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Operating as usual
Calling all board game enthusiasts! VSGI's Game/Tech Innovation Speaker Series continues tomorrow at 12PM EST. Professor Greg Grimsby will be exploring the creation of board games, testing, manufacturing, and more! Learn more here:
https://vsgi.gmu.edu/speaker-series/
Unity has teamed up with HERE Technologies, the world's leading location-mapping company. Together, these companies are working to create real-time 3D maps that will change the future of navigation. Learn more here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGsetJOg0oo
We’ve teamed up with HERE Technologies, the world’s leading location platform that powers maps in over 150 million vehicles. Check out our shared vision for ...
Gaming technology is innovating the construction and architecture market. Unity Reflect has developed user-friendly tools to help architects, construction workers, and stakeholders collaborate on and understand the process between design and construction. Learn more here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqLJOz6rMo8
Design iteration happens fast, and it can be challenging to advance your designs without losing metadata. With the help of Unity Reflect, our BIM design and ...
Spring is here, and that means new game releases to look forward to! Big releases like "New Pokémon Snap" and "Resident Evil Village" are coming this season, as well as ports of older games to newer consoles. This is a complete list of the ports and releases scheduled for spring, what are you most looking forward to?
https://kotaku.com/every-big-game-coming-out-in-spring-2021-1846523681
Spring is here! The birds are singing, flowers blooming, and uh, it rains more. What a season! Sadly, covid-19 hasn’t gone anywhere. So depending on where you live you might still be stuck inside. Well, at least you’ll have games like Monster Hunter Rise, Outriders, and Mass Effect Legendary Edi...
With the Unreal Engine's recent MetaHuman reveal, there is a lot to look forward to in the realm of real-time digital human technology. This episode of Unreal's "The Pulse" series features industry professionals from Epic Games, Sony, Skydance Media, and more to talk about the future of digital human technology.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeqxkiyomLA
In this episode of “The Pulse”, we look at digital humans technology and what it means for the future of games, film, social media, and beyond. Digital human...
Building immersive 3D worlds can be a challenge. Before you can build large maps for open-world games, you have to know the basics. This tutorial will walk you through building a beginner-level landscape in the Unity engine:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smnLYvF40s4
In this video, we are going to walk you through Unity's Terrain Tools to show you how you can easily create beautiful landscapes in your own projects!Learn m...
Creating stunning visuals and optimizing performance is one of the biggest challenges designers face. This article from gamesindustry.biz goes in-depth about what ray-tracing is, how it works, and when you should think about using it.
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-03-16-getting-closer-to-simulating-the-real-world-applying-ray-tracing-in-games
At Tencent Game Developers Conference, Yuan Xie explored the challenges of applying ray tracing
Hello Patriots! For anyone interested in a Master's or Doctoral program in Modeling or Simulation, I'm happy to announce that I/ITSEC is collecting applications for their 31st year of scholarships! These scholarships are being offered scholarships are being offered to stimulate student interest and university participation in preparing individuals for leadership in the Modeling & Simulation, Training, and Education communities! The scholarship awards are at the Masters level in the amount $5,000 and at a Doctoral level in the amount of $10,000. For those interested in learning more or applying, please see the link below:
This page lists scholarship programs and awardees.
The Control Rig in the Unreal engine uses a node-based coding system that allows riggers and animators to create smooth, procedural animations. This video teaches you how to use the Control Rig system:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2WzNvJZk0E
Until recently, creating character motion was the domain of expensive third party DCC apps. With the release of 4.26, Unreal Engine introduces further refine...
There is a lot to learn from older games. The use of random number generation, or RNG, is an integral part of games like Pokémon and Final Fantasy. This Gamasutra article takes a look at how older games make use of RNG:
https://gamasutra.com/view/news/320213/How_classic_games_make_smart_use_of_random_number_generation.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GamasutraFeatureArticles+%28Gamasutra+Feature+Articles%29
Curious about the best way to put a bit of randomness in your game? With the help of speedrunner research, Gamasutra examines how three classic games ( Final Fantasy, Super Mario 64, and Pokemon ) handle RNG.
It is hard to imagine the game industry without crunch-time. However, there are indie studios that are implementing methods to avoid this practice. This article looks at how these studios are making that happen:
https://www.polygon.com/2021/3/1/22297644/games-labor-movement-next-generation
Smaller developers are showing that crunch-free games are possible
Attention students and alumni: The Media, Arts, Design, and Communication Internship and Career Fair will be held on Thursday, March 18th from 1:00PM-5:00PM EDT. Come meet over 30 recruiters in arts, media, and design professions.
The event will be held in Airmeet where students and alumni will choose which employers' booths to virtually visit.
NOTE: Resumé files cannot be shared on this platform. Instead, prepare your LinkedIn page, personal website, or share your resumé through Google docs.
Registration is required. If you are interested, visit this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/media-arts-design-and-communication-internship-and-career-fair-2021-tickets-135914043563
Good luck!
Mason Student and Alumni Registration
Walk cycles are an integral part of many games. This Unity Prototype Series video shows you how to set up a procedural walk cycle:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acMK93A-FSY
Did you find this useful? Let us know!
In this episode of the Prototype Series, we've expanded the Procedural Boss project by creating a procedurally animated walk animation!⭐ Project Download htt...
A reminder to all students, the ESA Foundation Scholarships are still open until March 14th. There are three scholarships available with different requirements for each. Learn more about the opportunities here:
https://esafoundation.org/scholarships/
To inspire future creators in the video game industry and encourage diversity in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics (STEAM), the ESA Foundation established a scholarship fund providing support for women and minority students across the United States.
Unity is constantly evolving and developing their engine. This article talks about the new Unity 2D Sprite Animation package and how to use it:
https://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/KyleKukshtel/20210224/377838/Using_Unitys_New_2D_Animation_Package_for_Traditional_Sprite_Animation.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GamasutraFeatureArticles+%28Gamasutra+Feature+Articles%29
Did you find this useful? Let us know!
Diving into Unity's new 2D Animation package and finding a lot to love for the creation sprite-based 2D games.
Unreal's Live Link Face App lets you use your smart phone to record and implement facial animations in real-time. While this program is still working out some bugs, we thought it would be interesting to share. This video shows how a short film project used this technology:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlACuA0Z73s
The Live Link Face app streams high-quality facial animation in real time from your iPhone directly onto characters in Unreal Engine. But on some occasions, ...
Game technology is always finding new ways to innovate across multiple disciplines. In this article, the National Park Service and Unreal Engine have worked together to allow real-time 3D cave exploration of the National Park Service's caves!
https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/spotlights/exploring-the-stunning-caves-of-the-national-park-service-in-real-time-3d
Find out how a geoscientist became an Unreal Engine creator.
Whether you play PlayStation, XBox, or PC, it is important to keep in mind how different platforms handle input. This tutorial shows you how to approach cross-platform character input in Unity:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tOOstXaIKE
In this video, we are showing you how to create a cross-platform character controller using Unity's Input System! Download this project here:https://on.unity...
Students, the spring career fair is TOMORROW from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM! Registration is still open, you MUST register in advance if you wish to attend.
Register here: https://www.jobsconnected.com/gmu/
For a list of employers, visit this link: https://gmu.joinhandshake.com/career_fairs/20976/student_preview?token=ZpHoCSHAjo-jNiv-VUUXPHLhMo1s33h-6E8qNGXU2VsbwaRmumX5Jw
Good luck to everyone that attends!
Developers have struggled to make believable human characters in video games for decades. While some have come close to the real deal, soon it will be easier than ever with Unreal Engine's MetaHuman Creator coming later this year. This video gives a preview of MetaHuman's capabilities:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3F1vZYpH8c
Creating convincing digital humans has traditionally been hard, slow, and expensive. With MetaHuman Creator, the time to create a unique digital human of the...
Attention students: The 2021-2022 ESA Foundation Scholarship Applications are Open! Three different scholarships are currently available. To learn more, or to apply yourself, click the link below!
https://esafoundation.org/scholarships/
To inspire future creators in the video game industry and encourage diversity in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics (STEAM), the ESA Foundation established a scholarship fund providing support for women and minority students across the United States.
The Spring Career Fair is now open for registration! All students MUST register in advance to participate. The Career Fair will be held February 17th and 18th from 12:00PM-4:00PM EST. There will also be a resumé clinic for anyone interested. Good luck to those who attend!
The registration deadline for the fair is February 17 at 12:00PM EST. The registration deadline for the resumé workshop is February 11th.
Register here: https://www.jobsconnected.com/gmu/
List of Employers: https://gmu.joinhandshake.com/career_fairs/20976/student_preview?token=ZpHoCSHAjo-jNiv-VUUXPHLhMo1s33h-6E8qNGXU2VsbwaRmumX5Jw
Resumé Clinic: https://gmu.joinhandshake.com/jobs/4256728/share_preview
Unity has a multitude of tools to make 2D games. This article from Unity Blog gives some great tips on making a 2D game in Unity:
https://blogs.unity3d.com/2021/02/09/a-lightning-round-of-great-tips-for-2d-games/
Did you find any of these tips helpful? Let us know!
Are you planning to make a 2D game with Unity? Then take a look at these handy tips from our 2D Technical Product Manager Rus Scammell and 2D Product Marketing Manager Eduardo Oriz, that will help you get started quickly and work efficiently throughout your entire project. Start your 2D projects wit...
Even though Amazon's CEO is changing, their desire to break into the gaming industry is not. This article from gamesindustry.biz talks about Amazon's plans to get into the game industry.
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-02-04-next-ceo-believes-amazon-can-succeed-in-games-if-we-hang-in-there
Andy Jassy expresses support for internet giant's struggling games division
Quantic Dream is known for its detailed, narrative games. This article from IGN talks with founder David Cage about expanding its studio base to Canada, their upcoming game, and exploration into publishing.
https://www.ign.com/articles/quantic-dream-founder-david-cage-discusses-new-montreal-studio-and-unannounced-game
Quantic Dream is opening a new studio in Montreal, Canada. IGN spoke with founder David Cage on its unannounced AAA game, workplace culture, and more.
All Mason students are invited to PSSC and Patriot Experience's Meet and Greet Kick Off Event this Thursday, February 4th at the Hub's Corner Pocket from 12:30PM to 7:00 PM. This event will guide students on how to design their own college experience while connecting with others on campus.
There will be food, swag, games, and free Chick-fil-A sandwiches while supplies last. Come join the fun and meet some new people! If you are interested in this event, register here:
https://mason360.gmu.edu/PatriotExp/rsvp_boot?id=903712
We hope to see you there!
Not all games are fast-paced and packed with action. City building games allow for calm and casual experiences that many people enjoy. In this video, the Unity Prototype Series shows how to build a basic city-builder game!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_zviIfcCHk
What kinds of city-building games do you like? Let us know!
In this episode of the Unity Prototype Series, we demonstrate how we created a prototype that showcases the implementation of a City Builder using most syste...
Role-playing games are famous for their levels of emersion and customization. For anyone interested, here is an exciting list of upcoming RPGs for 2021 by Gameinformer.
https://www.gameinformer.com/2021/01/26/top-upcoming-rpgs-for-2021-and-beyond
Which games are you most excited for this year? Let us know!
Pick your characters, get lost in a story, and grind out the levels in role-playing games from 2021 and beyond.
First and third-person shooters rely heavily on having interesting, dynamic combat. This video shows you how to make exploding arrows and destructible buildings in Unity for a third-person shooter:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rr_Ot9h7igU
Let us know if you decide to try it out!
In this episode of the Unity Prototyping series, we showcase a prototype that allows players to explode buildings by building a bomb arrow mechanic!⭐ Downloa...
Landscaping in games is key to making your world both beautiful and believable. This video will give you an in-depth lesson on Unreal's water system to make vast oceans and rolling rivers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y-ITjcttW8
Let us know if you found this useful, or if you would like to see something different!
We're diving into the Water System for the first livestream of 2021! Join us this week to further uncover the seacrets of landscape limits, rebuilding the me...
The film and game industries are always finding new ways to improve each other. In this video, Welta Digital uses the Unreal Engine's new hair and fur system to create a real-time animation short. See how their team accomplished it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ixtpcqb85I
When the Special Projects team at Weta Digital wanted to see how far they could push Unreal Engine’s new real-time hair and fur system, they created a stunni...
The Virginia Serious Game Institute is looking for students to join their Quality Assurance Team for Spring 2021. This internship requires 10-20 hours per week and pays $10/hour. Students are expected to find, report, and fix bugs as well as work with other team members to meet project deadlines. If you are interested, please send your resumé to James Casey at [email protected]
We look forward to your applications!
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