Professional Creative Software
From time-to-time, I have been asked by parents and students how they could access the software we use in my classroom. My response has always been the same: the software we use is industry standard and purchasing most of it is a costly endeavor, so I typically don't recommend that families buy any of it. The main software used by students in the game design arts concentration include the Adobe CC Suite, Autodesk 3ds Max and the Unity game engine. Each will be addressed below.
Adobe CC Suite
Students with an adequate computer who want access to the Adobe CC Suite at home should install the following applications at a minimum:
- Adobe Creative Cloud - Used to manage the installations on your computer
- Photoshop
- Illustrator
- Premiere Pro
- Media Encoder
- Animate
Autodesk 3ds Max (only available for PC)
We will use 3ds Max for 3D modeling in the Digital Design & Animation classes as well as Advanced Game Art & Design. This software takes up a lot of space on one's system and is not used until the end of the year for students in Digital Design & Animation, so students in this class may want to wait to install it until later. Also, make sure you check the software requirements against your system's hardware as it requires more of one's system than some students might have access to at home.
To install 3ds Max, visit https://www.autodesk.com/education/free-software/3ds-max and create an account. When creating your account, use your school email address, not your personal email. Make sure you are using the version that we have in my classroom when you select which one you want to install. This is important as you will not be able to work on models created at home using a newer version of the software than is installed in my classroom when trying to transfer files to the classroom.
When installing 3ds Max, Autodesk allows a one-year free educational license to students. As a result, you will need to submit proof of your status as a student. I will provide you with a letter in PDF format for this purpose or, if you have a student ID with the current school year on it, you can simply submit a picture of it. When prompted, send Autodesk the requested proof of being a student in the manner they request of you to do so. It may take a couple of days for them to acknowledge your status, so be patient if you find you cannot access the software immediately.
To install 3ds Max, visit https://www.autodesk.com/education/free-software/3ds-max and create an account. When creating your account, use your school email address, not your personal email. Make sure you are using the version that we have in my classroom when you select which one you want to install. This is important as you will not be able to work on models created at home using a newer version of the software than is installed in my classroom when trying to transfer files to the classroom.
When installing 3ds Max, Autodesk allows a one-year free educational license to students. As a result, you will need to submit proof of your status as a student. I will provide you with a letter in PDF format for this purpose or, if you have a student ID with the current school year on it, you can simply submit a picture of it. When prompted, send Autodesk the requested proof of being a student in the manner they request of you to do so. It may take a couple of days for them to acknowledge your status, so be patient if you find you cannot access the software immediately.
Alternative Creative Software
Although students have access to all of the professional software we use in class and they are encouraged to use these same applications at home, some students may need access to alternative software to practice the skills they learn. There are a lot of free applications that one can use in place of the professional software for practice with the techniques learned but the tools they offer may differ in what is available as well as how they operate. Students using alternative software may need to research how the tools work on their own in order to practice the techniques learned. Below is an assortment of some of the better applications I have found that students can explore to boost their skillset at home.
Image Editing
While there are many different paint programs available for digital artwork, the industry go-to option is typically Adobe Photoshop and this is what we use in class. Paint programs are designed to work with pixels to create bitmaps. Most common images that we interact with on the computer are bitmaps. And, while most computers offer a free package such as Microsoft Paint, there are far better options out there.
- Photopea - A free browser-based alternative to Photoshop that even allows you to work with PSD files. The only real complaint will be that it comes with advertising.
- Adobe Photoshop Mix - A light version of Photoshop designed for mobile devices. This application can be installed on your phone or tablet for basic photo editing at no cost. Simply go to your device's appropriate store (Google Play or iTunes App) and download.
- Krita - A paint program designed specifically for use with creating concept art, comics and texturing. This handy program is super easy to use and has a very intuitive design interface. It is my top recommendation for drawing and painting on a computer. Designed for PC and Linux machines.
- GIMP - A image manipulation program which contains many of the same features as Photoshop. However, it is not very intuitive and can be frustrating at times. However, if you need a program to work with digital photographs in a cost effective way, this is the application for you.
- Piskel - A free online editor for animated sprites & pixel art. All work is done directly in your browser window and graphics can be downloaded for use in a variety of applications including game engines.
- Canva - Similar to working in Adobe Spark, Canva is a photo editor, color palette tool, font combination picker, learning resource, and photo collage maker, all at your fingertips.
- Pixlr - Another alternative to Photoshop allowing for online editing of photos and bitmap graphics.
- MyPaint - A nimble, distraction-free, and easy tool for digital painters that supports graphics tablets made by Wacom, and many similar devices. Its brush engine is versatile and configurable, and it provides useful, productive tools.
- Paint Tool SAI - A high quality and lightweight painting software with fully digitizer support, amazing anti-aliased paintings, provide easy and stable operation. Like Krita, it focuses on drawing and painting as opposed to photo editing.
- RawTherapee - Similar to Lightroom for making image adjustments. This is a free, open source application that enables users to correct distortion, boost colors, recover details and much more, allowing you to tweak digital photos to personal perfection.
- Photo Pos Pro - Built with image enhancement and editing in mind, it's perfect for typical photo editing tasks such as fixing contrast, lighting and saturation, but it'll also stretch to more advanced techniques. Only available for Windows computers.
- Paint.NET - Paint.NET is a Windows-based alternative to the Paint editor that Microsoft shipped with versions of Windows. It features an intuitive and innovative user interface with support for layers, unlimited undo, special effects, and a wide variety of useful and powerful tools.
Vector Drawing
While paint programs are used to create bitmap images using pixels, draw programs use mathematical algorithms to create vector graphics. This means they are very different from bitmaps in the way they appear in print and on screen as well as how they are typically used. In my class and in industry, the standard application for creating vector graphics is Adobe Illustrator.
- YouIDraw - A free browser based vector graphics editor. While nowhere near as powerful as Illustrator, this is a great substitute for it as it is relatively intuitive. The one major difference that I have found is that one cannot change the direction of handles on the pen tool while working but can one the initial shape is created. Otherwise, this is a great tool!
- Gravit Designer - Gravit Designer is a full-featured vector design app that is suitable for all sorts of design jobs. Users start with full access but once the trial period runs out, they lose the Pro features. Still, it's a great free way to create vector graphics.
- Vectr - Another online vector graphics editor. This one allows for downloading or working right in your browser.
- Inkscape - An open-source vector graphics editor. What sets Inkscape apart is its use of Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG), an open XML-based W3C standard, as the native format. Inkscape is free and has versions for Mac, PC and Linux.
3D Modeling/Sculpting
Many of the more popular games today requires an understanding of digital 3D modeling. There are lots of professional packages available including ZBrush, Maya, and 3ds Max. In class, we use 3ds Max, specifically.
- Blender - An open-source 3D creation suite. Blender allows for much of the same functionality as 3ds Max without the cost or need for lots of resources.
- Clara.io - Light weight, easy to use and reasonably powerful, Clara works right in your browser so it can be used on any computer including Chromebooks.
- Sculptris - This program is most similar to the industry standard of ZBrush. Both are made by Pixelogic and operate in a similar manner as working with clay. While this program is great for sculpting, it does not allow for rigging, animating or texturing your models.
- SketchUp - Popular for creating technical models in 3D. SketchUp is most similar to computer aided drafting packages but also useful for creating some basic 3D models.
- Houdini Apprentice - A free version of Houdini FX which can be used by students, artists and hobbyists to create personal non-commercial projects.
- Daz Studio - A 3D figure customization, posing and animation tool for creating characters, vehicles, accessories, etc.
- Hexigon - Also from Daz Studio, Hexagon includes everything you need to create detailed 3D models ready for final render.
- Vectary - This is a free app available to allow those with a Chromebook to do 3D modeling.
- Greeble - A fun modifier plug-in useful for generating random detail for spaceship models, cityscapes, Death Stars...
Game engines
Game engines are the software framework that allows your game to function. They are used for the creation and development of video games. This is true of both 2D and 3D video games. Here are a few options for students interested in going past the artwork and into creating their own games. Each of these are free for personal use but once a designer starts to earn money by selling their games, they are expected to pay a licensing fee.
- Unreal - A game engine that can be used for creating 3D video games. Unreal is very powerful and more intuitive than Unity as it will do a lot of the coding for the designer in the background. However, it also requires considerable system resources in order to run. This makes it more difficult to use by most students. However, Unreal is a very popular choice when it comes to designing professional games.
- Unity - Works well on systems without high end resources and is a common engine used by both professionals and hobbyists alike. Using this software requires a basic understanding of programming logic in the C# programming language.
- Game Maker - An easy to use, 2D game engine. This program is great for getting started, especially if you have no real programming experience as a lot of the coding is done in the background and the designer works with a simple set of dialog boxes to create their game. Some popular titles created with Game Maker include Spelunky and the Hotline Miami games.
- ProBuilder - Build basic or advanced geometry, right in Unity, with zero creative barriers.
Audio/Video Editing
Audio and video editing tools allow students to arrange and manipulate both sound and video files allowing them to structure and present information to their viewers. Modern editing tools are nonlinear, which means you can create multiple tracks in a single editor without destroying the original content. These tools can be useful for tasks such as creating podcasts, making game trailers or creating short tutorials.
- Audacity - A cross-platform, open source audio editor that allows for multitrack recording and editing.
- OpenShot Video Editor - A cross-platform, open source video editor that is designed to be an easy to use, quick to learn, and surprisingly powerful.
- Shotcut Video Editor - An open source, cross-platform video editor.
- Open Broadcaster Software (OBS) - Most likely the best screen capture software I have found. However, there is a bit of a learning curve if you have never used it before.
- Screencastify - Free browser extension for Chrome.
- Monosnap - Records, edits and contains onscreen drawing with no time limit
- Cam Studio - Only captures and saves in AVI format but simple to use
- Soapbox - Soapbox is a free Chrome extension that enables anyone to record, edit, and share high-quality videos in minutes.
Creative Writing
As a student and a professional, you will often be asked to reflect on what you are doing or what you are learning, or perhaps you just like to express yourself through writing. One of the more common ways you can do this is through blogging. While creating a blog is part of your digital portfolio and we are using Weebly for this, it is nice to know about other options.
- Adobe Express - Not really a website layout site, more like a highway from start to finish. Express allows you to create a page, rather than an entire site. The pages are useful as learning journals or you could use them to create and share a visual report. It can also be used to create simple graphics and videos. All for free (with a free Adobe account). Give it a try, it's simple, straight forward and might be useful in classes outside the digital arts!
- Weebly - A free, template based website hosting service.
- WIX - Another template based website hosting service similar to Weebly. Some students prefer the options offered on WIX over Weebly, it's really a matter of personal taste.
- Hemingway - A great resource for checking your spelling, grammar, and the level of readability. It will also provide a word count, if needed.
- Citation Machine - Need to provide a reference but not sure how to format it? This is all you need for the major report styles! Enter some basic information and this site does the rest of the formatting for you!