Learn How to Build a Chatbot with IBM Watson APIs
We’re excited to announce that Treehouse has partnered with IBM on a new course called Build a Chatbot with Watson APIs. Watson is the AI platform for business from IBM (made famous by its appearance on Jeopardy! in 2011),…
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VR Performance Guidelines for New Unity Projects
VR performance is the bedrock of a great room-scale VR experience. Headsets like HTC Vive and Oculus Rift both run at a 90Hz refresh rate (in their current incarnations), meaning that the framerate of your Unity…
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Understanding Normal Maps
Most modern video game assets have multiple texture maps applied, and one of those maps is called a normal map. This is a technique in computer graphics that simulates high detail bumps and dents using a bitmap image. Real-time rendering…
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The Beginner’s Guide to Physically Based Rendering in Unity
Unity 5 was released in March 2015 and brought many new features, but perhaps the most important feature is physically based rendering. This new lighting model simulates the natural interactions of light rays and real-world materials….
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How to Make a Loading Screen in Unity
At some point or another, every game developer has to create a loading screen. Often, you’ll see a loading screen at the start of a game, or when entering a new area of the game. A loading…
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What is a Game?
Most people have played and enjoyed a game at some point in their lives, whether it’s Tic-Tac-Toe, Pac-Man, Flappy Bird, or League of Legends. However, it’s not often that players think about the fundamental nature of…
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Asset Workflow for Game Art: Texture Mapping
In this post, I’ll describe my approach to texture mapping and outline the asset workflow that I use to go from a plain 3D model to a prop that’s ready for a game. If you’re new to making…
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Asset Workflow for Game Art: 3D Modeling
In this post, I’ll outline the asset workflow that I use to model game props, like the old radio in the image below. If you’re new to making games, you will gain an understanding of some of the major concepts involved in modeling art…
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How to Use Image Effects in Unity
Image effects in the Unity game engine can have a big impact on the look of your game. A bloom effect can turn harsh lighting into a warm sunny day, or an effect like color correction can…
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How to be a Resourceful Indie Game Developer
The thought of making a video game can be daunting. There’s code to write, 3D assets to model and texture, sound design, music, gameplay, voice acting, multiplayer, platform integration, marketing, bugs to patch… The list never…
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The Treehouse Show is Ending
The Treehouse Show is coming to an end. Episode 149 will be available tomorrow, and the final episode will be available on Tuesday, July 21st, 2015. Here’s an announcement video that announces this announcement. After 150…
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Optimize Images for the Web
One of the best ways to create fast websites is to optimize images for the web. HTML, CSS, JavaScripts, and fonts can add up, but nothing will slow a page down like tons of unoptimized graphics. In my…
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