hey guys, i am using csharp and using Unity3d. i want to spruce up my games a little bit but i do not know enough about generating my own meshes and textures and how i can actually put this to use.

For example, when a unit is given an order in starcraft 2, a line is created from the unit to the point it is traveling to.. so i guess that is a strip of planes along the path the unit if following textured with the arrows. the UV of the plane is shifted at a constant speed to make the arrows look like they are moving. the alpha value also seems to be adjusted along the way. I have no idea how to do this, and i cant begin to imagine how many more techniques there must be out there like this that i just am now aware about...

another thing is i have no idea how to randomly generate things. for example, how would i randomly generate the texture for a cartoonish planet (nothing complicated, just small and cartoony, LBP2 style).

so yeah, i am not asking for code or anything, i would just like to know if there are any resources out there on this topic...

Hmm...RTR is definitely not where you want to start for learning beginner techniques.

I would recommend Riemer's tutorials, they're actually a great starting place (that's where I started, and it served me well). http://www.riemers.net/

Following tutorials can get you in the hang of things, and honestly, all you need to do is absorb. There won't be any tutorial telling you exactly how to do the thing you mentioned, but once you understand vert/index buffers, alpha blending, texture animation, etc (you actually already seem to understand a good bit of how something like that might be put together), then it'll all start coming together for you.

Just keep reading and reading! But start small and work up.