Book Description
- Written by an industry veteran who has used Maya in such films as Mortal Kombat and Shrek, this full-color book offers advanced, professional-level techniques for texturing and lighting for rendering 3D models in Maya
- Begins with an introduction of various lighting concepts, then offers readers detailed explanations of Maya's numerous hidden features so they can achieve amazing results quickly
- Features an unparalleled exploration of Maya's Hypershade, where animators create connections between shaders, texture maps, lights, cameras, and geometry
- Provides a thorough look at rendering in Maya, including everything from batch rendering to global illumination workflow and HDRI techniques
- The CD-ROM includes the Maya Personal Learning Edition, textures, tools, professional shaders, and more
Customer Reviews:
Excellent for Professionals.......2007-08-13
I bought this manual to help me ugrade from Maya 7.0 to Maya 8.5 and it's become my most prized and relied upon resource. Every tutorial I've gone through has worked perfectly (no missing steps or errors so far), Mr. Lanier writes coherently & well, and each new topic is presented in a straightforward and matter-of-fact fashion.
As a professional Video Game Artist, I've reccommended this manual to our enitire company of 300, and will continue to do so to everyone else. In the past, decent documentation on the finer points of Maya has been elusive, but Mr. Lanier has saved us! I will be adding his other manuals to my library.
Wow.......2007-03-09
This Book is just Perfect...it tells you EVERYTHING about the Lighting and the Texturing.... if you want to learn about that 2 things... Buy This Book NOW
A Maya book absolutely worth owning.......2007-03-08
Lee Lanier has approached the writing of his latest book with the same intensity, accuracy, and zeal that he demonstrated when he was my teacher at De Anza College several years ago. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of Maya, and of Maya lighting in particular. The material is laid out methodically and in great detail. Lee never glosses over a topic, but goes in depth to provide insight into the theory behind every concept. I highly recommend this fine book.
Great resource, lots of good information.......2007-01-04
I've read a number of Maya books over the past few years. Most focus on basic-intermediate usage. Lanier's book is a great resource for learning advanced tips and theory, with many color pictures. This is the best book I've found about using Hypershade nodes to build professional materials.
I particularly liked that the included DVD contains Maya project files for every scenario pictured in the book (although most of the cool models are not included, just simple geometric primitives). These project files contain great setups comparing different lighting and rendering settings. I highly recommend this to anyone interested in learning intermediate-advanced Maya topics.
Excellent !.......2006-11-18
I've been reviewing several books on this topic, and this one's a winner! It's specific and useful and goes into great detail about nodes in Hypershade and how to use them that the manuals don't.
If you're serious about reaching an advanced level with your Maya rendering skills, then this book is for you. Just buy it now, and you can thank me later! In terms of lighting design and the esthetic side of things, I also like the book Digital Lighting and Rendering, 2nd Edition by the Pixar artist Jeremy Birn, I think the idea to buy both of these together is an unbeatable combination for any serious Maya user!
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:
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.
Exactly what I needed........2007-06-01
I've been learning Blender for a while now, piecing it together from stray tutorials and such, but with this very affordable book, I've found exactly what I needed. I already knew a lot of what the book covers, but it helped fill in some gaps that most online tutorials take for granted, and gave me a whole, more complete view of how to go about my business with Blender. I would definately buy another book from this author.
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.
Book Description
This exceptional, full-color Maya Press title - produced by Alias, the software's creators - is a comprehensive mid-cycle revision that uses the award-winning short film Blue as the basis for the book's all-new hands-on tutorials. Artists, students, educators, and hobbyists will appreciate this book's comprehensible coverage of 3D and Maya basics. Project-focused lessons use actual production files from the film Blue to teach you most of the tools available in Maya Complete. The companion DVD includes instructor-led tutorials, scene files, artist interviews, and Maya PLE. Also includes Alias's Sketchbook Pro Version 1.1.1, $129.99 value.
Customer Reviews:
Definitely for Beginners.......2007-08-22
If your goal is to design a basic character and a simple environment, then this book is definitely for you. It covers all the basics and helps you to get familiar with where the tools are located.
However, if you are already familiar with MAYA, then you'd be better off just going online and finding some tutorials.
Good for students.......2007-08-12
Im a teacher computer, and recomend this book for new students of animation and modeling 3D.
perfect book to learn maya 7.......2007-04-07
This book is the best one I have bought because it explains to you every detail step by step. It also comes with videos explaining how to do each lesson.The best part is that in bonus it brings the software = alias sketchbook pro.
FANTASTIC.......2007-02-26
This book is straight forward, easy to read, and a joy to follow along on the screen to. I am quite impressed with the attention to detail on each of the steps in this book. "Foundation" will give anybody who hasnt used a 3d package before the nessacary skills and information needed to follow on and create their own models.
6 out of 5 stars for such a good book.
(real name is my mothers, i am the one actually working through the book)
Excellent beginners book.......2007-01-17
I have gotten through several chapters of this book and am already finding it extremely helpful in learning this complex program. There are movie lessons on the CD to augment each chapter and they are very helpful in making the lesson material familiar. If the book continues to be as helpful as it has been so far I will be a very satisfied customer.
Perhaps I shouldn't be writing a review so soon, but I am excited that the program is becoming accessible to me.
Book Description
Add Another Dimension to Your Portfolio—And Move to the Top of Your Craft
Professional artists who strive to bring a new look to their illustrations are using Alias' premier 3D software in tandem with Adobe's prominent digital imaging program to create cutting-edge graphics. Now, with Maya 6, this remarkable combo is even better integrated than before.
Creating Striking Graphics with Maya and Photoshop—brought to you from Maya Press, a publishing partnership between Sybex and Alias—is a dazzling introduction to the vibrant world of 3D and Maya. Graphics wiz Daniel Gray, with help from an elite group of pros, will inspire you to incorporate 3D into your graphics and think more artistically when approaching your creations. And if you're already familiar with Maya, you'll learn how Maya 6 makes it even easier to work between both applications.
First you'll get the essential Photoshop user's introduction to Maya and learn how to make the leap from 2D to 3D. Then, you'll discover how high-profile artists use Maya and Photoshop together in real-world scenarios where 2D and 3D collide in a burst of creativity. Through a series of interviews that address a variety of 3D applications, you'll discover how:
- Maya Master Meats Meier depicts Mother Nature with otherworldly success
- Michael Elins combines photography and classical painting with the 3D world
- Damon Riesberg cranks out a daily comic strip by posing and rendering his cast of characters
- guru studios crafts beautiful 3D cartoons with a cool retro feel for TELETOON
- Meteor Studios brings ultra-realistic prehistoric creatures to life for the Discovery Channel's Dinosaur Planet
- IBM painstakingly re-creates ancient artifacts, such as the Sphinx, for the Egyptian Museum in Cairo
- Meshwerks digitizes automobiles for use in movies, advertising, and video games and creates the ultra-cool chopped and channeled Honda EleMENTAL Woodie!
Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.
Customer Reviews:
This book is one huge resume.......2007-02-16
I wish I would have read the reviews before buying this book. At least I got it used. This book is almost devoid of actual tutorials and hands-on learning. The first few chapters have some instruction, but the majority of the book reads like a compilation of resumes with stunning imagery. There are lots of pictures and in-depth biographies of industry professionals with very little tips on how to create the images included. If you are a new user looking to expand your skills this is not the book for you. If you are an industry professional looking to hire a skilled artist, this may be what you're looking for. I regret buying this book.
I should have read the review's of the book first !!.......2006-05-08
The Book is just a info commercial at best, almost no tech help.
Don't Purchase.......2005-07-06
I flipped through the book and saw some nice imagry and thought it might have some good tutorials on the CD-ROM. Was I wrong, this book teaches nothing...it informs the reader of how cool it is to combine Photoshop and Maya and stops right there. I don't know how this book was published with maya on the title.
Sorry but I cannot recommend it.......2004-08-25
I am used to buy a lot of good books from Amazon, but this time I had bought this book without waiting for other opinion about, so I think I have to inform that this book is really useless if you are looking for ideas or tutorial regarding integration between the two programs. Really a basic level targeted book, with nothing useful for intermediate/advanced users.
Not happy.......2004-07-29
I really thought this book would show techniques in using both programs. There is pretty much only two tutorials (Chapter 2 and 3) throughout the book. The rest of the 8 chapters shows case studies and gives long bios of the people that created the work. If you are looking to really learn hands on techniques this is not the book. The CD is horrible, there are only two chapter folders that have scene files. The CD also contains a corny little quicktime movie of Alanis Morisette's video. Get the book used if you must have it.
Book Description
Dave Eberly's
3D Game Engine Design was the first professional guide to the essential concepts and algorithms of real-time 3D engines and quickly became a classic of game development. Dave's new book
3D Game Engine Architecture continues the tradition with a comprehensive look at the software engineering and programming of 3D engines. This book is a complete guide to the engineering process, starting with a walk-through of the graphics pipeline showing how to construct the core elements of 3D systems, including data structures, the math system, and the object system. Dave explains how to manage data with scene graphs, how to build rendering and camera systems, and how to handle level of detail, terrain, and animation. Advanced rendering effects such as vertex and pixel shaders are also covered as well as collision detection and physics systems. The book concludes with a discussion of application design, development tools, and coding standards for the source code of the new version of the Wild Magic engine included on the CD-ROM. Wild Magic is a commercial-quality game engine used by many companies and is a unique resource for the game development community.
*CD-ROM with the complete C++ source code for Wild Magic version 3, a commercial-quality game engine for Windows, Linux, and OS X.
*A comprehensive, practical guide to all the steps necessary to build professional-quality real-time simulations with just minimal mathematics required.
*Emphasizes the application of software engineering principles and describes the architecture of large libraries.
Customer Reviews:
Good software engineering book.......2006-01-03
Well, needless to say, Eberly rocks. This is a great book on game engine architecture - even though it's less mathematically intensive than Eberly's other books (which, for many, is a good thing), it has a very good coverage of software engineering aspects of game engines, as it explains in detail how (and why) the WildMagic engine is organized. Do keep in mnid, though, that the book's purpose is not teacing how to develop games or algorithms for that - it's a software engineering book, and a good one at that.
Acceptable book with some significant failings.......2005-11-09
This is an acceptable introductory book for the architecture of an AAA-quality game engine, under the consideration that it has so little competition.
The most significant criticism I have of the book is its repeated digression of topics into a documentation of the Wild Magic engine. If you intend to use the Wild Magic engine, I highly recommend the book, but for anyone not using it, this book saves far too few pages for discussions of general engine architecture.
For example, the entire second chapter is basically a documentation of the basic types defined for the Wild Magic engine. If you are architecting a large scale project, you do not want to start the discussion with talk of a smart pointer class. Or an array class. Unfortunately, this is exactly how the book begins.
Throughout the book, the reader is constantly forced to shift through documentation for each Wild Magic class. While the author does use the engine to illustrate points, often the point is so heavily mixed with the documentation that it is tedious to pick out the general discussion.
My secondary criticism of the book is that too many words are used in specific (but uncommon) ways - making it hard to follow at times. The sad part is that the author acknowledges this for some words (which helps the reader) but fails to for others. An example of the latter is when the author concedes that he uses the word `animation' to mean any event that happens over a period of time. You will not find that definition in any dictionary, but at least he specifies his intent, which is slightly forgivable. What is not forgivable is the other phrases/words that are not acknowledged as being uncommonly used, such as `world bounds' and `local bounds'. Too often I found myself carefully following discussions not because I found the material difficult, but because I needed to extract the context for which the author is using a word or phrase. In this sense it makes it hard for anyone to simply use the book for reference purposes.
This book deserves three stars because it is a good (although sometimes short) treatment of the many subjects that are part of a 3D game engine. It loses one star for trying to combine two related, but what should be separate discussions - general engine architecture and documenting Wild Magic. It loses another for being overly verbose and dry (see my secondary criticism). It has so few competitors that you might just have to accept its failings and shift through the material to dig out the general architecture nuggets that are dispersed throughout the book.
3d Game Engine Architecture.......2005-06-03
The title says everything, this book treats most aspects concerning game engine design architecture and programming. Although not focusing in the next generation graphics architectures and shaders, it does provide an excellent basis for core engine and underlying graphics architecture design. General programming topics such as memory layout and shared object references are also discussed. A great book for begginers and a nice reading for professionals.
Best documentation for a software architecture ever written?.......2005-04-26
I don't know if this book the best documentation of a software architecture ever written, but its gotta rate up there. Probably its only rivals would be some of the foundational papers about the design of UNIX.
Why are there so few good contenders? Well, the genre of documentation for software architecture is a demanding one, because you need to master of so many skills in order to do it right. What makes it even harder is that the codebase is always changing in response to bugfixes and enhancements, which puts the documentation in continual jeopardy of drifting away from the codebase it describes.
Yes, this volume is a bit more plodding than Eberly's usual effortless writing style, but remember, he's documenting a software architecture, which is an inherently plodding task. Its ploddinghood is therefore a feature, not a bug. Moreover, he is never gratuitously plodding.
f you want to be a great documentor of software architectures, then pay close attention to the techniques Eberly uses here. Notice how, by casting the documentation in a tutorial form, he simultaniously makes it (1) a much more interesting read, and (2) makes it a dual-use document, invaluable both to newbies getting up to speed and to old pro's wanting to refresh their memory.
Budding game engine developers will find this book invaluable, but they are not the only ones who would benefit from reading it. This book could be profitably used in a general software architecture class, as an example of how to really document a software architecture.
In addition, a game engine's architecture is a superset of many other software architectures. For example, someone who is building a large-scale CAD system, or an EDA package, or an event-driven simulation package, or a physics simulation package, would also save themselves from many unanticipated "gotchas" by giving this book a close read.
Finally!.......2005-04-17
One of the criticisms I had of Dave Eberly's previous 3D Game Engine Design is that it didn't really say much about how to design an engine. Rather, it focused mostly on the programming/implementation details, which was disappointing to some. This new book is what many people expected from the older book.
In this book, the author walks through the design and architecture of a 3D game engine, using his Wild Magic engine as an example, but also drawing on his experience developing NDL's NetImmerse. Throughout, he describes why each design decision was made, and in many cases alternative solutions are discussed as well. This isn't just a high level discussion, however, as ample source code, figures, equations, and sample applications are included to get you started with implementation.
The topics covered include the core engine systems, scene graphs, renderers, cameras, LOD, animation, terrain, special effects, physics and collision detection. Numerous sample applications and tools are also included. Dave's writing style is clear and minimally conversational, and he's kept the math to a minimum, making this a remarkably easy read.
This isn't a complete treatment of a game engine, since some important topics (e.g. scripting, audio) aren't included, but the material it does cover is worth it. Whether you're currently working on a game engine, planning to start one, or just want to have a better understanding of how they work, you'll be happy with this book.
Book Description
This exceptional, full-color Maya Press title -- produced by Alias, the software's creators -- offers a brand-new approach to teaching modeling and animation using the characters from the Academy Award-winning short film The ChubbChubbs. You'll find instructor-led tutorials, scene files, artist interviews, and Maya Personal Learning Edition on the enclosed DVD.
Customer Reviews:
An Interactive Way to Learn Maya.......2007-05-07
This book was a great way to learn the concepts of Maya. It is colorful and engaging. The book uses fun examples to teach the reader about creating animations.
This book starts out with basic concepts and runs up all the way into complicated animation details. It would be a great book for any level - but absolutely perfect for someone starting out, and looking to become a Maya pro.
worst....guidebook.....ever..............2007-03-28
horrible. as some have said, names are misused, images are confusing,
greatly lacking in explanation. i've been banging my head against this thing for two and a half weeks and i give up. clunky workflow examples and frankly outdated pipeline. anyone interested in a book like this would do themselves a favor by checking out Gnomon Studios or Digital Tutors. they present more sophisticated and intuitive workflows. save your money and use the manual that came with your software as reference with the video guides available from the above mentioned companies. it'll save you from the inevitable ulcers Learning Maya 7 will cause. p.s. been using EIAS since '95. Not new to this game. hope the review helps.
Apparently quite good.......2007-01-09
I gave this as a gift, but the recipient told me it's an excellent resource and well worth the investment
Good for Starters.......2007-01-04
This book was used in my Intermediate 3d Animation course and it's pretty good for the basics of rigging a bipedal character. However, the book tends to be inconsistent with some of its naming conventions for certain bones while rigging, which could confuse a beginner. For example, when they go through and tell you to name all your bones, they tell you to name the "knee" joint "up leg", then a few chapters later, they refer to it as the "knee joint" instead of "up leg."
Perfect.......2006-08-17
This is exactly what i was looking for, i think this is an amazing book if you want to learn....you have to get it.
Book Description
This spectacular full-color guide takes a brand-new approach to Maya special effects. Brought to you by Alias, creators of Maya, you'll find:
- A new approach to teaching rendering and dynamics using characters and effects from the Oscar-winning short film The ChubbChubbs.
- Coverage of the whole range of special effects topics, including lighting, camera rigging, effects, particles, and rigid bodies.
- Your able to compare effects you create with effects found in the final film.
- A DVD with instructor-led tutorials (Quicktime videos) as well as scene files, artist interviews, and Maya Personal Learning Edition.
Order your copy of this indispensible handbook today!
Customer Reviews:
Good reference.......2007-01-04
Good reference if you know enough about Maya to spot the discrepancies. Some of the tutorials are also buggy in Maya 8.
Good but.......2006-11-10
it has a very bad explation of how alpha in file textures work. In fact one example that showed how to connect "alpha" was actually using black for transparency. Other wise the info is a good foundation. Hope the Maya 8 Version is better.
great rendering and dynamics for maya7.......2005-11-15
A great book for beginners of maya7. It is basicaly the "Rendering" and "Dynamics" books of the Learning Maya6 Book Series all in one. There are over 600 pgs of color diagrams and simple text discriptions. It is very clear and covers many very important aspects of image quality. Unfortunately for me, I already have the Learning Maya6 Book series so there is a lot of redundant information. Though there is enough new info to keep me happy.
The best it gets!.......2005-10-30
These books are a spectacular edition. Alias has been good about teaching in their books, but these books actually have FUN projects! I have enough books that will tell me how to do something (and these are VERY easy to understand) but the only ones that I can actually have fun working with are the ones contained in this new series. Not for the advanced user though. If you want advanced, go for the Maya Tecniques series, not the Learning Maya series. Great books!
Book Description
"Even though I've worked with these systems for years, I found new ways of looking at several topics that make them easier to remember and use. For someone new to 3D programming, it is extremely usefulit gives them a solid background in pretty much every area they need to understand." Peter Lipson, Toys for Bob, Inc.
Based on the authors popular tutorials at the Game Developers Conference,
Essential Mathematics for Games and Interactive Applications presents the core mathematics necessary for sophisticated 3D graphics and interactive physical simulations. The book begins with linear algebra and matrix manipulation and expands on this foundation to cover such topics as texture filtering, interpolation, animation, and basic game physics.
Essential Mathematics focuses on the issues of 3D game development important to programmers and includes optimization guidance throughout.
*Covers concepts in sufficient detail for a programmer to understand the foundations of 3D without feeling overwhelmed by proofs and theory
*Companion CD-ROM with code examples built around a shared code base, including a math library covering all the topics presented in the book, a core vector/matrix math engine, and libraries to support basic 3D rendering and interaction
*Provides guidance for students trying to understand how games are actually developed, including optimization techniques
Customer Reviews:
a grab bag of germane maths topics.......2007-06-12
Do you know the history of quaternions? About a century ago, they were investigated, as an exercise in pure, abstract maths. Yet in recent years, people in computer graphics found this very useful in defining certain types of rotations. Interested? Well, this book has a good, clear section that explains how they are used. That requires only some basic knowledge of trigonometry and complex numbers.
Much of the book is like this. Though perhaps with concepts more readily apparent than quaternions. Ideas drawn from three dimensional analysis. But with topics that are not typically in maths courses, relating specifically to graphical displays. Like different types of tesselations, different shaders and texture maps.
Some physics also shows up in the book. Often related to ray tracing and approximating the effects of light on a surface.
Nothing too hard, despite some remarks by other reviewers. The really advanced and specialised material, like applying Monte Carlo methods, has been omitted. This is essentially a basic text. You should have mastery of this material to do useful contributions in graphics.
Very Difficult.......2006-03-15
The book presentation is very good but the presentation of the material 'jumps right in there' with a good review and is very technical and a bit difficult to follow. It is an excellent book for someone that remembers their basic math, if your rusty, take a refresher course first.
Fabulous teaching!.......2005-07-25
See my other review. I bought this book and the other. I got stuck in that other book. I am learning linear algebra for the first time. This book is doing it! Although it gets quite abstract at times, and seems to be presenting the subject as if it is not related to 3D programming (like solving equations for an n-dimensional space), and it explains something and then says it is not used in 3D programming, it explains the concepts extremely well, and although it may take a while for a new concept to sink in for me, I do not find myself having to go elsewhere for help.
One note though, I tried to email one of the authors to find out about errata for the book and never got a response. I did eventually find it though. Don't expect the authors to be available. They do not have a message board.
One of the best game math books.......2005-04-29
If only every topic in game and graphics programming were covered as well as math. Over the past several years, a number of exceptionally good books covering math for game and graphics programming have been released, and I've had the opportunity to review most of them. Although, not surprisingly, there is some overlap between them all, each covers unique material and presents information in an original way so that collectively, the books provide an impressive body of work.
Essential Mathematics stands out as one of the best books in the pack, especially in regards to its coverage of the math behind low-level rendering techniques.
The book is broken into 4 parts. The first part, Core Mathematics, covers vectors and matrices, transformations, and number representation. This part will be useful to anyone doing 3D graphics.
Part II, Rendering, covers topics such as lighting and shading, texturing, projection, and rasterization. This part was of particular interest to me because I've been working on a commercial renderer, but it should also be useful to those who want a better understanding of what graphics engines do under the hood.
Part III, Animation, covers curves (very in depth) and representation of orientations (Euler vs. axis-angle vs. quaternions). Finally, Part IV, Simulation, covers intersection testing and rigid body dynamics. There are also a couple of appendices to help you brush up on trig and calculus, if needed.
The book includes many C++ code samples and demos, including a handy math library and a simple rendering/game engine using OpenGL and GLUT. The authors are to be commended for their writing style as well. It's very easy for a book of this nature to get bogged down in an extremely heavy academic tone, but this book manages to avoid that, making for a remarkably easy read.
I'm glad I don't have to choose just one game math book, but if I did, this would probably be the one I'd pick.
Clear, Comprehensive, and Educational........2004-05-08
The strength of this book lies in its author's ability to make complex subjects accessible to programmers of various levels. The book covers all necessary subjects of 3D development and algorithmic motion, while providing primers in the relevant Math and Trigonometry. The writing is clear, and the examples combine notation in Math, Pseudo Code, and Open-GL implementation. I could see various uses for this book; from reference guide to required course reading. It explains the most fundamental subjects of Vectors and Matrices, and later capitalizes on this knowledge towards subjects that every professional in the field should know. To make sure the book is right for you, I suggest reading the Introduction, which portrays the book accurately and proceeds to recommend alternative and additional resources.
Book Description
The Art of Maya 3rd edition is an introduction to 3D computer graphics unlike any other. Join the thousands of users who've garnered the knowledge they needed to enter the 3rd dimension with this full color visual exploration of the theory of Maya. Rich with diagrams and illustrations that demonstrate the critical concepts of 3D time and space, this book will help you understand the concepts critical to conveying your artistic vision through the medium of 3D. If you are an artist looking to incorporate 3D into your toolkit, this is the resource you need.
Understand:
* 3D Computer Graphics
* Time and Space
* Animation
* Setting Keys
* Non-linear Animation
* Rigid Body Dynamics
* Modeling
* NURBS
* Polygons
* Subdivision Surfaces
* Deformations
* Deforming Objects
* Lattices and Clusters
* Character Animation
* Materials and Textures
* Shading Networks
* Texture Maps
* Bumps and Displacements
* Digital Cinematography
* Shadows
* Lighting
* Cameras
* Rendering
* Effects
* Particle Effects
* Paint Effects
* Maya Fluid Effects
* Maya Cloth
* Maya Long Hair
* Interactive 3D
* Game Creation
* Building Levels
The Art of Maya includes Maya Personal Learning Edition to allow you to start practicing right away. The book closes with a series of Production Notes detailing how skilled Maya artists have worked with the software to create production quality films, games, visualizations and animations.
Get an inside look at the use of Maya by:
* The Canadian Broadcast Corporation
* Turner Studios
* Digital Domain for the making of I-Robot
* Weta Digital in the making of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
* The AOES Medialab
* BioDigital
* The Mill
* Oddworld Inhabitants in the making of Oddworld Stranger's Wrath
Customer Reviews:
a theory book, but useful.......2007-07-03
This is a THEORY book. If you don't understand the theory behind maya, pick this up. If you want tutorials, pick something else up.
This book is not another picture book, and its not really a tutorial book either. Its more of an explanation of how maya works and what things are used for, in a general sense. If you're picking up Maya for the first time I'd recommend Learning Autodesk Maya (and your version, which I'd recommend 8, which so far the tutorials are working fine in 8.5) If you're already a novice or higher maya user, and know your way around, this could prove useful.
After you've covered the material in a big tutorial book, keeping this one handy will help if you were to struggle on a specific task or forget how to do something, because theres plenty of explanation in this book.
I like how it explains the typical work pipeline, if you're doing this as a hobby but want to enter the industry someday, it will explain to you how daily work usually goes for each person, when working in teams on a pipeline, or how one person can control the entire pipeline when working alone.
A useful add to any maya users library, and one book can never cover everything there is to know about this program. This is my 2nd book covering just maya and found it interesting to read, but I'd start with a tutorial book for new maya users like myself.
Good book.......2007-03-21
This book was pretty good, although it was a little more "begginner" than i would of liked. Also, if you get a used copy, it might have a few dings but who cares right? as long as you can read it.. I love Maya books and this is a great addition to my Maya library!
The Art of Maya: An Introduction to 3D Computer Graphics .......2007-03-19
It is always the same thing that in other editions. When you will stop to copy and to put something new.
The covers and the works of the experts in 3D, are perfect. The price is also something expensive, being the same thing that in previous editions. I Offer you that you can be but original. Thank you and a cordial greeting.
Basically a Maya product guide.......2007-01-28
You know how some companies offer really slick little illustrated booklets detailing their products, the advantages they offer, and all the features they have in an attempt to get you to buy the product? Well that's basically what this book is. It's essentially a 200+ page advertisement for Maya. It doesn't really attempt to teach you how to do anything in particular using Maya, but it does gloss over most of the features and the sorts of things you can do once you learn it.
As a new Maya user and being brand new to 3-D modelling in general, I actually found it to be a decent and useful read. But I have to admit that I was hoping for, and expecting more of a tutorial. But it still gave me a decent "view from 10,000 feet" of the program, which is something few if any other books will give you. Also it is well written and very well illustrated, it just wasn't at all what I expected.
If you are considering buying it to learn Maya, look elsewhere. But if you are looking for a decent overview of Maya, or are evaluating various 3-D tools, this may be a decent book to buy.
What they mean by "Art".......2006-07-30
I think some readers may be confused by the title, "The Art of Maya." This is not a coffe tale book showing some art made by Maya users. The title is a play on Sun Tzu's book, "The Art of War." That is exactly what this book is, it is a soup to nuts explaination of the "art" of using Maya.
This is a beginer's book that goes into great detail about the concepts of using Maya. Many newbies might prefer to just by advanced books and learn all the WOW tricks that Maya has to offer. Of course then those users don't know why they went through the process they did to create a stunning image, and are left without any creative energy.
This makes this book a MUST HAVE for beginers and intermediate users. Every bit of the under lying logic in how Maya works is explained.
This is also a good "reading" book too. The problem with other Maya books that have projects is that you can not sit down and read them without being in front of your computer to do the projects. With "The Art of Maya," you can set it next to your nightstand and just read a chapter or two before bedtime; you can learn things without having to sit in front of the box.
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Learning Autodesk Maya 8|Foundation +DVD
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Digital Lighting and Rendering (2nd Edition) ([digital])
Mastering Maya 8.5 (Mastering)
