Low Poly Art For Video Games from Coursera

This course is aimed to give you the tools and knowledge you need to start creating simple 3D art for video games made in the Unity game engine. Through the aesthetic of pixel art we will explore artistic principals like shape language, color theory, and composition as well as show you a step by step workflow for creating assets that you can use to make your own games. The course is broken into 4 main modules, props, environments, characters, and animation. Each of these courses will have a series of video lessons alternating between artistic and technical skills culminating in a peer-reviewed project based assignment. The last module will challenge you to take the knowledge learned in the previous 4 and use it to create your own pixel art asset pack.

This course is aimed at art novices who are interested in creating art for their own games or contributing to game projects. If you are a game designer or programmer, you will find this course helps give you a glimpse into the world of game art. You will be able to better work with artists, or create your own prototype or final artwork. If you are an artist or visual designer who is interested in bringing your style to the world of video game development, this course will give you the workflow to properly interface with a game engine and help contextualize how your artistic sensibilities can enable gameplay.

If you have ever wanted to start making art for video games but have no idea how to start, this course is the perfect for giving you a solid foundation while teaching you usable practical skills. Our goal is to give you a sense of the whole pipeline from creation to setting up in a game engine.

What's inside

Syllabus

WEEK 1: Intro to Low Poly Art

In this first week we will talk about the basics of creating a game model in the low poly style. This will likely be the quickest of the 5 weeks, so take some time to check out the optional Maya LT intro to make sure you have a grasp of all the essential skills we will be covering in the course.

Traffic lights

Read about what's good

what should give you pause

and possible dealbreakers

Explores the growing field of game art and gives learners a chance to participate in its growing community

Suitable for creative art novices who are looking to enter into the field of game art

Provides hands-on skill development through a week-by-week structure with dedicated themes

Taught by Ricardo Guimaraes and Andrew Dennis, who are established professionals in the field

Introduces the fundamentals of low poly art and takes learners through a structured week-by-week process

Helps learners understand the complete pipeline from creation to setting up in a game engine

Reviews summary

Foundational low poly art for games

According to learners, this course provides a solid foundation in creating low poly 3D art for video games, particularly within the Unity engine workflow. Students appreciate the coverage of core concepts like shape language and color theory and the step-by-step approach to creating props, environments, characters, and animations. Many find the project-based assignments and exploration of the entire asset pipeline to be particularly valuable for beginners. While generally seen as a largely positive introduction, some feel it could benefit from more depth in certain areas or discussion of alternative software.

Some modules feel faster or slower than others.

"Week 1 felt a bit too fast, but week 2 was just right."

"The animation part felt a bit rushed to fit into one week."

"Some weeks had a lot more content than others."

"The pace was mostly good, but a couple of parts went quickly."

Integrates design concepts with technical skills.

"They didn't just teach tools, but also artistic ideas like color theory."

"Learning about shape language in the context of low poly was useful."

"Combining art concepts with the technical side made the lessons more complete."

"It helps you think about the art style, not just the modeling."

Assignments are hands-on and build usable assets.

"The projects helped me create actual assets I can use."

"Building props, environments, and characters was a great way to learn."

"I enjoyed the practical assignments that resulted in tangible work."

"Having a final project to put it all together is very rewarding."

Explores the full process from creation to engine use.

"I really liked seeing the whole pipeline, from modeling to getting it into Unity."

"Understanding how assets work in a game engine was very helpful."

"The course connects the art creation directly to game development context."

"It shows you the steps needed to make your art game-ready."

Lays a solid groundwork for novices in 3D art for games.

"This course was exactly what I needed to start making low poly assets for my game."

"It gives you a solid foundation if you've never done 3D art before."

"Perfect introduction to the world of low poly game art."

"As an art novice, I found the material easy to follow and understand."

Rigging and animation section can be challenging for beginners.

"The rigging part was definitely the hardest section for me."

"Animation felt rushed compared to the modeling sections."

"Could use more detailed explanation on rigging for beginners."

"I struggled a bit with getting the character rigged correctly."

Focuses on using Autodesk Maya LT, which might not suit all learners.

"The course is heavily focused on Maya LT, wish it covered Blender too."

"Using Maya LT was okay, but it felt limiting compared to other software."

"If you don't use Maya LT, you'll need to adapt the lessons."

"I had to learn a new software just for this course."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Low Poly Art For Video Games with these activities:

Follow a Unity Tutorial for Beginners

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Get started with Unity by following a tutorial aimed at complete beginners.

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Choose a Unity tutorial for beginners.
Follow the tutorial step-by-step.
Experiment with the features covered in the tutorial.

Create a Pixel Art Character

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Design and create your own pixel art character using the techniques taught in the course.

Browse courses on Character Design

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Sketch your character design.
Choose a color palette for your character.
Create your character's sprites in a pixel art editor.

Design a Pixel Art Character

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Design a pixel art character to practice your understanding of character design and pixel art techniques.

Browse courses on Pixel Art

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Sketch out your character's design on paper.
Create a new canvas in your pixel art software.
Use the pixel art tools to create your character's sprite.

Nine other activities

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Create your own pixel art models

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Creating your own models will help you reinforce the concepts of low poly design and the pipeline.

Browse courses on Pixel Art

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Sketch out your design on paper
Create a low poly model in a 3D modeling software
Export your model and import it into a game engine

Create a portfolio of your low poly models

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Creating a portfolio of your low poly models will give you a way to showcase your skills and get feedback from others.

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Create a website or online portfolio
Upload your low poly models to your portfolio

Create 3D Models

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Create simple 3D models to reinforce your understanding of the basics of 3D modeling and the Maya LT software.

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Open Maya LT and create a new scene.
Use the polygon tools to create a basic shape, such as a cube or a sphere.
Add details to your model using the sculpting tools.
Export your model to a file format that can be used in your game engine.

Follow Tutorials on Character Animation

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Follow video tutorials to learn how to animate a character in 3D.

Browse courses on Character Animation

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Find a video tutorial that covers the basics of character animation in your chosen game engine.
Watch the tutorial and follow along with the steps.
Create your own character animation using the techniques you learned in the tutorial.

Participate in Peer Critiques

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Engage in peer critiques to improve your understanding of game art principles and to gain feedback from your peers.

Browse courses on Peer Review

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Find a peer who is also taking the course.
Share your work with each other.
Provide constructive criticism and feedback on each other's work.

Volunteer for a game development project

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Volunteering for a game development project will give you hands-on experience with creating low poly models and other game assets.

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Find a game development project to volunteer for
Contact the project leader and express your interest
Complete the tasks assigned to you

Create a 3D Game Level

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Create a game level using the skills and assets you've developed throughout the course.

Browse courses on 3D Game Development

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Design the game level.
Create the assets for your game level.
Animate the objects within your game level.
Configure the gameplay mechanics.
Test and iterate on your game level.

Create a Low Poly Game Environment

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Create a complete low poly game environment to showcase your understanding of game art and level design.

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Brainstorm ideas for your game environment.
Create a layout for your environment in a 2D software program.
Create the 3D models for your environment.
Texture and light your environment.
Export your environment to a file format that can be used in your game engine.

Create a low poly game asset pack

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Creating a low poly game asset pack will help you apply the skills you've learned in the course to a real-world project.

Browse courses on Game Asset Creation

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Plan your game asset pack
Create the low poly models for your game asset pack
Export your models and import them into a game engine

Career center

Learners who complete Low Poly Art For Video Games will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

3D Animator

3D Animators create moving images for video games, movies, and other forms of media. This course teaches you the basics of 3D modeling and animation, which are essential skills for a 3D Animator. You will learn how to create simple low-poly models and how to animate them. This course will help you build a foundation in 3D animation and prepare you for a career in this field.

See salaries and explore the career path for 3D Animator

3D Modeler

3D Modelers create 3D models for use in video games, movies, and other forms of media. This course teaches you the basics of 3D modeling, which is an essential skill for a 3D Modeler. You will learn how to create simple low-poly models and how to prepare them for use in a game engine. This course will help you build a foundation in 3D modeling and prepare you for a career in this field.

See salaries and explore the career path for 3D Modeler

Environment Artist

Environment Artists create the environments for video games, movies, and other forms of media. This course teaches you the basics of environment art, which are essential skills for an Environment Artist. You will learn about the different aspects of environment art, such as environment design, environment modeling, and environment lighting. This course will help you build a foundation in environment art and prepare you for a career in this field.

See salaries and explore the career path for Environment Artist

Game Artist

Game Artists create the visual assets for video games, such as characters, environments, and objects. This course teaches you the basics of game art, which are essential skills for a Game Artist. You will learn about the different aspects of game art, such as character design, environment design, and lighting. This course will help you build a foundation in game art and prepare you for a career in this field.

See salaries and explore the career path for Game Artist

Character Artist

Character Artists create the characters for video games, movies, and other forms of media. This course teaches you the basics of character art, which are essential skills for a Character Artist. You will learn about the different aspects of character art, such as character design, character modeling, and character animation. This course will help you build a foundation in character art and prepare you for a career in this field.

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Concept Artist

Concept Artists create the initial visual concepts for video games, movies, and other forms of media. This course teaches you the basics of concept art, which are essential skills for a Concept Artist. You will learn about the different aspects of concept art, such as character design, environment design, and storytelling. This course will help you build a foundation in concept art and prepare you for a career in this field.

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Game Designer

Game Designers create the overall design and gameplay for video games. This course teaches you the basics of game design, which are essential skills for a Game Designer. You will learn about the different elements of game design, such as level design, character design, and gameplay mechanics. This course will help you build a foundation in game design and prepare you for a career in this field.

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Art Director

Art Directors oversee the visual development of video games, movies, and other forms of media. This course teaches you the basics of art direction, which are essential skills for an Art Director. You will learn about the different aspects of art direction, such as concept art, character design, and environment design. This course will help you build a foundation in art direction and prepare you for a career in this field.

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Technical Artist

Technical Artists create the technical assets for video games, such as shaders, textures, and lighting. This course teaches you the basics of technical art, which are essential skills for a Technical Artist. You will learn about the different aspects of technical art, such as shader programming, texture creation, and lighting setup. This course will help you build a foundation in technical art and prepare you for a career in this field.

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Visual Effects Artist

Visual Effects Artists create the visual effects for video games, movies, and other forms of media. This course teaches you the basics of visual effects, which are essential skills for a Visual Effects Artist. You will learn about the different aspects of visual effects, such as compositing, lighting, and animation. This course will help you build a foundation in visual effects and prepare you for a career in this field.

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Freelance Artist

Freelance Artists work on a variety of projects, such as video games, movies, and other forms of media. This course teaches you the basics of freelancing, which are essential skills for a Freelance Artist. You will learn about the different aspects of freelancing, such as finding clients, negotiating contracts, and managing your finances. This course will help you build a foundation in freelancing and prepare you for a career in this field.

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Game Producer

Game Producers oversee the development of video games. This course teaches you the basics of game production, which are essential skills for a Game Producer. You will learn about the different aspects of game production, such as project management, budgeting, and marketing. This course will help you build a foundation in game production and prepare you for a career in this field.

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Game Programmer

Game Programmers create the code for video games. This course teaches you the basics of game programming, which are essential skills for a Game Programmer. You will learn about the different aspects of game programming, such as game engine programming, gameplay programming, and AI programming. This course will help you build a foundation in game programming and prepare you for a career in this field.

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Game Tester

Game Testers test video games to find bugs and errors. This course teaches you the basics of game testing, which are essential skills for a Game Tester. You will learn about the different aspects of game testing, such as functional testing, performance testing, and user experience testing. This course will help you build a foundation in game testing and prepare you for a career in this field.

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