Understanding how to animate a 3D model

Although the objective of this book is not to teach you how to animate a model, it is important to understand how animation is done so that you can understand better how to get game characters in a game to move and behave according to design.

As mentioned earlier, we can animate 3D models using tools, such as Maya or 3ds Max. We can then record their changes and then render these animations on screen when needed.

Preparing before animation

In game development, the creation of animation falls under the responsibility of an animator. Before an animation can be first created, we need to first have a 3D model that's been created by a 3D modeler. The 3D modeler is responsible for giving the object its shape and texturing it. Depending on the type of object we're dealing with, the exact process to get an object properly rigged can be slightly different. Rigging needs to be done before handing over the object to the animator to create specific animations...