Naughty Dog used Google SketchUp for Uncharted 2
When SketchUp was first released by Last Software in 2000, it was billed as a 3D content creation tool for everyone. While modelers were paying thousands of dollars for complicated packages such as 3DS Max and AutoCad, here’s was a new tool that cost significantly less and was extremely easy to pick up and create with.
Google noticed this fluid design tool and decided to buy Last Software in 2006. End users were the real winners in that deal as rather than having to pay to use SketchUp, we got it for free.
What no one knew until now, not even Google, was that Naughty Dog use the 3D tool for concept 3D designs. More specifically, Robh Ruppel, art director at the game developer, used it for his initial 3D design work on Uncharted 2.
The thing to remember here is that Naughty Dog is a studio that will have site licenses for powerful modeling packages like Maya and Max, yet Ruppel chose to use SketchUp because “it’s so fast” and allowed him to make design choices that translated over to the game as he was actually creating the environments as he went.
While budding 3D modelers can turn to the open source Blender software to learn the skills they need, don’t forget that SketchUp is also a serious modeling tool and one that may eventually help you get your foot in the door at a developer like Naughty Dog.
The Institute of Computer Education has launched a Google SketchUp coures planned to commence next October. The Google SketchUp course makes 3D modeling easy for anyone to learn. After attending our SketchUp class you’ll be able to use the software to work under real-world time constraints. From broadcasters to architects and engineers, virtually every industry uses SketchUp to model and animate 3D objects and environments. By the end of the course, students will be able to create, animate, and display 3D environments at a sophisticated level.
Get a head start with Google’s 3D Warehouse today! Follow this link for more information.
Article courtesy of Geek.com – http://www.geek.com