things Blender is capable of. I'll leave it up to you to discover what all Blender has to offer and what you can actually take advantage of to make your own amazing works with Blender.

--- My Blender Experience and Ambitions ---

I hope to use Blender to try to create models and animations. On an incremental basis, I am learning various techniques as to how to use Blender. I have actually had Blender for a few years. Unfortunately, I never created anything special with Blender in my time, and it has been only recently that I decided to learn how to use Blender to make all sorts of unique effects and such. I do not intend on being any sort of professional with Blender. However, I do want to create items and assets that I can use and utilize to make all sorts of material. I may even elect to offer my assets to others through a service like TurboSquid.

Learning various editing and modeling elements were made possible through lots of YouTube video watching and even using Blender's site for manuals. Little by little, my confidence grew until I felt as if I could possibly and easily make material in Blender. There is still a lot for me to learn. However, I feel I am learning just enough to where I feel the least bit comfortable in designing material for Blender. For me, this is just the traditional baby steps before walking or running, so to speak. Again- this is the most confident I've ever felt in trying to make 3D models as well as learning to make other sorts of effects.

If I do make interesting material for you all, you will see it either in videos, maybe on some other sites (like deviantArt), or here on "John's Creative Space."

--- Blender Resources ---

If you want to enhance your skills using Blender, I have compiled this list of sites and YouTube videos for which you can visit for help in creating your own masterpieces with Blender. Have a visit to these links. If you want to suggest to me and my readers/visitors any Blender resources, please contact me online, and I will be sure to give your site a visit to see if it can benefit my readers and visitors. This section may be updated further to include more material, so check for updates.

Blender Resources: Sites.

For more information on Blender, please visit www.blender.org. Now, look at these sites for more detailed material that may help you:

• Blender Cookie
• Blender Artists - an online community for Blender artists

Blender Resources: YouTube.

Here are some recommended YouTube channels that provide some great YouTube insight on Blender. Many of these are channels I've visited whose videos have helped me to better understand Blender:

• BornCG
• ianscott888
• VscorpianC
• Sci Fi Animator
• Andrew Price

WARNING: One important thing I want to note to you all... some of the tutorial videos offered by YouTube channels depend entirely on what version of Blender is being used. For example, a tutorial about how to make something in Blender could be with (for example) Blender 2.4x. If you have a version of Blender beyond the tutorial's version, you may need to consult other versions of Blender on how to make certain effects.


Other than that, these sites will help you get started in your Blender adventures.





I hope all of you can enjoy and use Blender to the fullest. Best of luck to you in creating any sort of masterpiece you put your mind and heart into. Model and create to your heart's content. Or if you're a gamer, use Blender to create that awesome game that people will enjoy. No matter what... use Blender and use it masterfully. Thank you for reading!

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