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The lights are dim and all I can hear are the sporadic giggles of little Stevie playing Mario Cart on the Nintendo 64. His giggles are hindered only by an intense concentration that I've never before seen in a four year-old child. As his virtual go-cart rounds the corner, Stevie sways and tilts with the motion, his entire body possessed by the game. I'm amazed by the captivation achieved with this simple racing game, and can only hope that the next interactive title or game that I produce will seize this same kind of attention.

Already one month into our production cycle, I think back to the beginning: the process of writing the Design Doc, the scheduling of future asset creation, and the planning of what tools would be used to bring our new project into reality. We would be stuck with these tools for the next six to twelve months. When speaking of tools in the interactive world, I mean everything from Microsoft Excel to Adobe Photoshop and everything in between! When people ask me what programs I use, I usually just respond, "Everything." There's no easy answer to the question.

Being that the Design Doc is written and the schedule has been made, we need to concentrate on the tools that will be used to create the assets that will make an idea reality. I'm talking about the art tools, the animation tools, and yes, the authoring, or programming, tools.

The Art
The first thing that needs to be started in any visual project is what's going to be seen. We're talking the art, the meat. What's going to keep the end-user looking at the screen?

How is this art going to be created? There are lots of programs out there designed for the creation of digital art, but only a few are particularly useful. These are Adobe Photoshop, Fractal Design Painter, and Debabelizer. Of course, you need to find what you are most comfortable using, but these are my three favorites, and the favorites of most digital artists.

Each of these programs have a powerful set of equally useful, but different tools. The trick is to find which one will best suit the needs of your project. Usually all of these programs will find a place in your project, but it's up to you to find your favorite. Here are a few of the benefits of each of these programs:

Adobe Photoshop
Photoshop is best utilized in the creation of realistic images and is great for photo enhancing/altering. There is a strong set of "paint-like" tools, but nothing too organic. If you want an easy-to-use paint program where you can create almost anything, then Photoshop is for you.

Fractal Design Painter
If you're into organic, realistic painting and drawing, then Painter is where it's at. With everything from pencils with multiple lead weights and various charcoals, to oil paints and water colors, Painter is the closest to real-life paint program I have ever used. There are even customizable paper textures! Although Painter is a little more complicated to learn than most other paint programs, it is well worth the patience.