Good morning everyone. I'm terribly sorry that I am not with you today to start class. I am at a competition with some students that participating in a design challenge. The competition was supposed to take place last Thursday, but due to snow, was bumped back to today... so I'm missing our first day together!
Having said that, welcome to Video Game Design & Programming! In the class you will use a free software, GameMaker, to create your own version of traditional games like Pacman, Breakout, etc. You will use Adobe Illustrator to create your own custom graphics. Typically, on the first day I have students install GameMaker and then dive right in to using it. Despite my absence, that's the same thing that I would like to do today. I have linked videos in the text below describing how to download the software and install it as well as starting to make your first, really simple game. Please watch these videos to get you started and into the projects. This game will be your first grade for the course, but most importantly, it's a trial run through GameMaker.
What are we learning today?
1. Welcome & About the Class
2. Demo: Downloading & Installing Game
3. First Assignment, Saving & Pinning
4. Objectives to accomplish today:
Fruit Tutorial
- Visit TechGeek.pro to download GameMaker Lite
- Install the software
- Launch GameMaker & follow the tutorial to build the Fruit Game
- Save the game
- Upload the GM81 file to Schoology
5. Cleanup
6. Review/what’s next
Handouts: None
Period 3
Good morning everyone. I'm terribly sorry that I am not with you today to start class. I am at a competition with some students that participating in a design challenge. The competition was supposed to take place last Thursday, but due to snow, was bumped back to today... so I'm missing our first day together!
So, welcome to Intro to Graphics! I never like to start my classes with a syllabus and boring info on day 1. Even though I'm not with you today, the plan is the same. Today we will start on one of the most important skills for this class, vectoring. What's that??? It's learning to draw on the computer using Adobe Illustrator. I have created a series of video that will walk you through the steps that I would normally do with you in class. In learning to vector, we will all use the same image... the Penn State logo because it is detailed but not overly complex. This page of the class site will explain how to find an appropriately sized image, set up an Illustrator file, and vector each piece of the image. The password is thunder. This is really an essential skill that we will use throughout the rest of the course, so take it serious and try to get the hang of it!
What are we learning today?
1. Welcome & Apologies
2. Discuss the First Project
3. Demo: Finding an Image, Resolution
4. Demo: Vectoring
5. Objectives to accomplish today:
Practice Vector
- Launch Ai
- Place the logo
- Create a new layer, lock the first
- Change the fill to none, stroke to bright color
- Zoom in (Ctrl +) on the inner ear
- Draw the three lines to make the shape
- Select and color the inner ear
- Draw the white silhouette of the head
- Color it and send it to the back
- Draw the blue oval with cutout
- Color the shape
- Draw the final white outer oval & color it
- Upload the final image to Schoology
6. Cleanup
7. Review/what’s next
Handouts: None
Period 4
Good morning everyone. I'm terribly sorry that I am not with you today to start class. I am at a competition with some students that participating in a design challenge. The competition was supposed to take place last Thursday, but due to snow, was bumped back to today... so I'm missing our first day together!
So what are you going to do today? Well, it's kind of a reboot of one of last years projects. I would like you to make a new logo to represent you as a photographer. I have made a video reviewing some of the key points to logo design and how to get started. Please take a look at it. If you get your thumbnails and rough done, this page will review scanning your rough into the computer. If you need a refresher on Illustrator you can find it here. Keep in mind that the password for the intro site is monochrome.
What are we learning today?
1. Welcome & Apologies
2. Starting with a Logo...
3. Review Using the Pen Tool
4. Review Effective Logos
5. Objectives to accomplish today:
Logo
- Choose a name or symbol to represent you as a photographer
- Draw 4 thumbnails
- Develop a full size rough
- Color the rough with colored pencils
- Scan the rough into the computer using the end computer & scanner
- Launch Ai and make a new document
- Place the scanned logo into the file
- Lock layer 1, create a second layer
- Vector the layer piece by piece completing each shape individually
- Color each shape and save it
- Upload the final Ai file to Schoology
6. Cleanup
7. Review/what’s next
Handouts: None