Intro to Creating Realistic Photo Textures in Games

Intro to Creating Realistic Photo Textures in Games One of the major challenges of current and next-generation game development is the creation of the massive number of art resources required to create an immersive game world. Character, environment, and other supporting models must be created, and levels must be shelled out and populated with those models. But while you may have a functionally-playable game at that point (with the addition of a tremendous amount of other programming and resource work), you are lacking color, depth, and physical texture in your world. Taking a game from a gray box prototype to a completed game, suitable for public viewing, requires a lot of work for artists to create textures and materials to give the game the feeling of being in the world youve created. Weve touched on this briefly in previous tutorials: The basic concepts of UV mappingApplying and painting textures for a modelManually editing UV map coordinatesCylindrical maps and dealing with seamsIntermediate-level UV mapping techniques In those exercises, we used simple example maps that were hand-painted, but not designed for production work, nor realism. In this series, were going to show you how to make realistic photo textures for your own games, and do so on a reasonable budget. The results you can achieve with a small amount of work may surprise you. Lets get started. There are three primary ways to create photorealistic textures for games. Photo reference/Hand painting. These are the original two techniques for creating game textures. This is the simple process of creating a bitmapped image for use in a game, whether created completely from scratch using a paint application, or converting a photo into a game-ready format. (Both of these techniques are not necessarily simple in actual practice, as youll see later in this article.) This can be very quick, or moderately time-consuming, depending on what sort of results you desire, and how much work youre willing to put in.Procedurally-created. This method relies on algorithms and pre-defined inputs (either photo or completely synthetic) to create tileable/seamless pattern materials. Tiled materials allow you to use a single, highly-detailed texture to apply to a large surface in the game world, and have it repeat along the entire object, without obvious seams where one instance ends and the next begins. This is potentially the most efficient way to create good materials f or your game, however, most procedurally-created materials are quite clearly computer-generated-although the algorithms are improving all the time. Used wisely, however, they can be a tremendous time-saver for areas of your game which dont need to stand up to close scrutiny. High-poly to low-poly model and texture conversion. This is the most labor-intensive of the three options. This is frequently used for high-detail character models, or environment art that will be seen at close range (for example, walls that the character shelters behind in a first-person shooter). To perform this technique, an artist creates an extremely-high polygon model, far greater than the game engine is capable of handling in realtime, and then uses software techniques to bake textures onto a lower-polygon version of the same model. This transfers the surface detail from three-dimensional polygon data into a painted texture on the lower-poly model. This may include normal, bump, displacement, specular highlight, ambient occlusion, and other map types to further create the illusion that the low-poly model has more detail than it does in reality. As you can imagine, the labor required to perform this process is extremely time and cost-prohibitive. The results can be spectacular, but you need to carefully assess whether this is necessary for your project. Most AAA games that are currently on the market for consoles use a combination of all three of these methods. You need to determine what is best suited for your project. If you are creating a more stylized game, hand-painted textures may be the way to go. If youre making a military first-person shooter, you are likely to use a lot of photo-based textures and high-poly models converted down with normal maps for maximum scene detail.

Profile of Women in the United States in 2000

Profile of Women in the United States in 2000 In March 2001, the U.S. Census Bureau observed Womens History Month by releasing a detailed set of statistics on women in the United States. The data came from the 2000 Decennial Census, the Current Population Survey of the year 2000, and the year 2000 Statistical Abstract of the United States. Education Equality 84% The percentage of women age 25 and over with a high school diploma or more, which equals the percentage for men. The college degree attainment gap between the sexes had not closed completely, but it was closing. In 2000, 24% of women age 25 and over had a bachelors degree or higher, compared with 28% of men. 30% The percentage of young women, ages 25 to 29, who had completed college as of 2000, which exceeded the 28% of their male counterparts who had done so. Young women also had higher high school completion rates than young men: 89% versus 87%. 56% The proportion of all college students in 1998 who were women. By2015, the U.S. Department of Education reported that more women than men were completing college. 57% The proportion of masters degrees awarded to women in 1997. Women also represented 56% of the people awarded bachelors degrees, 44% of the law degrees, 41% of the medical degrees and 41% of the doctorates. 49% The percentage of bachelors degrees awarded in business and management in 1997 that went to women. Women also received 54% of the biological and life sciences degrees. But Income Inequality Remains   In 1998, the median yearly earnings of women 25 years and over who worked fulltime, year-round was $26,711, or just 73% of the $36,679 earned by their male counterparts. While both men and women with college degrees realize higher lifetime earnings,   men working fulltime, year-round consistently earned more than comparable women in each of the education levels: The median earnings of women with a high school diploma were $21,963, compared with $30,868 for their male counterparts.The median earnings of women with a bachelor’s degree were $35,408, compared with $49,982 for their male counterparts.The median earnings of women with a professional degree was $55,460, compared with $90,653 for their male counterparts. Earnings, Income, and Poverty $26,324 The 1999 median earnings of women working full-time, year-round. In March 2015, the U.S. Government Accountability Office reported that while the gap was closing, women still made less than men doing similar work. 4.9% The increase between 1998 and 1999 in the median income of family households maintained by women with no spouse present ($24,932 to $26,164). 27.8% The record-low poverty rate in 1999 for families made up of a female householder with no husband present. Jobs 61% The percentage of women age 16 and over in the civilian labor force in March 2000. The percentage for men was 74%. 57% The percentage of the 70 million women age 15 and over who worked at some point in 1999 that were full-time year-round workers. 72% The percentage of women age 16 and over in 2000 who worked in one of four occupational groups: administrative support, including clerical (24%); professional specialty (18%); service workers, except private household (16%); and executive, administrative and managerial (14%). Population Distribution 106.7 million The estimated number of women age 18 and over living in the United States as of Nov. 1, 2000. The number of men 18 and over was 98.9 million. Women outnumbered men in every age group, from ages 25 and over and up. There were 141.1 million females of all ages. 80 years The projected life expectancy for women in 2000, which was higher than the life expectancy for men (74 years.). Motherhood 59% The record-high percentage of women with infants under the age of 1 in 1998 who were in the labor force, almost double the 31% rate of 1976. This compares with 73% of mothers ages 15 to 44 in the labor force that same year who did not have infants. 51% The 1998 percentage of married-couple families with children in which both spouses worked. This is the first time since the Census Bureau started recording fertility information that these families were the majority of all married-couple families. The rate in 1976 was 33%. 1.9 The average number of children women 40 to 44 years old in 1998 had by the end of their childbearing years. This contrasts sharply with women in 1976, who averaged 3.1 births. 19% The proportion of all women ages 40 to 44 who were childless in 1998, up from 10 percent in 1976. During the same time, those with four or more children declined from 36 percent to 10 percent. Marriage and Family 51% The percentage of women 15 years old and over in 2000 who were married and living with their spouse. Of the rest, 25 percent had never married, 10%t were divorced, 2% were separated and 10 percent were widowed. 25.0 years The median age at first marriage for women in 1998, more than four years older than the 20.8 years just a generation ago (1970). 22% The proportion in 1998 of 30- to 34-year-old women who had never married triple the rate in 1970 (6 percent). Similarly, the proportion of never-married women increased from 5 percent to 14 percent for 35-to-39-year-olds over the period. 15.3 million The number of women living alone in 1998, double the number in 1970 7.3 million.The percentage of women who lived alone rose for almost every age group. The exception was those aged 65 to 74, where the percentage was statistically unchanged. 9.8 million The number of single mothers in 1998, an increase of 6.4 million since 1970. 30.2 million The number of households in 1998 about 3 in 10 maintained by women with no husband present. In 1970, there were 13.4 million such households, about 2 in 10. Sports and Recreation 135,000 The number of women taking part in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)-sanctioned sports during the 1997-98 school year; women constituted 4 in 10 participants in NCAA-sanctioned sports. The 7,859 NCAA-sanctioned womens teams exceeded the number of mens teams. Soccer had the most female athletes; basketball, the most womens teams. 2.7 million The number of girls taking part in high school athletic programs during the 1998-99 school year triple the number in 1972-73. Participation levels by boys remained about the same during this time frame, about 3.8 million in 1998-99. Computer Use 70% The percentage of women with access to a computer at home in 1997 who used it; the rate for men was 72%. The home computer-use gender gap between men and women has shrunk considerably since 1984 when mens home computer use was 20 percentage points higher than that of women. 57% The percentage of women who used a computer on the job in 1997, 13 percentage points higher than the percentage of men who did so. Voting 46% Among citizens, the percentage of women who voted in the 1998 mid-term congressional elections; that was better than the 45% of men who cast their ballots. This continued a trend that had started in 1986. The preceding facts came from the 2000 Current Population Survey, population estimates, and the 2000 Statistical Abstract of the United States. The data are subject to sampling variability and other sources of error.

Marketing Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Marketing - Term Paper Example It is considered a revolutionary advancement that has been made in the field of customer services. The root of CRM process can be traced back in sales where CR managers study customer buying patterns and trends in order to match service levels to revenue expectations alongside satisfying the needs of the customers. The underlying rationale behind this management process is to bring down the rate of customer complaints thereby addressing their issues at the earliest and henceforth rewarding customer loyalty and maintain a high customer retention rate. In order to carry the process effectively special computer programs have also been designed. Driven by customer economics, companies have been implanting the CRM process for a long time. The CRM initiatives are directed towards formulating effective CRM strategies in order to support the overall business strategy as well as the sales and marketing department. A better coordination and synergy between these elements process proves that th e CRM process has delivered its promise of increasing the customer loyalty and maximizing the shareholder value (Raihan, Hamid & Akhir, 2013). The primary objective of CRM as explained by the author is to obtain a better understanding of customer requirements and preferences which are directed towards offering the customers with high quality buying experience as well as services thereby leading to customer loyalty. CRM system involves processes such as data warehousing and mining, online order tracking, multi-channel ordering system, call centre and so son and so forth are used as the means to deliver the expected result. During the age of mass production, business world involved competitions that catered to widen customer bases for companies by carrying out efficient production (Oztaysi, Sezgin & Ozok, 2011). New competitions and structural modifications in the process of exchange have led to the establishment of the relationship archetype for the creation of long term relationship s between suppliers and customers. The reasons that can be attributed to this fact are globalization of business, deregulation and internalization, shorter product life cycle, information technology advancements and the evolving association between customer retention and company profitability (Osarenkhoe & Bennani, 2007). CRM involves the planned usage of process, information, technology and people in order to manage customer’s relationship with the company thereby supervising the marketing, sales, services and support division of a company. This process is carried out across the whole customer life cycle (Tu & Yang, 2013). Customer knowledge is a crucial aspect that plays a major role in ensuring a successful CRM process. It is a critical asset and thus, proper collection, sharing and managing and sharing of customer knowledge can help a company to gain competitive advantage over its peers. However, over the past few years it has been witnessed that customer knowledge receiv ed very little attention while CRM strategies were formulated. Customer knowledge/data i.e. the knowledge from customers can be obtained by interacting with them in order to understand their needs and requirements in order to provide them with superior quality services (Khodakarami & Chan, 2013). CRM system comprises of a group of information sources that enables a company to gather, store and analyze customer data in order to provide an exhaustive view of their customers. As can be seen from the theories provided above,

Describe the relationship between treaties and customary international Essay

Describe the relationship between treaties and customary international law - Essay Example On the other hand, treaties are deliberate agreements that create clear rights and/or obligations for the parties. Treaties are also referred to as convention, charter, protocol, covenant, pact, statute and concordat2. As far as customary international laws are concerned, peremptory norm (jus cogens) originate from principles of international/natural Law and surpasses all laws. Examples include those that govern international crimes such as slavery, mass evictions, torture, mass murders, aggression wars and criminal activities against humans. Peremptory norms and international customary laws cannot be interchanged. All peremptory norms become international customary laws after states adopt them. However, not all international customary laws are considered as class of jus cogens. States can move away from international customary law by creating treaties and laws, but peremptory norms are not derogable3. There are two elements that are crucial for formation of the CIL. These are the ge neral state practice behavior patterns and opinion juris, which is simply a legal expectation that certain point is appropriate. It is always a requirement that both elements coincide, as much as element two is the one that matters in practice. Opinio juris is gathered from the general legal expectations that are shared by humankind, and not some groups. It is worth noting that none of the two elements are subject to universal acceptance, yet CIL has a universal obligation for people and nations. Additional, no consents from nations is necessary but it seeks to align the international community. These features are reflected in various cases. In UK V. Norway Fishing case, UK suit Norway over its claims over exclusive fishing rights and control over expansive waters. The ICJ ruled that the claims by Norway were never in line with the international laws regarding water resources. In the Colombia v. Peru Assylum Case, ICJ made recognition of the Article 38 of the international court of justice statute comprising of general customs and local customs. Further stipulating that for customs to be proven they ought to have been uniformly and continuously executed. Countries that have an objection to international customary law may not submit to the laws unless deemed by peremptory norms. The ICJ statute recognizes the existence of international customary law enshrined in article 38(1)(b), which was incorporated by Article 92 of the UN charter4. Treaty and customary international law combine together for the benefit of general international law. Customary international law directly reflects state behavior and so it evolves naturally to meet the needs of the global society. Customary international law is flexible and it can be dynamic in nature. Customary international law rules may be unclear and they cannot be developed quickly. Treaties can clarify Customary International Law; for instance, the provisions of the VCLT codified CIL in this are of law. Treaties can develo p Customary International Law, for example, the provisions of the United Nation Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982) developed CIL rules relating to the Exclusive Economic Zone. Lastly, treaties can inspire new Customary International Law5. Although treaty and international customary law are regarded as different law sources, separating these two entities is not

Lazy Lady :: Free Essay Writer

Lazy Lady It seems that the lazier people are, the more I can't stand them. One thing is for sure; I can't stand my mom. "Maxme or MOM" is how I would address her, or should I say have to address her. I would have preferred boss or master. Yes sir, she's the queen of them all. She could probably write a book titled What it Takes to be Lazy. In her case, I guess you could consider it a lifestyle but try not to compare her to Martha Stewart or anyone like that. My mom is lazy from the hairs on her head to the toes on her feet. Let me give you a little insight into this lazy, lazy, lazy lady. An average weekday morning for her consists of normally getting up to go to work. It's true that not very many people in today's society aren't morning people, but supposedly she's to be at work by 8:00am, but doesn't get out of bed till 7:30am. It seems to be a routine for her not to go to bed till about one o'clock that night, doing nothing out of the ordinary except for moping around the television surrounded with junk food. I believe this is what accounts for her not waking up on time. I wait and wait for what seems like hours as the time rolls by until she's all ready to go. Every day she makes up the same excuse that she's too scared to drive. She's had a license for about twelve years, as for me only one, yet she still requires me to drive her to work. When you compare our experience behind the wheel, it should be me shaking in my pants. Due to her laziness, I wind up being late to work or school each day. Upon arriving at work, Mom takes her sweet time getting to her desk, about as fast as a slug could cross a sidewalk. There's not much she does at work, or if you could even call it work, considering she is so damn lazy. She sure loves to call up relatives everyday. She chats with them for hours, very aware she is at work. She practically talks longer on the phone at work than at home. Amazingly, none of her fellow co-workers seem to care.

Hunger games Essay

Over the long hot summer I read an interesting book written by Suzanne Collins called The Hunger Games. It is an inspirational book about a small district in the post-apocalyptic nation of Panem in North America. The Hunger Games is an annual lottery in which one boy and one girl aged 12–18 from each of the twelve districts are selected to compete in a live televised battle to the death. This is an underdog story of Katniss Everdeen who is from district 12 a coal-mining district that is the poorest and least populated district. She is able to come out victorious and find her love Peeta Mellark who is also from district 12. This story shows people our age that even through adversity if you work hard enough you can do anything you want to. Katniss faced much adversity in her life from her father dying in a mine accident, her having to find food so her and her sister did not starve, and her taking the place of her sister when she is picked to take place in the hunger games. This relates to a lot of people because we face challenges in everyday life, but like Katniss we must be able to overcome these challenges and make the best of it. Katniss also showed a lot of bravery by taking the places of her sister in The Hunger Games this act of bravery is something that many people would not do. If you want to be brave in your life you must be able to sacrifice yourself for another person this is another reason why I believe this book related to so many people. I personally enjoyed this underdog story. The fact that the least likely winner of the games came out the winner makes the story great to me. I admire the bravery of Katniss for putting her life in danger to save her sister who I believe would have not survived the games. Another reason I like this book is because of the action and the fact that you must kill someone that might be your friend. It shows the desperation of people and how they fight to survive. As I read the book my opinion of Peeta change by at first I thought he said he loved Katniss in the beginning to add publicity and to get Katniss to trust him, and then he would kill her. I was wrong and it turns out that he did love her and they would both win the games because they refused to kill each other. This proves that you cannot judge some by there words but by there actions. In conclusion The Hunger Games is a book about love, bravery, and trust. With out theses Katniss and Peeta would not have been able to survive. It is also a story of how underdogs can win no matter what the chances are. It is an inspirational story that I believe everyone should get the chances to read. These are the reasons why I enjoyed and would recommended this book to people my age.

Health Of Health And Nutrition - 1646 Words

In America millions of people are at risk because they haven’t learned the basic steps of maintaining their health. Lack of health management it a big part in deaths today. Health and nutrition is a serious matter among peoples health. Being able to understand and maintain is a big problem now for teens and kids, choosing on the right foods or activities to keep everything in track. Health and nutrition can also have a great effect on their social life. Health and nutrition is a important thing to keep up with. People who don’t control what they do or eat could end up in a bad situation. Keeping up with your health is the best thing you can do because it can benefit you in the long run, good health and nutrition is an important step to living a healthy lifestyle. Combined with physical activity, your diet can help you reach and maintain a healthy weight it can also reduce your risk of chronic diseases. People who don’t maintain their weight usually end up obese or with some type of disease or disorder. Heart and Blood vessel disease also called heart disease can cause a lot problems like heart attacks, ischemic strokes, heart failure and many other problems all caused by bad nutrition choices. A good diet of using your food groups that you should’ve learned in elementary school will keep you away from obesity and things obesity can cause. Obesity is a bad stage in life, if you ever reach that point and it’s hard to get the weight off. Obesity could run thruShow MoreRelatedHealth Of Health And Nutrition1654 Words   |  7 Pagesbasic steps of maintaining their health. Lack of health management it a big part in deaths today. Health and nutrition is a serious matter among peoples health. Being able to understand and maintain is a big problem now for teens and kids, choosing on the right foods or activities to keep everything in track. health and nutrition can also have a great effect on their social life. Health and nutrition is a very important thing to keep upRead MoreNutrition and Health893 Words   |  4 PagesNutrition and Health Programs tanisha sanders Strayer University ENG 115 Dr. Kirk The Chairman of the state school board has asked you (a consultant on health and wellness), to write an informative piece about the recent changes to the breakfast and lunch program. The information will be used improve nutrition and health. The content will turn into a brochure describing the four major issues: economic situation, special needs, health of the population being served, process and benefitsRead MoreNutrition and Health2280 Words   |  10 Pagesthose of earlier years. 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I will also provide and identify appropriate activities and toys that will reinforce their health, nutrition and safety. This can only be accomplished through a location of space and security and healthy facility maintenance. Teachers or counselors will often learn in teaching fiveRead MoreHealth, Food, And Nutrition1291 Words   |  6 Pagesknow what to expect nor I had any. What drew my attention was the course focus around different aspects that mediate food and health. This is important because it is applicable to the work that I will be doing for my field study. I’ve learned a lot and I wished we had more time to process the information because most of the materials were new. When it comes to food and health, there aren’t a lot of discussions and/or classes on the politics behind it. 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