Book Description
Let this in-depth professional book be your guide to Blender, the powerful open-source 3D modeling and animation software that will bring your ideas to life. Using clear step-by-step instruction and pages of real-world examples, expert animator Tony Mullen walks you through the complexities of modeling and animating, with a special focus on characters. From Blender basics to creating facial expressions and emotion to rendering, you’ll jump right into the process and learn valuable techniques that will transform your movies.
Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.
Customer Reviews:
not bad at all.......2007-10-10
I pre-ordered this book the moment it appeared on Amazon...there are few resources which delve so in depth on this subject with blender all in one place, so if you're a blender enthusiast, it is surely the way to go.
Tony Mullen's writing style is superb for any newbie who wants to understand, a style which seems to be fairly prevalent in much of the resources that the blender community offers. They tend to write for those whom they know may or may not have extensive experience in CGI. If someone writes an introduction to the concepts of Blender, they write it accordingly. mind you this is an individual who holds a Ph.D. and yet his writing isn't intimidating at all.
I also enjoyed the forwards by Bassam Kurdali and Ton Roosendaal
and as far as having a problem with the included dvd, it worked just fine! And I really enjoyed watching the surreal "Elephant Dream", who knew blender could accomplish so much? though I do suspect that some heavy programming was done to accomplish some of the effects, but at least you get an idea that Blender is a very, very serious program with some amazing abilities.
Excellent!.......2007-08-25
If you are new to Blender and 3d animation, this book will help you to "open your mind to the possibilities". You will learn to build and animate your own character step by step. Easy to follow and very well explained. The included DVD has a lot of animation samples and source files used in the book. Go for it!
Great Blender Intro and Character Design.......2007-08-17
Of all the books I've read on 3D, this is the first that actually has been useful and direct to me. I have been using Blender 3D for a year now, but I found that there was alot of cool features that I missed that I then learned from this book.
Besides a great introduction, this book flows smoothly with the creation of a face from only a reference photo (with all the intermediate steps to get there), and then the rest of the book is showing how to build a a fully rigged (ready for animation) character from scratch. I am so amazed with this book.
This is a definitely a worthwhile book. I teach Blender 3D for a organization at Texas A&M University, and I suggest this to them all.
Animation Motivated Novices .......2007-08-13
Great book for the Blender Project. The intro says it all, for Blender Pros and highly motivated novices. Great tutorial and all the pieces included on CD.
excellent deal.......2007-06-13
This product arrived around a month from the day the purchase was made. the product arrived in excellent conditions, And I also found it{s cheaper than in other websites.
Book Description
Hyper-Realistic Creature Creation
Step-by-step instructions combined with in-depth discussions of topics ranging from the importance of good topology to the subtlety of facial expressions, make Hyper-Realistic Creature Creation an excellent all-around resource for the modeling, texturing and rigging of characters.
—William Dwelly, Senior Software TD
Maya Techniques / Hyper-Realistic Creature Creation is you solution for creating convincing characters in Maya. Get hands-on experience with innovative tools and powerful industry-recognized techniques as you learn to model like a pro, set-up your skeleton in a fast and easy way and create realistic facial controls. This book will help you achieve hyper-real characters quickly and effectively.
Get the inside scoop on high-end production techniques from industry pros Erick Miller, Paul Thuriot, and Jeff Unay! Through Project-based lessons, follow Jeff Unay's process for modeling the beast, Paul Thuriot's workflow for rigging the beast's body and Erick Miller's tips and techniques on complex facial rigging for maximum flexibility. The book car5efully delineates the entire production process for the beast's creation, so that you can both understand the individual techniques and how they relate to each other in a pipeline. You'll also take advantage of helpful video demonstrations so you can watch the experts at work.
By examining the entire process, you will learn strategies for creating characters with an emphasis on anatomy and realism. Lessons are designed to cover effective workflows for devising models that can be easily manipulated and animated. The methods discussed in this book can be applied to any setup needs that you may have because you'll learn the rigging process from the concept stage through to pipeline integration.
With this book you will:
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Be introduced to modeling theories
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Learn how to use powerful tools like the Soft Modification Tool and the Split Edge Ring Tool.
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Learn how to create custom hotkeys and marking menus
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Import image planes and block out a character
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Create an Adobe Photoshop network
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Use automation scripts
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Understand how to use a multiple rig workflow
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Lock, paint, mirror skin weights, and connect a bound rig to a control rig
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Create corrective blend shapes, and set-up cluster controls
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Learn how to create jaw, eye, and lip setups
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Discover concepts of a realistic skin shader
What you need to use this book
Bonus Features
Customer Reviews:
Good Book.......2007-03-08
I found this book a good overviewer for people who want to practically work in the area of hyper real characters. Its truely is a good reference and practical guide. Although it isnt for beginners, it gives overview of hyper-real character workflow in maya.
great guide for the competent user.......2006-11-19
This is among my favorites of Maya reference books. Admittedly, I was not at an appropriate level of knowledge when I first bought it; however, once my understanding was sufficient, I was incredibly pleased with it. I this book is NOT for absolute beginners. It does not hold your hand and tell you how to do every little thing; if this is what your looking for, I would recommend a more basic intro level book. In terms of techniques, it fills in many of the gaps left by other Alias publications, and is certainly a far cry above Autodesk's lackluster publications.
This book is written presupposing some knowledge of the program and surrounding concepts. When I first began teaching myself Maya, a friend had shown me this book-at the time, I was utterly lost trying to follow it. However, within a month or two my knowledge was sufficient for this book to begin making sense to me.
If you have never used maya and are trying to learn, hold off for a while before buying this. If you are an intermediate level user (confident + comfortable with basic concepts, and a general understanding of most major areas) interested in learning more about professional modeling and rigging techniques, this is for you. A great aspect of this book is the fact that the DVD provides scene files in different stages of tutorial completion, which allows the user to check their work against a "solution," or examine concepts and workflow in greater detail.
This book is extremely helpful for anyone seeking insight into the professional CG world and the workflows and processes thereof.
Awesome book for ADVANCED users!.......2006-11-13
This an amazing reference for advanced digital sculptors, but it just covers far too much inside information and techniques from the edge to really go into step by step detail. The sticky lips techniques are priceless and came at the right time for me. Again, if you don't have atleast 2 years experience using Maya hold on to this book until you do OR get one of the fundamentals books or delve into the numerous instructional DVDs that are available. Once you are very familiar with the Maya interface conventions and have atleast intermediate knowledge Poly modeling characters and character rigging this book will pay major dividends.
Pretty good!.......2006-08-05
I'm not new to maya, but I had some questions about easier UV mapping tool, and this book tells me the hint, contains other useful information that I need to know as a good modeler and animator!
Why I did not learn anything from this book........2006-07-06
Some Maya books are unclear about the real "need to know" steps on creating a model and this is one of those books. It is well known that most really good books about Maya topics come with a DVD with video tutorials that help reinforce the book and further your knowledge. I am sorry to say that this book did not have much to offer in that area.
Unfortunately, I need to give this book a negative rating. The companion DVD was full of interviews that were pointless and about non related topics. Creativity and imagination was definitely not important, as the book did not pay attention to important details.
Directions at some points were to just copy and paste a part of the model and skipping steps. It's like the people who made this book did not want you to learn anything from it and just rushed though making it to get some quick cash.
Average customer rating:
- I own two copies...
- A little intimidating but for the kabbalah enthusiast, a great find
- The Holy Laboratory of the Jewish Mystical Path
- True Kabala
- The Light of the Torah
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Sefer Yetzirah: The Book of Creation
Manufacturer: Weiser Books
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Bahir
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Sepher Rezial Hemelach: The Book of the Angel Rezial
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The Zohar: Pritzker Edition, Vol. 1
ASIN: 0877288550 |
Customer Reviews:
I own two copies..........2007-01-25
One copy is at my bedside. One copy is in my study scrawled with notes, quotes and notations! I found the second copy at a bookstore bargain table! I didn't even blink, it was bought by me. I knew a second copy would give me one to share. This book is what Kabbalah is. An amazing book. Simply, amazing.
A little intimidating but for the kabbalah enthusiast, a great find.......2006-11-10
Sefer Yetzirah is easier to understand than the hardcore works of Frater Achad but assumes that readers are well versed in the Book of Formations or that the contents will not shock them. I found the book to be written in an easy practical way but the subject matter just boggles the mind, so it's still a heavy read. In short, it's not something you would read relaxing on a beach but is interesting enough to get you through an 18-hour flight. The book may transform you if you have enough basic background on the subject matter. It is the stuff of serious magic and is a valuable resource for those who are interested in deeper states of meditation.
__________________________________________________________________________
Knowing more about Kabbalah now that when i first wrote the review above, I realize that this book, along with The Bahir is a must-read for people who want to understand the mysteries of Oral Torah. As a Christian, this book has enriched my understanding of the foundations of Christianity and its Gnostic roots. This book is without a doubt the absolute Kabbalah book. And although understanding its value requires you to go through a lot other books, it is sincerely worth the effort. This book changed my life.
The Holy Laboratory of the Jewish Mystical Path.......2006-11-05
My Maggid recommended that I read this book also. He seemed quite excited about it and so I read it early on with much enthusiasm. Let me put it this way, it was like being let loose in a recombinant DNA lab for thirty minutes with no one else around and you only have an average undergraduate level of familiarity with biology. You might come away with knowledge of where some things are stored and how they are labeled, but this is a far cry from the practicalities of running an experiment. But I do think and agree with other reviewers that this book will need to be consistently reread over the years.
Definitely a good book to go through the first time, so you get a chance to go back to it later. I have only read it once several years ago and maybe I will review it again one day when I reread it.
True Kabala .......2006-04-07
Cosmology is enlightening, this is one of the books you definitely need to get started in the Kabalistic view on the Creation. It is sometimes a bit technical, it gives you the information but you'll need other books by the same author and author Shlomo Weiss to further understand and appreciate what is being presented, if you really want to read Shlomo Weiss it would be helpful to read A Brief History of Time by S. Hawking (no mathematics in any of these books don't worry). The whole Kabalistic Theory is just out of this world literally, if you start down this path your life will change.
The Light of the Torah .......2006-03-27
Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan is one amongst a tiny group of Orthodox Jews who actually writes about Cabala in English and through publishers any one can reach. And most importantly, who is serious and learned about the topic. He has a freshness about it because, in this particular book, he shows us a bit of the mathematical aspects of Jewish Mysticism (Rabbi Kaplan is listed in the who is who of American Physicist), without falling into the holistic attempts that all the so called "masters" do, by putting every little thing they know about the esoteric of any culture and throwing it into a blender; or the recent desire to justify cabala through science, making justice to none. I'm telling you what he doesn't do because 99.9% of what is termed cabala out there isn't (yeah besides the diagram of the Tree of Life and its Sephirot, oh yeah and the Star of David). If you are interested in the unadulterated Jewish Mysticism this is one of the authors you should stick to. Another one is Shlomo Weiss Thiele. And this book makes an excellent introduction to more difficult ones.
Book Description
The ancient civilization of Mesopotamia thrived between the rivers Tigris and Euphrates over 4,000 years ago. The myths collected here, originally written in cuneiform on clay tablets, include parallels with the biblical stories of the Creation and the Flood, and the famous Epic of Gilgamesh, the tale of a man of great strength, whose heroic quest for immortality is dashed through one moment of weakness. Recent developments in Akkadian grammar and lexicography mean that this new translation, complete with notes, a glossary of deities, place-names, and key terms, and illustrations of the mythical monsters featured in the text, will replace all other versions.
Customer Reviews:
Modern Translation in an Attempted Perfectionism.......2007-08-06
Revised review: I read the revised edition of 2000 - with 10 new primary sources - of the originally 1989 book. The author chose rather the Akkadian versions over the Sumerian ones. Included are ten stories of variating length: Atrahasis, The Epic of Gilgamesh*, The Descent of Ishtar to the Underworld, Nergal and Ereshkigal*, Adapa, Etana, Anzu*, The Epic of Creation, Theogony of Dunnu, Erra and Ishum. (* = including standard version and older & shorter version). As you see, there isn't a story called "The Flood" as suggested by the title of the book. However, the flood is a recurring theme in several of the other stories.
Usually I detest footnotes, however, it makes perfect sense to use them here, as a translated text by someone else, from a distant civilisation has to be explained. Lost in translation puns and alliterations are pointed out. Also variating translations, which differ considerably. If the Bible translations via various languages have been done in a similar vagueness, I am not surprised that one or the other message has been misinterpreted. This book now uses modern English, which I am very thankful for, as it wouldn't make any sense to indulge in some sort of pretentious antique "translation". Stephanie Dalley is a perfectionist in the sense that she meticulously includes any missing line and lost word. Which sometimes leaves only a word per line extant. That is frustrating for sure occasionally, but unavoidable, if a reliable translation is sought. With some pages I was happy that I still have 99% of human vision, this tiny the text has been printed.
Though at times purposefully repetitious, the stories themselves are mostly interesting or/and indeed worthy to read. Not only for themselves, but also for the origin of some Western-known stories. However, one should be careful to draw direct lines of origin, as for one thing the same subject may be very different or, as the author points out, may variate considerably WITHIN the very long time of the Mesopotamian culture(s). In fact, the longer stories have largely been pieced together from different sources.
What she fails to mention is that the Mesopotamian culture(s) are derived from the Egyptian culture, as she avers the Mesopotamian one would be the first of mankind. That's an old Western urban legend attempting to dissociate from African culture, from Black culture as far as possible. Which is rather futile as Mesopotamia is located in Africa in geological reality for one thing and for the other, these specific ancients had been Black just the same. Which doesn't become clear at all in this book. Read The Africans Who Wrote the Bible or When We Ruled: The Ancient and Medieval History of Black Civilisations among many other books elaborating on that. However, I find it amazing that the derivations of the goddess Ishtar are mentioned, but she herself is presented as the original. Whereas it is long and officially accepted fact, even by the conservative science establishment that Ishtar in turn is derived from the Egyptian "Isis". In other words the Mesopotamian version may just be a sister derivation from Egypt, not the direct source for Western culture. In some instances that sister culture got remarried into the sources for later Western culture.
Speaking of conservatism and pseudo-origins: Elsewhere, the Epic of Gilgamesh is fancied as the first homosexual story in the world. To begin with, again, the Egyptians are able to top that. (For example with the story of Horus and Seth, though of course the concept of "homosexuality" differs from the modern one.) For another, the Gilgamesh story is rather bisexual, using modern Western terminology, as that concept was viewed differently back then and there as well. However, I find it remarkable that Stephanie Dalley isn't including that information in her veneration list. Accordingly, one can almost read this translation without noticing its however homosexual content. Gilgamesh's mother clearly speaks of Enkidu as if a son-in-law, but in the rest of the text he is translated in the like-a-brother routine. Well, maybe a "warm brother" as dated German slang would term him. Personally, I don't care about the translator's or my own view on this issue. It's even fun and safe for me, no matter my personal opinion, as in Rasta terminology, homosexuals happen in "Babylon" anyway (smile)... It's just interesting that she obviously leaves her path of perfectionism as soon as it comes to her bias. As I am a layperson on this, I wouldn't know, where else she missed some points. But maybe the reason for this is that the running gag in this story is that as soon as it turns homosexual, further text has been lost... Sure interesting to read in the ancient text that God made some humans nonbreeders to slow overpopulation. That almost sounds like modern slang.
I do recommend this book. Be sure to get the latest revision or another more recent book respectively.
This is the one scholars quote from . . ........2005-09-06
A collection of the major Mesopotamian myths translated by a respected scholar. This is an excellent source for those desiring an authoritative translation. Even so, these myths can be somewhat awkward to read given Dalley's use of square brackets to indicate gaps in the text and omission dots to indicate an unknown word or phrase. No doubt these are accepted academic techniques for translating ancient texts, but I do hope someone will come along and render these myths in a more enthralling format. For just such an example of how ancient texts can be made to come alive for the modern reader, see "Gilgamesh: A New English Version" by Stephen Mitchell . Nonetheless, I give Dalley five stars, but also highly, highly recommend Mitchell's new version of Gilgamesh.
Very Interesting.......2005-02-20
This is a thorough compilation of Akkadian myths. These are modern translations based on up to date scholarship. While Dalley does a good job of bringing out the poetry of these myths, these are direct translations of the original texts showing all omissions and as yet untranslated words and phrases. This approach gives a very good idea of both the character of the myths and also of the difficulties encountered by scholars in reconstructing these texts from the fragmentary available records. Readers will end numerous echoes of better known myths in these translations. The introductory essays, footnotes, and background information are excellent.
Great Collection Of Early Mesopotamian Literature.......2004-10-27
This is an excellent collection of several ancient Mesopotamian mythical stories. The original sources used for these translations were all written in Akkadian (which includes Semitic Babylonian and Assyrian dialects). Included in this collection are "Atrahasis", "The Epic of Gilgamesh" (standard and Old Babylonian versions), "The Descent of Ishtar to the Underworld", "Nergal and Ereshkigal" (standard and Amarna versions), "Adapa", "Etana", "Anzu" (standard and Old Babylonian versions), "The Epic of Creation", "Theogony of Dunnu", and "Erra and Ishum".
This large collection of stories, along with the well written introductions and notes provided, enables the reader to put these epic stories into context, and recognize the parallels within the different stories. I prefer this book to those that concentrate only on the Gilgamesh epic.
A good introduction, but not the most recent translation.......2004-10-05
Dalley presents many of the major myths of the Mesopotamian culture including "The Epic of Creation", "Atrahasis" (The Flood Myth), and "The Epic of Gilgamesh". Additionally, short essays are provided for most of the translations that help the modern reader to understand the stories. I thought Dalley's introduction did a good job of discussing structural markers and literary devices used in Mesopotamian poetry.
Since this book was published in 1990, more recent translations have become available. For example, Benjamin Foster's "From Distant Days" was published in 1995 and provides more complete translations of many of the same myths presented in Dalley. For example, the "Etana" myth in Foster includes a major portion of Tablet IV, which is completely missing in Dalley. Andrew George's "The Epic of Gilgamesh", which was published in 2003, contains a more complete translation of this story, along with Old Babylonian and Sumerian predecessors.
Despite these translation issues, general readers who want to sample a bit of Mesopotamian literature will most likely be pleased with Dalley's book. Dalley's translations are very accessible, despite the numerous gaps and ommissions present in the texts. For the person who wants a more complete anthology of Mesopotamian literature, I would recommend Foster's book, since he presents other types of literary genre, such as king legends, prayers, and love charms, in addition to more current translations of the major myths.
Average customer rating:
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Legislation: Statutes and the Creation of Public Policy, 3rd Ed. (American Casebook Series and Other Coursebooks)
William N., Jr. Eskridge ,
Philip P. Frickey , and
Elizabeth Garrett
Manufacturer: West Publishing Company
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Cases And Materials On Legislation 2004: Statutes and the Creation of Public Policy (American Casebook)
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ASIN: 031423330X |
Book Description
Contains an introduction to legislation; descriptive and normative theories of legislation, including procedural theories of legislation, pluralism and interest groups, and institutional theories of legislation; Title VII: interpretive issues and political theories, the Supreme Court's decision in Griggs, affirmative action United States Steelworkers of America v. Weber and Johnson v. Transportation Agency, Santa Clara County; legislative drafting; representational structures, structures of legislative deliberation; statutes as a source of public policy in the United States; theories of statutory interpretation; doctrines of statutory interpretation; and the implementation of statutes.
Customer Reviews:
a laugh riot.......2000-04-13
This book was an utter delight to read -- I keep it on my bedside table, and give myself the treat of a chapter each night. You wouldn't think that a book on legislation could have that impact, but Eskridge makes the topic fun and riveting, at once.
Book Description
A unique, in-depth approach to creating realistic characters in Maya. Maya Character Creation: Modeling and Animation Controls' author, Chris Maraffi, has expertise in the field and in the classroom that translates to the knowledge and solid teaching skills needed to make this book a "must-have"!
The current trend in computer graphics is greater organic realism. Many of thetop-grossing movies today, such as Spiderman, Lord of the Rings, Jurassic Park 3 ,and Star Wars Episode 2, all feature realistic 3D characters. There is a majorneed in the 3D community for educational material that demonstrates detailedtechniques for achieving this organic reality. Maya is one of the main packagesused on such cutting-edge films, and has an established toolset for creatingbelievable 3D characters. Maya Character Creation: Modeling and Animation Controls is designed to take you through the process of designing, modeling, and setting up animation controls for complex 3D characters. The concepts, techniques, and Maya tools used foreach step in the process are presented in each chapter, followed by manyhands-on exercises. NURBS, polygon, and subdivision surface modelingtechniques are shown for creating the character's skin, and skeleton-basedanimation controls are covered in detail. You will learn how a character'sskin should deform when the skeletal joints and muscles move. AdvancedMEL scripted animation controls are also covered extensively.
Customer Reviews:
It's okay........2005-10-10
We're using this book for my advanced rigging class at the Savannah College of Art and Design. That said, I think it is most certainly not a book for someone who has no experience in 3d.
I skimmed the modeling section, and the instructions are for a character modeled in NURBS. NURBS are certainly not what I would suggest modeling in if you're a beginner. If you've never modeled anything before, I would suggest finding a book that teaches you how to model with polygons first, which I consider much easier to begin with.
As for the rigging section, I will reiterate that you should probably have some idea of how to rig before attempting this. It has some really good MEL expressions for controlling the rig. The drawback is that there are some errors in the book that my professor has pointed out and given us solutions for. This could be a problem if you are trying to teach yourself, as your rig may function strangely or not at all if you don't already understand the basics of rigging. I know some examples of where there are severe problems with the rig presented and that was with the stretchy spine and the breathing expression (which you annoyingly can't turn off).
I probably wouldn't have bought the book if it hadn't been a requirement for the class. The instructions and notes that our professor gives us are more helpful than any book and no book can replace actual instruction from another human being.
Things are not at first what they seem............2005-09-26
Being new to Maya and having difficulty getting my characters to act properly, I purchased this book. When it arrived, I thumbed through it and thought that it was a little beyond my comprehension. I would read it from time to time before I went to sleep.
I continued trying to make my characters work properly (failed miserably) so I took out the book to give it the ol' college try. What a great book!
Coming from a background in Poser, I have invested a lot of resources in content; that said, I'm not creating my own characters at the moment. I began creating a rig for my character using the exhaustive chapter on creating character controls. I got about 1/3 of the way and bound the skin and skeleton just for kicks. I gotta tell ya that I felt that I had really accomplished something. The controls did exactly what they were supposed to, had more flexibility than I would have thought to create and looked really cool. I am very excited to complete the chapter and see what happens.
There are a couple of mistakes in the text that were frustrating at first, but applying logic after re-reading solved them. The author's style is as exciting as a saltine cracker, but it's clear that he knows how to create a great rig (that looks somewhat chaotic in the hypergraph, keeping in mind that I still have not completed it yet).
I would recommend this book to someone who is pretty familiar with Maya. Some parts are a little beyond me but I keep plugging away to become more than the novice that I am now.
Waste of money.......2005-08-16
I bought this book because of a recommendation and I wish I hadn't wasted my money.
The modelling section of the book explains one of the worst ways to model a character I've EVER seen. All the screenshots right up to the final render look like mushy cg without any definition.
The rigging part of the book is slightly better (but not by much). The author explains the rigging process quite well but the final model bends in the wrong places (eg the neck bend in a very strange manner which doesn't look natural at all).
Frankly you could easily find a better book out there like the new one from (...), The Art of Rigging Vol. 1(I'm not associated with them in any way).
Great book for intermediate modelers.......2005-03-04
Going into Chris Maraffi's Character Animation course at Full Sail, I was apprehensive about organic modeling and rigging. This book made a great companion during the experience of learning how to model bipedal characters and create their rigs. It provides a great spectrum of information on the subject, and makes a great addition to anyone's tech library. A must have for your tool kit!
Excellent for Rigging, but not for modeling........2004-09-17
Yes, this book is an excellent one if you would like to create an advanced rig, but the earlier modeling chapters don't teach good modeling skills (just look at the student models he put in, only a few are good. I'd be embarrassed to put put the other ones in a book.) That said, the book is excellent for learning how to create a rig and intuitive controls for the animation. The cover price of $45 is probably worth the detailed rigging section, but since the rest is a waste, it's really not a fabulous deal.
Book Description
XSI is the next generation in digital animation software. It was used to create some of the first realistic CG characters developed for film and it continues to be used by artists and animators worldwide in new and creative ways and in many different fields-from computer games to the film industry, from commercials to music videos. This official Softimage guide will show you how you can effectively use XSI to create compelling, lifelike characters. You'll cover each step-from designing and modeling to rendering and compositing. Learn how you can use Behavior to create intelligent characters that can interact with one another to form a realistic 3D animated crowd. You'll also cover scripting and how it can be used to save time and increase productivity.
Customer Reviews:
It works well with XSI 5 too!.......2006-01-31
I recommend this book highly to all beginners or intermidiate users of XSI 4 0r 5.
Aaron Simms walks you through many things that the manual and teaching materials that come with XSI do not.
5 stars from me!
PATTON
Truely and inspiring book........2005-03-15
This is truely an inspiring book. It contains a great mixture of learning materials, from character creation, to scripting, and final renderings. A must have.
What is it with XSI books?.......2005-01-16
I recently decided to get back into 3D after a number of years out of the loop. After experimentation with the top applications (Maya, XSI, 3DMax and Lightwave, plus a number of less well known applications such as Cinema4D), I decided to go with XSI. Maya came a close second: XSI just seemed easier and more intuitive.
The next problem was finding some teaching material to learn XSI with. There are literally hundreds of courses, books and DVDs for Maya, but only a handful for XSI. This was a fact that almost made me go for Maya (there is no point getting a high powered application if you dont know how to use that power!), but I took the precaution of actually reading some of the XSI books, and boy was I impressed - although there are far fewer XSI books out there, the quality of them exceeds many other digital authoring and computer books I have read. As a computer book author and freelance web designer myself, thats no mean feat... I get through a lot of books!
There are only two books you need to get up to speed with XSI: The XSI:Illuminated:Foundation (published by Mesmer) and this book.
The expertise of the authors of the Experience XSI 4 books is obvious just by flicking through the pages. One of the authors was actually involved in the development of XSI itself, and the other is a noted CGI professional. You just can't go wrong with tutors like these!
The other surprise was the high production values and low price of the book: full color gloassy paper throughout. This is not a showy color book with little technical depth though, far from it. It is packed with concise and totally practical tutorials.
Perhaps one downside of the book is that the authors push you straight in at the deep end: the character you create is commercial quality (ie it would not look out of place in a Hollywood motion picture). For me, thats an advantage not a pitfall: I'd rather be working slowly through a book that showed me how to create a believable, realistic character than fly through 300 pages creating cubes, matchstick men and simple rotating logos!
Highly recommended.
S
Good Blend of Technical and Creative.......2004-11-18
At the end of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban they give the credits. Minute after minute, after minute the credits flow. After the first few, the names are not of actors but of programmers and other computer types. This is typical of a lot of movies today. The computer people can produce special effects with greater attention to detail, more 'lifelike' appearance than previous techniques and can do it faster and at lower cost.
And one of the main packages used for this work is Softimage. Strangely enough there are relatively few books on working with Softimage. This book covers the latest XSI 4 version of the software.
The two authors are Aaron Sims who has done creatures for such films as Men in Black, and Michael Isner the head of Special Projects at Softimage. Mr. Sims handles the creative aspects of the book, going through the process of designing a character in a step-by-stem mode. Mr. Isner provides a solid base of information about the technical processes within XSI, information vital to a complete understanding of this powerful software package.
The two authors have split the work well giving two views of approaching a problem.
a good place to start.......2004-07-27
This book is nice to have handy considering the limited number of XSI books out there. While the treatment as a whole can be kind of overview-ish at times, Mr. Isner manages to get into some nice technical tid-bits that can be hard to find other places. A good place to start for someone who knows some 3D, but wants to learn the XSI methodology.
Book Description
Learn the Alias-endorsed workflow for creating a game in Maya with. this full-color, official book.
Discover the Game with Alias is the only book available that also teaches animation techniques in Alias MotionBuilder. Accompanying the book, are two DVDs. The first features instructor movies, scene files, and PLEs of Maya and Alias MotionBuilder. The second includes Maya Techniques in Polygon, Texturing, Lighting, and Shading. Be sure to get your copy of this invaluable resource today.
Customer Reviews:
Not a good teaching tool.......2007-05-14
I bought this book primarily to see if I could use it in teaching character animation using a pipeline of Maya and MotionBuilder.
No way.
The first part delves into making scenery for a hypothetical game with a hypothetical lead character. Fine. However, a lot of the polygon scenery could be readily replaced by matte painting, thereby drastically cutting down on poly count. The female character modeling session is typical of other character modeling chapters from other books by Sybex and Maya Press. The game modeler will not find anything new or insightful here.
However, there is one glaring omission in the book that totally negated any thought of using this book in a classroom. After the character is finished, it's time to animate it in MotionBuilder. But is there anywhere in the chapters preceding MB any mention of building the character's skeletal system? On top of this, from my previous work with MotionBuilder, MB is rather fussy on naming conventions for bones and joints. Not only is a "chapter" missing on how to properly bone the character, but at least one lesson on proper naming conventions is in order. Neither exist.
not for maya beginners.......2006-02-25
the only downfall of this book is that it doesn't give you a step by step directions to create the character. you have great images to follow. so you have to figure out how to get from one image to the next. it's a helpful book to use if you want to know how to model figures. i would not recommend this book if you just started on the maya program. some of the contents in the book can be confusing for beginners.
Had potential but lost it quickly.......2006-02-17
Recently I purchased this book because I thought it would give me "In depth" insight into game art creation in Maya and other software, but to my dismay it's more of an "overview" of the process from taking a model for concept to completion. The information was very sparse especially with the texturing section, the exception was the actual modeling of the main character (with no concept art I might add). All of the "information" was glossed over by letting the reader guess at how the author accomplished a particular series of steps. For instance creating the ground for the sets went like this
- Shape the basic terrain of the map with various Maya modeling tools. Start with a primitive polygon and go from there-
Seriously this is basically what was written in a nutshell. The diagrams from step 1-3 were vastly different in areas and requires alot of guesswork on the part of the reader.
The only redeeming quality of this book is the character tutorial and the bonus material on the DVD. The instructor led tutorials were ok but could've been done to more effect.
I'm an experienced 3D artist so I can fill in the wide gaps in the tutorials well enough, but for someone looking to learn the art of creating artwork for games, look elsewhere for ie, the first Sybex book on the matter "The Game Artists Guide to Maya".
Not to leave on a somber note, the book does have some descent info sprinkled throughout, but it's no where near as good as it should've been.
Something lost in the translation?.......2006-02-11
This book could have been great. Maybe it tries to cover too much ground. Maybe the translation from Japanese leaves something to be desired. It's filled with amazing illustrations and great detail you won't find in any book, but it's mostly trapped in the images. The text is often confusing or banal: "Create the appearance of sand on the texture bordering the ground." Oh really? How? Isn't that why I bought this book?
If you're past the beginner stage or want to get a thorough overview of the game art creation process, by all means buy this book. Even beginners will get something out of it. But you won't get as much out of this book as you would have hoped.
Book Description
A retelling of the Seneca creation story and prophesies for the future.
Customer Reviews:
History Lesson.......2007-08-25
I came to this book due to my interest in Jamie Sams and Twylah Nitsch. For people who have questions about the First through the Fifth Worlds from reading other books by Jamie Sams, this book fills in the blanks. For those who have no knowledge of Sams and Nitsch, this book is so playful and delightfully written that it could be underestimated by the reader.
FASCINATING!.......2007-04-04
This book is fascinating from cover to cover. Jamie Sams and her grandmother, Twylah, are master story-tellers. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in Native American beliefs! It is the Seneca version of creation and history, our relationship with Mother Earth, and events still to come! Thanks Jamie and Twylah!
GrandMother's Gift.......2001-06-11
As always when reading books by Jamie Samms or hearing the teachings of Twylah Nitsch, we find the gifts that we need too. The Medicine is always pure and healing.
This is a must read to understand why to love The Earth........1999-11-10
This book gives a wonderful perspective on the relationship we have to The Earth. The story of Creation is revealed through the ancient teachings of the Senecas. This story is a creation myth at its best. This story allows the reader to see from the perspective of Mother Nature herself. Here, all of the world of information about history is available not through reading or the internet, but through the wonderful worlds of truth that exist within each being. All of the creatures of The Earth are loved equally and completely by the generous and divine Earth Mother. The book gives explanations for why we have different races of humans and explains the gifts of each. This book is easy to read. I recommend it for anyone who is curoius about why we have gone astray in the world today. Also, it would be a great tool to share with children, who are all naturally connected with their inner wisdom. Remember to share this one with a friend.
A must read for seekers of the Truth.......1997-12-30
This book is a must for anyone interested in the spiritual ways of the Seneca's as told by the granddaughter of the last recognized medicine man of the Senecas. It's also her story. The story of how a stone person revealed her future birth and the challenges she would face in life as she took over where her grandfather left off. Included in the book is the language of the stones, a basic guide for revealing a personal message a particular rock might hold for you.
Average customer rating:
- Divine Encounters
- Is doesn't matter at all whether it`s science, it still may be true...
- riiiiiiiiiiiiight
- more good stuff
- Partial Theories...
|
Divine Encounters: A Guide to Visions, Angels, and Other Emissaries
Zecharia Sitchin
Manufacturer: Bear & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Similar Items:
-
Genesis Revisited
-
cosmic code: Book VI of the Earth Chronicles (The Earth Chronicles)
-
The lost realms: Book IV of the Earth Chronicles (The Earth Chronicles)
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The Lost Book of Enki: Memoirs and Prophecies of an Extraterrestrial god
-
The Wars of Gods and Men: Book III of the Earth Chronicles (The Earth Chronicles)
ASIN: 1879181886
Release Date: 2002-03-01 |
Book Description
Explains the links between the Bible and ancient Sumerian texts, probing the age-old question of the relationship between humanity and its creators.
• Challenges scientific maxims of the basis of human life.
• Draws fascinating parallels between the leaders of the Anunnaki (from the 12th planet) and Yahweh.
• A comprehensive new look at the history of man.
• First time available in hardcover.
In Divine Encounters Zecharia Sitchin draws on basic Judeo-Christian texts to analyze the creation myths, paralleling Biblical stories to the myths of Sumer and Mesopotamia in order to show that humanity did not evolve without assistance. Sitchin daringly hypothesizes instead that Enki, one of the leaders of the Anunnaki from the 12th planet, created humanity as a "primitive worker." Furthermore, Sitchin suggests that the extraterrestrial encounters of today demonstrate the continued interest of the Anunnaki in the Earthlings they created.
Customer Reviews:
Divine Encounters.......2007-01-12
Another great book by Zachariah Sitchen,This one has a lot of previous material but I have read all eight books of his Earth chronicles and they are all very mind boggling.
Is doesn't matter at all whether it`s science, it still may be true..........2005-08-06
All books by Mr. Sictchin are very good and unusual, IMHO. But this one in a way surpases them by far. I shall not go into a detailed description of the contents but the last chapters of the book have striken me with their unorthodox approach and analysis. I shall give just one example - the meaning of the Hebrew word 'olam' (world, universe): this word appears a lot in the Bible, both by itself and in two strange combinations 'le-olam' ('for ever'!? what's the connection?) and 'me-olam' ('never') - this ethymology always looked queer to me - and here comes Mr. Sitchin and makes this 'space-time' connection simple and clear.
And at the end Mr. Sicthin tries to find out who really was the God of the Bible - and arrives to a conclusion you would never expect!
riiiiiiiiiiiiight.......2003-08-22
Oh--the Tower of Babel was a spaceport and Noah was clued in by aliens who sat up in a spaceship while the world was flooded. Now it all becomes SO clear.
The best thing about Sitchen's....er..."work" is that I always sleep great after reading it. I always sleep best after a good laugh.
Some original ideas and probably a nugget of uncommon truth here and there, but this is otherwise one of the most ridiculous books I've ever read.
more good stuff.......2002-01-06
Sitchin comes through with another good book. More influence from the Annunaki.
Partial Theories..........2001-08-21
Great book with partial theories...only if he would continue to explain everything up to modern times. I don't understand how some people's intelligents were insulted, seems to me the same person who never read any of these books by Zecharia Sitchin keeps putting them down.
Anyhow, read this book and any other book from Mr.Sitchin for good theories.
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