Product Description

Explains how to create compelling 3D graphics and animation, putting readers on the fast-track to careers in film or game design - today's hottest growth industries.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #436992 in Books
• Published on: 2004-01-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 480 pages

From the Back Cover
Learn all the fundamentals of 3-D graphics and animation, including preproduction, modeling, texturing, animating, rigging, lighting, and rendering. This helpful resource provides detailed instruction on a broad range of disciplines and techniques used in the 3-D field. Follow a real-world example using the author’s short, character-based animation step-by-step through production. Learn to animate emotionally rich characters--a hot commodity in today’s marketplace as game and film producers are transitioning to increasingly complex animated characters. This remarkable book links together all the seemingly unrelated skills and techniques required in the exciting world of 3-D animating in a clear and easy-to-follow reference.

• Create your very own character-based CG animation
• Use contemporary techniques to create models that work for both real-time and rendered animation
• Schedule and plan like a producer, and design your animation like a director
• Create realistic, detailed, convincing body animation
• Learn dialog-driven emotional facial animation
• Create custom character controls for flexible character rigging without plug-ins
• Learn preproduction techniques including scriptwriting, art direction, and storyboarding
• Create animated effects with 3ds max 6's new Particle Flow
• Craft camera shots with cinematic lighting and render with Global Illumination and HDRI
• Learn a complete approach toward CG filmmaking with 3ds max 6 as the anchor

Barrett Fox has more than eight years of real-world animation production and seven years of experience teaching and writing about 3-D animation. He has written, produced, animated, and directed dozens of widely variegated 3-D animated projects.

About the Author
Barrett Fox (San Francisco, CA) has more than 8 years of real-world animation production and 7 years of experience teaching and writing about 3D animation. His work has been published in such prominent trade publications as 3DGate, 3D magazine, Cadence magazine, and others. Fox’s animated films have been shown at the 2001 Webby Awards, broadcast on TechTV, and showcased on numerous Web forums and festivals. He has written, produced, animated, and directed dozens of widely variegated 3D animated projects.

Customer Reviews

Highly recommended
Based on an actual film currently in production by the author, this booktakes you step by step through the entire process of the production of itsfirst few scenes, the book is divided nicely into sections coveringconcept, modelling, texturing, rigging, animation, lighting andrendering.
I was initially worried that the early 'concept' chapters would be oflittle interest to me as I really just wanted to get my hands dirty but infact they are some of the best in the book, offering great advice foranyone contemplating a short film of their own.
The provided CD is exceptional and Barrett Fox is clearly a generous man,included is every texture, scene, and audio files used for the first fewscenes of the film, which in my mind make this worth the price of the bookalone, especially useful are the profile images used for modelling thehead and clothes.
I highly recommend this book, and although I am a just a beginner I thinkit would be just as valuable to more advanced users as well.

3DS Max Helper!
From the beginning this book is written clearly, and is very easy to follow.

It goes through creating an animated short, from beginning to end. It's well worth the money for the intermediate user within 3ds Max. I advise any animation/3D student to own a copy, if Max is one of your programs!

Highly recommended
Based on an actual film currently in production by the author, this booktakes you step by step through the entire process of the production of itsfirst few scenes, the book is divided nicely into sections coveringconcept, modelling, texturing, rigging, animation, lighting andrendering.
I was initially worried that the early 'concept' chapters would be oflittle interest to me as I really just wanted to get my hands dirty but infact they are some of the best in the book, offering great advice foranyone contemplating a short film of their own.
The provided CD is exceptional and Barrett Fox is clearly a generous man,included is every texture, scene, and audio files used for the first fewscenes of the film, which in my mind make this worth the price of the bookalone, especially useful are the profile images used for modelling thehead and clothes.
I highly recommend this book, and although I am a just a beginner I thinkit would be just as valuable to more advanced users.