Tools of the Trade
One thing that I think can truly help out both the beginner and the advanced designer is when other designers share information about their techniques, sources, and methods. I’d like to use this page to share what software and hardware I use in my work, and eventually, provide some extended information on how I use these tools to overcome various challenges.
First though, let’s take a look at some of the most important tools of my trade! The following list contains things I use for my work as an artist, designer, and game developer. Since these three jobs tend to overlap each other quite a bit, you’ll find that there are multiple uses for much of the list (especially with the software).
Pencil / pen & drawing pad - Pretty much the standard issue for any artist or designer, I highly recommend that you have something laying around to sketch with. Even if you’re not the artistic type, just having a place to jot down your ideas as they come to you is worth it. I use mine to write down notes, make lists of things I need to do, draw quick pictures of things I want to remember for later, and pretty much everything else you can use a drawing pad for. I prefer to use pen with my pad, as it doesn’t get all over your hand and smudge up the pages, but if you prefer pencil (and the ability to erase), then by all means, grab a pencil instead.
What I’m using: Strathmore 6×8″ Drawing Pad, Pilot G2 Gel Ink Pen
Digital camera - I think that most people probably have a digital camera in some form these days, be it a standalone traditional camera, a video recorder that can take digital stills, or even a cell phone or PDA device. And while the low resolutions of the latter items in this list my not be as powerful or helpful as the former, being able to snap digital pictures at just about any time more than makes up for this. Digital images come in handy for many things, and I usually take pictures of things for drawing references, to be used specifically in a design, or to get that elusive real world look with my textures. It should be noted that if you are to use digital photography in any aspect of your work, good software and a solid understanding of how to use it is really half of package. Depending on your line of work though, you may or may not need a digital camera, but I felt it was worth mentioning here because digital photography is so vastly useful these days.
What I’m using: Olympus C-50Z
A good mouse & mouse pad - Nothing can wreck long sessions of computer design work faster than a bad mouse / mouse pad. And while it’s not too hard to find a good mouse these days, finding a good mouse pad is another story entirely. I’ve used the plastic kind, the rubber kind, no mouse pad at all (bare wood, anyone?), and every single one of them would leave my hand feeling like I stuck it in the garbage disposal after even a moderate length of work. The solution came in the form of a Christmas present I received a couple of years ago, and which continues to serve me well: a metal mouse pad! Gone is the achy mouse hand! Admittedly, a metallic mouse pad may not be for everyone, but it’s the most comfortable pad I’ve ever used, and it just goes to underscore my point - get a comfortable mouse and mouse pad.
What I’m using: Microsoft Wheel Mouse Optical, Allsop Metal Art Mouse Pad
Software
Although I am a firm believer that one can create just about anything with even the simplest tools if he or she is determined enough, I also recognize that there’s nothing wrong with finding just the right tool for the job, and that’s where software comes in. For the modern artist, being well-versed in a multitude of software is almost essential; can’t say enough about how helpful it has been so far in my hobbies and my work to know how to use lots of different kinds of software. Below is a short list of the software I use frequently, and a brief explanation for each.
Adobe Photoshop CS3 - I shouldn’t even have to say this, but Photoshop is a brilliant program, consistently better with each new version. If you are serious about image manipulation, this is your program. I’ve been using Photoshop since version 5, so it’s second nature to me… but if you’re designing on a budget and you can’t get your hands on some iteration of Photoshop, try out The Gimp, a great, free alternative. Check out Adobe’s website for more about Photoshop, and here for The Gimp.
Adobe Illustrator CS3 - Up until recently, I wasn’t too big of a fan of Illustrator. More and more though I find myself needing to create artwork in a scalable vector format, and like Photoshop, Illustrator is an excellent tool.
Caligari Truespace 5 - 3D modeling and animation is an increasingly important part of design work, and for this, I use Truespace 5. It’s not the newest version of Truespace, but I have been using this line of programs since version 1, and it has matured nicely. There are some quirks to Truespace, but it does what it’s supposed to, and in a relatively easy-to-understand way. I’ve also heard that Blender is good for modeling, but I haven’t had the time to check it out yet… I’d recommend looking into it though, if you need a free modeling solution. Find out more about Truespace here, and Blender here.
Game Maker 5, 6, & 7 - Another program which seems to be getting better over time, Game Maker is an excellent buy. It can be used to create games (obviously), interactive presentations, and a lot more. It can produce these things quickly and easily, and GM is definitely one of my favorite programs to work with. Here’s a link to the Game Maker website, YoYo Games.
Notepad - Call me old fashioned, but when it comes time to coding websites, and to get a better look at the (sometimes) oddly spaced code in Game Maker, Notepad is one of the best tools I have. With a solid understanding of web programming, nothing gets more precise or succinct than hand-coding.
Web Technologies - Over the years, I’ve learned quite a bit about programming websites, and more so about the technologies that drive them. Being able to develop websites on your home computer, without any expensive programs or equipment, is one of the great things about the internet. All you really need is a test server (which can be your main computer if you only have one), with server software, and optionally some brand of server-side processing installed. For all this, I use Microsoft Internet Information Server (ISS) which came with my copy of Windows XP Pro, PHP, MySQL, and PHPMyAdmin (which can be used to administer your MySQL database). System configurations will vary, but generally most of these things have been so streamlined, it’s very easy to get them all set up and running.
Miscellaneous Software - Everyone’s got their own collection of random pieces of software they use for all the little things, and I’m no different. To conclude the software section of my Tools list, here’s a brief list of all the other software I use for my work:
UVMapper Classic / UMapper Pro
Anyway, that pretty much wraps up my list of development tools. I’ll be going back through and adding more links, relevant information, and maybe even some pictures (looks a little bleak at first, doesn’t it?). If you have any questions about these tools, feel free to ask me; I’ll answer if I can!
Loading ...