GDC 2014 organizers are highlighting more day-long sessions for the March conference, including a crash course on technical art design, a deep dive into the nuts and bolts of animation, and diverse array of talks about the art of level design.
All of the talks featured today are part of the tutorials and bootcamps at GDC 2014, which take place during the first two days of the March conference on Monday-Tuesday, March 17-18 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, CA.
Animation Bootcamp
Conference organizers encourage anyone with a passion for animation to check out the popular Animation Bootcamp, a daylong gathering on the Monday of GDC 2014 to rally animators from all over the industry for deeper discussions into the art of game animation. The day will start with a traditional look at the craft by focusing on establishing and conveying a character's performance. Then, throughout the day, we will transition into how to best apply that knowledge to game development through different tools and disciplines, showing how the unique constraints and demands of games are creating the need for a new breed of animator.
The Animation Bootcamp includes sessions like Animating the Spy Fantasy in Splinter Cell, An Indie Approach to Procedural Animation, Achieving Believable Performance, Using the Power of Layered Animation to Expand Premium Content in Battlefield 4, and a guide to Establishing an Ecology for NPCs.
Producer Bootcamp
On Tuesday, March 18, The day-long Producer Bootcamp will dig into some of the key skills that producers -- seasoned veterans and fledglings alike -- need in order to be successful in this challenging industry. Bootcamp organizers have lined up a series of talks to address the fact that production roles have become even more critical, whether you ship to mobile, the web, the latest consoles or the PC. These days, producers are much more than just schedule jockeys; they are team managers, communication facilitators, conflict mediators, risk mitigators, work enablers and predictors of the future
To that end, the Producer Bootcamp will feature a diverse array of talks throughout the day, including the People Management Survival Guide, Communication Jiu-Jitsu and Other Useful Tricks, Skill Tests for Producers, and more.
Technical Artist Bootcamp
Tuesday also features the Technical Artist Bootcamp, a day especially for the technical artists attending GDC 2014. Attendees can expect to learn tricks and techniques for building a quality user experience when designing tools and workflows. Also, tech animators will have an opportunity to learn quick prototyping techniques for animation systems, which has traditionally been one of the most complex areas to author. More techniques for automating asset processing, fast cinematic workflows, and optimizing asset performance for run-time will be covered in the Bootcamp talks.
Those talks include choice sessions like
Audio Bootcamp
Plus, audio professionals can check out Tuesday's Audio Bootcamp, which covers the technical, creative and logistical topics needed to successfully navigate the field of sound for games. A range of industry experts will speak on their own experiences and practical skills relating to music composition, sound design, digital signal processing, audio mixing, the logistics of working in both large and small studio settings, and more. Also, the lunchtime surgeries offer a unique opportunity to sit and meet with many of the speakers in a small-scale setting to talk about the specific interactive audio topics that are at top of attendees' minds.
This year the Audio Bootcamp includes sessions on Audio Design, Mixing and Production, Lunchtime Surgeries, Small Team Game Development, and a talk on Music from composer Austin Wintory.
Level Design In A Day
Finally, don't miss Level Design in a Day, a day-long Tutorial event to unite notable level designers from all over the industry to present unique perspectives on the art and science of level design. From the haunting world of The Last Of Us to the frenetic pacing of Diablo III, speakers share their insights on ideation, implementation and evolution of the craft. This diverse group of veteran game creators will share in-depth analysis of our art form via traditional lectures, engage with the audience over multiple Q&A sessions and provide one-on-one guidance through portfolio reviews and mock interviews.
Standout sessions include How We Used Iterative Level Design to Ship Skyrim and Fallout 3, The Importance of Everything: Analytics of Map Design, Decisions That Matter -- Meaningful Choice in Game and Level Design, and The Last Of Us: Casting Shadows.
All of the above events are open to attendees with Summits & Tutorials and All Access passes, with those selecting the talks during the registration process getting priority. A full list of tutorials and bootcamps is available now, including other popular one-day events like Math for Game Programmers and the Game Design Workshop.
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