Wow! eBook
Technical Animation in Video Games 2nd Edition
Author(s): Matthew Lake (Author)
- Publisher: CRC Press
- Publication Date: October 19, 2026
- Edition: 2nd
- Language: English
- Print length: 338 pages
- ISBN-10: 1041116578
- ISBN-13: 9781041116578
Book Description
This book provides a comprehensive overview of video game technical animation, covering the next-generation pipelines that industry developers utilise to create their games. It covers the technical animation workflow from start to finish, looking at both software and hardware, as well as the industry standard processes that all technical animators need to know.
Written to be an accessible technical animation resource, this book combines easy-to-understand principles with educational use cases on how to combine the principles and tools taught within. Example test scripts, animation files, and rig assets are provided as tangible examples that can be modified and taken apart to deepen your understanding. It covers the end-to-end pipeline of technical animation, from the very first steps of placing joints in Autodesk’s Maya to breathe life into your static characters, through tools and automation development, all the way to Unreal Engine 5 integration and optimisation. This new second edition contains a new chapter on additional character animation, as well as fully updated version references for the latest generation of software.
Additional resources are available on the book’s GitHub repository. From this resource, you will find example files for Maya and Python scripts that will help with your own work and demonstrations featured throughout this book.
This book is essential reading for early career game technical animators as well as those studying game animation courses. It will also appeal to technical animators working in the film industry.
Editorial Reviews
Editorial Reviews
Review
“Technical Animation in Video Games has helped me a lot and this updated new edition should be an essential purchase for every animator working in video games.”
Jonathan Cooper, author of Game Anim: Video Game Animation Explained.
Praise for the first edition:
“Of all the rigging advice I’ve seen over the years, the detailed rigging chapters in this book are so solid and it gives me joy to see a good resource in print.”
Brad Clark, co-founder of Rigging Dojo.
“This book is not only valuable for someone more junior, looking to start a career in technical animation, but anyone that works alongside or relies upon technical animation. It does a great job of breaking down, from start to finish, what is needed to establish a technical animation foundation for a game.”
Mike Jungbluthis an animation director and game developer who has been working in games since 2006.
About the Author
Matthew Lakeis an author and video game developer specialising in technical animation. Matthew began his career producing short movies in the early days of YouTube, which led to a collaboration with the online entertainment network Machinima. With over a decade spent working on content creation, he discovered a love for interactive storytelling and transitioned to a career in video game development.
After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Computer Games Animation, Matthew went on to work as a technical animator on video games such as the multiplayer PlayStation 5 launch title Destruction AllStars, as well as the single-player narrative title Fort Solis in which he was the lead technical animator. He has shared his expertise through technical presentations at international conferences, such as the Game Developers Conference (GDC) and Epic Games’ Unreal Fest.
Matthew is also the author of a published technical book focused on Technical Animation in Video Games, offering insights into the discipline for aspiring and professional developers alike.
