Book Description
You hold in your hands the best-selling guide to NewTek's LightWave 3D animation software, completely updated for LightWave v9 by award-winning animator and trainer Dan Ablan. Rather than rehash the documentation like other books, this down-to-earth, easy-to-follow guide offers an invaluable set of project tutorials that teach you the ins and outs of LightWave and show you the techniques you need to master this powerful 3D software. Inside LightWave v9's accompanying DVD features hours of high- quality video training tutorials that will help you take the projects in the book to new heights. No other book has taught more LightWave 3D users than Inside LightWave.
Featured tutorials cover:
- Insights into the new LightWave v9 workflow
- Powerful new surfacing with the Node Editor
- Character modeling
- Bones and rigging for character animation
- Particle animation
- Hard body and soft body dynamics
- Rendering concepts with the new Global Render options
- Advanced camera tools
Accompanying DVD-ROM offers hours of unique training videos created just for this book, exclusively from 3DGarage.com (requires QuickTime); a demo of LightWave v9 for Mac OS and Windows; all of the projects from the book; royalty-free textures and reference images; and full-color screenshots from the book!
Customer Reviews:
Get LW v9.2 Beta first........2007-08-22
I actually wrote a review for this book but now I look back and it isn't here. Hmmmm. That's minus one star.
The good news:
Overall, I like the way the author writes. I like the layout of chapters and the step by step method they are written in, however I wish he would explain the goals of certain actions before jumping into the steps. I find myself reading through the chapter to figure out WHY I'm doing things and then attempting them using the steps as guides. (Minus one half star.) Besides that, the book is clear and well written and I haven't come across many errors in 10 of 16 chapters.
The videos are great, even if they didn't get all of them on to the DVD. Downloading them is simple enough once you find the link in the author's website.
The bad news: Most of the exercises in this book can be done with out the book files, but I like to look at the samples and see what the author has done. Unfortunately, LW v9.2 begin its beta during the creation of this book and at that point, the file format changed. You can't load the v9.2 files with v9. Since there is not a backward conversion utility, you can't use the files in the last half of the book unless you get into the v9.2 beta. I couldn't, so no files for the last half of the book for me. Beware. Minus one star.
Just to be nice, because besides the obvious rushed-to-print problems of the book, it is well written, I'm rounding up. So 3 stars. Once LW v9.2 leaves beta, Netwek puts a free update on their site, or the book comes with a title change (to Inside Lightwave v9.2), I'll up my review.
Note that I am very new to modeling but I have an extensive 3D graphics background from the programming side. I found the book easy to comprehend, but if you have less experience, don't take my word on it.
The DVD is critical.......2007-08-10
My biggest complaint: you can't always tell what's "selected" from the images in the book. It's difficult to tell the difference between selected and unselected edges in the wireframe views. Also, some of the pages aren't fully inked, and the images on those pages aren't at all helpful. However, the DVD contains hi-rez, full-color versions. Either I never knew that or I forgot by the time I got to chapter ten, because I couldn't follow the penguin tutorial with the book images. Having discovered the DVD images, I'll re-read that chapter.
Also of value on the DVD, the videos extend the tutorials in the book. They aren't just a recap of the book tutorials; they're additional content, and they're quite good. There's so much video content, in fact, he couldn't fit it all on the DVD. There's additional free material on the author's website, though. As of August 2007 there are no videos available for chapters 15 and 16, though the chapter 14 video seems to indicate that there are. Also, there are objects and scenes missing from the DVD that are supposed to be used in the chapters 15 and 16 tutorials.
For many of the chapters I felt the book tutorials didn't go far enough, like they had ended too soon. The videos are necessary to continue the tutorial. While I gave credit for this additional material above, this is also a drawback to this book. I bought a book because I like that format. The videos are nice, but I prefer printed tutorials. As the book is already a hefty 700 pages, I'll just have to conclude that LightWave tutorials of this depth just don't fit in one book.
Also of note, this is very much a learn-by-example book. It is comprised almost entirely of tutorials. Remember that you have LightWave's manual as a reference, and Mr. Ablan reminds you of that throughout this book.
LightWave is a very deep program and this book doesn't cover every option available. It does cover a great deal of material, though. You'll get more than just a taste of what the program can do. The tutorials are easy to follow, and perhaps credit to the LightWave program itself, when Mr. Ablan tells you to do something you've done before, without explaining it again, you'll usually not cry out, "I don't remember how to do that!" Things that need to be explained are explained.
The Node Editor is a huge new addition to LightWave. Mr. Ablan does a fine job explaining how to use it, but in just one book he can only scratch the surface in explaining how to achieve specific effects. I hope the lighting and texturing books I've ordered cover this in more detail. If Mr. Ablan wrote a whole book about the Node Editor I'd surely get a copy.
Easy to Understand - A Little Bit of Everything.......2007-07-16
This is a solid book. Coming in at 722 pages and including a lot of good content on the DVD, Dan Ablan's book covers most everything you need to use Lightwave 9. If you are a beginner, this is a great book. It may or may not be worthwhile if you consider yourself an intermediate, which is what I would consider myself. That said, Dan's workflow is solid. His tutorials are great and I found myself finding many better methods I should use rather than my own. One of the lengthiest and most detailed sections is wrapped around network rendering and setting up Screamernet. If network rendering is something you need and its a new concept to you, this is well worth the price of the book here.
I would say this is a must own if you are a beginner and a not-a-bad buy as an intermediate. Skip it if you consider yourself well versed in Lightwave's ins and outs.
A must for Lightwave users.......2007-06-17
Any user of Lightwave v9 will find this in-depth reference has been completely updated for this latest version, comes from an award-winning animator and trainer, and offers a set of project tutorials which teach the program by example and project rather than the usual tutorial which focuses on concepts and ideas of applications. From character modeling and particle animation to hard and soft body dynamics and advanced camera tools, INSIDE LIGHTWAVE v9 offers up all the keys to success using tutorials based on real-world experiences, and will prove a must for Lightwave users and any comprehensive, in-depth computer program reference library.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
Dan does it again!.......2007-06-16
I have been using Lightwave since the very first release. It can be difficult to keep up with Lightwave's features but this book will help keep you up to date. Dan has a way of explaining things that makes it easy to understand. I have been a fan of his books since the old Amiga computer days.
Pretty much everything you need to learn Lightwave is in this book. Also Lightwave pros will still be able to use it for reference. I refer to it a few times a week and I consider myself fairly knowledgeable about Lightwave.
In conclusion, if you use Lightwave you need this book. Enough said!
Book Description
LightWave v9 Texturing takes you behind the fine art of texturing and surfacing interesting and detailed textures for your 3D objects using LightWave 3D. Texturing and prepping your objects for texturing is a task that many artists find intimidating and/or confusing. LightWave v9 Texturing breaks down this process and makes it easier to understand by guiding you through LightWave's powerful surfacing toolset, tutorials, and exercises. LightWave v9 now offers a nodal shading system, which is the standard tool in the visual effects industry for the creation of surfaces. This book will show you how easy, yet extremely powerful and flexible this new system is, allowing you to dive in and create great surfaces immediately.
Customer Reviews:
i give lightwave 8 texturing 5 stars.......2007-06-27
This is written by Angel Nieves, Lightwave 8 texturing is written by Leigh van der Byl. The reason I brought lightwave 9 texturing is because it was by a different person, but I was disappointed because IT IS THE EXACT SAME BOOK WORD FOR WORD. Now, Mr. Nieves does have a chapter on the node editor, z-brush, and a few new tutorials. He does skip the g2 bit. The main meat of it is exactly lightwave 8 texturing. Mr. Nieves doesn't even acknowledge Mrs. van der Byl in his acknowledgments.
Save yourself money, if you have lightwave 8 texturing, go to borders or B&N skim the node editor chapter, and put ir back on self. If you don't have the older book, buy this book.
Awesome Book, Buy with No Regrets.......2007-05-23
Awesome Book! The best texture book you can get. Wish it had more colorful pages like the Maya books, however it does come with a CD with a color images and refernce. A GOOD BUY for all 3d levels Beginner-Advance
well written!
Book Description
The most complete, extensive, and accessible guide for LightWave 8. Inside Lightwave 8 is chock full of step-by-step tutorials on every topic LightWave users need to know. It is also clear, well-organized and easy to use--essential for a comprehensive book when you need to find answers to their questions quickly.
Dan Ablan, award-winning animator and LightWave author, offers Inside LightWave X to get you up-to-speed and enhances productivity with NewTek's LightWave 3D software. No other LightWave book is more comprehensive, packed with clear step-by-step tutorials and helpful tips. Coverage includes plug-ins, Motion Designer, SubPatch modeling, Graph Editor, expressions for complex animation control, Motion Mixer, compositing techniques, inverse kinematics to control complex characters, modeling and surfacing methods for architectural animation, skeletons and bones for precise animation control, logo creation, camera and lighting techniques, particle animation, and using motion-capture files.
Customer Reviews:
Very Good Book-BUT !!!!!!!!!!!.......2007-05-06
This book has the information you need for lightwave. Very informative here.However my only complaint with Lightwave books is that they are all in Black and White. I do not understand why they cannot make these books with full color gloss pages like the Maya books.I love to read computer books that have lots of graphic explainations.
Black and white books are for programmers, not artist.
Otherwise than that this book will give you what you need for lightwave
excellent book- the best book of textbook to learning lightwave........2006-07-05
The book, Inside Light Wave 8, has straightforward techniques approach to Learning LightWave Skills and Knowledge.
I was a professional Graphic Designer who wanted to move over to the 3D world, I desired to be a power-user at 3D animation. So I purchased Dan Alban's "LightWave [8]," extremely good learning tool. Dan's book got my doing just about anything I could imagine.
(In Depth book cover almost everything. Big pictures illustrations and nicely written make learn easier. Ya gotta get this one.)
This is an excellent book it is a most get. Although I got it for advanced how tos; there is beginner level help here as well. A lot of the dudes and dudettes that I've learned from through downloading Internet QuickTime movies from the Newtek website and other places, these movies are excellent show and tell ways to learn. But with expressions and certain dynamic it is good to have it in a book form as well.
Good, but inconsistencies.......2006-02-16
This is a great text for beginners in Lightwave. However, there are myriad typographic errors and there are references to keystrokes and panels that are incorrect. This content was released during the beta for Lightwave 8. As a result, there are changes in the software that are not reflected in the content.
I contacted Dan Ablan and he provided me with the correct information. It is not often that authors are so accessible. I'll be looking forward to the next edition.
Good, but with glitches..........2005-12-17
I got this great book as part of a training class that I took, and it really does provide a solid entry-intermediate level course in Lightwave. The book comes with a ton of extras on the DVD, projects, objects, scenes, textures, etc. My one complaint after working through the book for about a week is that some of the steps in the tutorials are wrong. Things like "you should have 9 polygons selected at this point..." when you really only have seven, the measurements and settings for the corvette backdrop image are off, etc. Nothing major, but it's a little frustrating when you're a newbie, and trying to wrap your head around the concepts.
Great book.......2005-10-02
This book is great for beginners. As I am a beginner, I learned a great deal with this book. There is a lot of tidbit of information in this book and a lot of good examples and tutorials to learn how to go about it. This is setup with the easier tutorials first and then it gets deeper into the program. It also starts with the basics in the beginning for those that are not familiar with Lightwave.
Another thing I like about it is that it actually shows you how to model starting with a box. Most show you how to trace and model from the tracing/and or splines.
I would definitely recommend this book for a beginner and a person that knows some about Lightwave. It has a lot of information and tips that are very useful. I still use it often and refer to it also for information.
Book Description
Essential LightWave v9 offers an unparalleled development strategy for graphic designers, illustrators, video producers, motion graphic artists, visual effects artists, and animators who are interested in getting the most out of LightWave 3D. As the book touches on nearly every aspect of the software, it is ideal for all skill levels.
Customer Reviews:
If only.... .......2007-10-04
...if only I'd had this book 3 years ago!
I bought LightWave8 a few years ago, and was unable to get past the text-only interface, and put it aside after about a month of frustration.
In the last 3months I've tried at least 10 other 3D apps, including LW9 again. I would really like to be able to use it, but again, couldn't crack the gui.
As a result, I settled on another 3D app (email me if you want to know which & why)...I'm very happy with the other program, but the point is,
I may have stayed with LW9 if I only had the right learning tool to begin with.
This book is phenomenal...well printed and well laid out as well.
The first thing that struck me about this book (besides the striking cover and the thickness) is the attitude of the authors. Up front in the dedication they write with heart-felt empathy:
"To all those who have yearned to create great works with LightWave yet
found themselves facing a steep and seemingly insurmountable learning curve...we know exactly how you feel. This book was written for you. We hope that it causes you to grow in your skills and inspire others with your wonderful artistic visions."
And you can tell they put their hearts & souls into it. The book is a chunk, no getting around it, but it is packed with well written and solid information. And when you add the video tutorials, it's an incredible
learning tool.
I'm committed to another app for now, but when time permits, I'll
get back to LightWave....I feel a lot better about it now...I don't have
the sense of forboding as I used to, now that I have Steve, Kevin & Timothy to show me the way.
Thanks, guys!!!
This book actually deserves 10 stars!!!!.......2007-08-27
Hello :-)
This book is awesome!!! The whole way it is structured, the in-depth explanations, the easy-to-follow tutorials, just everything is really well thought through and brings you quickly to a new level. The video tutorials on the DVD are fantastic and the information you get is priceless.
The total knowledge you get for that price is just incredible.
This book really deserves 10 stars! I can recommend it to anyone who works with Lightwave, no matter if beginner or professional. What you learn from
this book will have a huge impact on your future 3D work!
I've bought many books in the past for Lightwave but THIS one beats them all!
Thanks for bringing this book to the market!
And now.....go and order it! ;-)))
Cheers!
Steven R. (Switzerland)
awesome book!!!!! Essential to learning Lightwave.......2007-08-08
This is a very awesome LightWave book. The video tutorials that come on the DVD are priceless themselves. Either beginner or intermediate, this book is a gem to your 3D training.
The video tutorials, Steve Warner goes slow and in depth, not like some of these DVD training videos that click on the mouse like maniacs with no explainations of what they are doing . The video tutorials are clear to see, no blurry or fuzzy pictures
The one thing I wish this book and other lightwave book had was glossy/colored images. Even though these images are on the DVD I still think it is essential to have them printed in color or at least have the images colored.Sometimes when I am reading these books, I am not at my computer (I love to read in resturaunts for some reason)so I don't always have the ability to reference from the DVD, coloed images would be awesome.
I know that would make the book cost more, but I would pay the extra for sure.
Black and White images just don't cut it in an art style book.
Just my 2cents!
But overall the information in this book deserves 10 Stars
A++++
way to go Steve, thanks for your hard work in putting this together-
Great book for different experience levels..........2007-07-23
Well, I'll keep this pretty short. I can't really recommend this book enough. I'm fairly new to LW and this book has been a tremendous help. Even on areas where I though I was up to speed I keep on learning new things. The book starts off with a general introduction to 3d, and then has main chapters covering topics such as modeling, lighting, animating, texturing, rendering, etc. Then it moves onto more intermediate and advanced chapters and projects.
What I like best is that each mini-area is followed by a simple illustrated example that makes it very easy to understand and see it in use. Also, the way the book is broken up into sections, if you don't really want to read up on animation right that second you can just move on to the next area without feeling too lost (and hopefully go back to that section later).
I will also point out that the book comes with hours and hours (about 14 I think) of tutorial videos that cover a broad range of topics including new 9.2 features. These videos alone are worth the price of the book. (Just as a note, if there are any videos that don't work on your DVD, go to publishers website for info on how to get them) As this book covers so many areas, especially many 9.2 new features, it really is good for all different levels.
Have fun riding the Wave...
Book Description
In this collective wisdom, you will learn about hidden software features, times-saving tricks, and professional techniques for achieving better results.
Customer Reviews:
Bathroom reading.......2006-11-10
Yeah nice book, can't wait to get in the bathroom to read some more, 3D animation
is making a big red ring around my a _ _ , Empire of the Sun is starting I'll sit here and watch that too! It's cold in here, is that true about cold surfaces and what they do to your *&#%@^( ?
Most have for Serious LightWavers.......2006-07-05
The book, 1001 Tips & Tricks, has straightforward techniques approach to Learning Advanced LightWave Skills and Knowledge. I purchased Timothy Albee's Lightwave 3D, "Getting Started Guide" which came with my purchase of the program, LightWave from Newtek. The Book got me started back in 2005. (A general skills book covers a broad range of LightWave. But does not get too deep, which is good for beginners.)
I was very interested in and loved cartooning and character creation in 3D. So I purchased Jonny Gorden's "Cartoon Character Creation-Volume 2". If ya don't know and wanna learn Rigging right, get this book. Jonny be getting off with his techniques in this bad boy. Loved the book.
(Jonny's book covers A through Z in Rigging and Animation mostly plus overviews on general knowledge stuff as well. But since I already learned the basics with "Getting Started" I was able to get deep into Jonny's techniques.)
I was a professional Graphic Designer who wanted to move over to the 3D world, I desired to be a power-user at 3D animation. So I purchased Dan Alban's "LightWave [8]," extremely good learning tool. Dan's book got my doing just about anything I could imagine.
(In Depth book cover almost everything. Big pictures illustrations and nicely written make learn easier. Ya gotta get this one.)
But in some areas I was still creating very slowly. Like how to optimize a detailed and completed scene for a render farm, so that I could not only render, but also render scenes very fast. How to build a scene for a real movie that would render quicker than if I built it another way.
For example, I built a scene which took four months to render on a 4 node render farm of fast G5 with 2 gigs of Ram. I'm thinking that, I've got to be able to create the same scene, but in such as that it would render in say, two weeks. I wanted to learn the fastest power moves, since I work alone in my home studio. I do not have peers and co-worker to exchanged knowledge with
Then, I order this book, and it fit the bill. It helps to complete my learning needs and answered and reconfirmed, other books and technique that I pick up off of the Internet.
This is an excellent book it is a most get. Although I got it for advanced how tos; there is beginner level help here as well. A lot of the dudes and dudettes that I've learned from through downloading Internet QuickTime movies from the Newtek website and other places, these movies are excellent show and tell ways to learn. But with expressions and certain dynamic it is good to have it in a book form as well.
(Since there are so many experts contributing to this book, you get a really balanced guide to knowledge. If you are going to be a power-user, this book completes the other books and knowledge that I have accumulated. You got to it as well.) "1000 Tips and Tricks," book is worth every penny of the cost.
Fantastic but a bit redundant.......2005-07-28
The blurbs about this book are right. There are no other places I have found for the kind and quality of information contained in this book... at least for a non-super expert in Lightwave 3D.
Yet at the same time, there is much redundancy within the book itself (several tips are essentially identical) and with the reference manual provided by NewTek.
So there are really quite a few less than 1001 super neat and fantabulous tips and tricks here, but there are plenty enough to make the purchase a valuable addition to your reference library for LW8.
More is more.......2004-10-10
I'm one of the authors, so take that into account. Still, there are around thirty authors total so I'm at most 1/30th biased.
That being said, this is a real standout among LightWave books and one I'm proud to be part of. The strength is in the numbers - never before have you gotten such a wide and varied number of opinions in one place. Because there are so many different approachs to creating 3D art, this book is really a must own and it's a book you'll go back to again and again. I keep a copy on my desk, within easy reach and I pick it up for reference or for some quick reading during a render.
It also covers a wide variety of topics, from lighting to surfacing to LScripts. Not every tip is something I agree with, but that's the beauty of this book - there's just so much information here that you'll be finding new things to think about or to add to your work for years to come.
Should Be Bundled With the Lightwave CD.......2004-07-25
Without wasting time here...if you're a Lightwaver, you should get this book. Put the bills on hold, if necessary, and eat cereal for a week. :-) As a beginning - intermediate Lightwave user/student, I've bought and read most of the new Lightwave books, and this one is the most valuable, by far. Having this book lying beside your computer is like having 30+ Lightwave gurus at your elbow, whispering their secrets in your ear as you model, texture, and render. There's nothing out there like it...well, Killer Tips maybe but 1001 T & T has tons more information. If ever a book deserves a 5 star rating, this is it.
Book Description
Provides a comprehensive tutorial to this popular 3D animation and modeling software popular not only in animation, cartoons, but television and computer games.
Customer Reviews:
great for beginners.......2006-07-04
With no experience in 3D modeling, this book helped me get started. It showed me the best way to use the tools in Lightwave as well as some concepts behind modeling\animating. Now I am modeling cars, places, people, and doing some light animation.
The author writes with a sense of humor and personality. Therefore, it's not boring to read. However, it can sometimes be long-winded.
I didn't give it five stars because the author often skips steps. While some steps the author skips because he has gone over them before (which is good), other steps are completely new and necessary yet are omitted. You then waste a lot of time trying to figure out for yourself how to get to the next step.
Overall, if you want to get started with Lightwave, I recommend using this book coupled with the Lightwave help.
Awesome!!!.......2006-03-18
This book came just in time when i needed it!! It is in great quality, REALLY helpful book! This book is one of those beginner books.
Informative, Indepth, but..........2005-07-13
I have been working on Lightwave for about a year. I have prior experience with 3DS Max. In fact, I have also received formal training, at the expense of my employer, on Lightwave 3D 8, but nonetheless I still felt the need to run out and buy several titles on the subject. One of them happened to be this book.
First off, the book is loaded with a ton of -- yes! -- essential information! Likewise, the basics are covered quite thoroughly and in such a way that the reader does not become too overwhelmed. Basic concepts relating to the world of 3D are covered along with Lightwave specific terminology. The author receives high praise from me in this particular area. Spanning 20 chapters, an epilogue, three appendices, and a reasonable index, the book introduces the user to Lightwave.
The tutorials are laid out in a linear and numbered fashion. The reader who is comfortable enough with the program will have no problem with this; however, there are many parts in the book where steps are missing or the illustrations don't seem to match up with what is being presented. Take, for instance, chapter six, step 15 -- the user is instructed to drag a selection box around the top of their model and press the delete key. Seems simple enough, doesn't it? Well, everything is not always as it seems, because the authors seem to have forgotten to instruct the user to change Grid Snap to None under the Display Options | Units window. This is just one example of several in which steps were left out or utterly confusing. Enough of the bad points about the book however, because there are MANY more good ones.
The CD-ROM that comes with the book is also particularly useful, and I've not come across an item that was referenced in the book and not on the disc. There are even points in the book where the user is able to load objects and work from that point to the objective. The appendices in the back of the book are loaded with VERY useful information on an assortment of subjects. Are you looking for plug-ins and programs suggested by the pros? This book has a comprehensive list of them that will get you headed in the right direction, if not to your destination! Are you looking for resources on Lightwave online, such as particular websites? Guess what! This book lists them along with descriptions and screen captures of the sites, such as: Newtek, Flay, CGTalk, and many more!
I would suggest that you pick up this book with the fore-knowledge that you need to have the Lightwave [8] interactive PDF help-file loaded. This is definitely a title that will get you started on the right path to conquering Lightwave and, with diligence, mastering it.
A thorough guide.......2005-06-06
I just burned through this book in 2 days... after struggling with Lightwave for weeks, this book made all the fundamental building blocks of the program make sense for me in a way they hadn't before. The book is soft on the animation and dynamics end of things, but with a firmer grasp of all the basic tools, I'm so much more comfortable with the software. It was fun to read and the authors have lots of personal tips and philosophical advice that makes the tutorials more intriguing.
Informative and Inspiring.......2005-04-30
I really like this book. I've only had it a couple of days and I've already learned a lot. I'm not a complete newbie with Lightwave, but even the beginnig chapters of this book are peppered with little tips and tricks. And as always, Albee is just as interested in inspiring the reader as he is in educating. I have Dan Ablan's Inside Lightwave 8 book, which I really like too, but this one seems to be more coherent and connected, with a more consistent throughline. For me personally, I am enjoying the three different methods he presents for head modeling. I think his detail-out method is worth the price of the book alone. Great addition to my ever-growing Lightwave book collection!!
Book Description
Fiber-optic communication systems have revolutionized our telecommunication infrastructures – currently, almost all telephone land-line, cellular, and internet communications must travel via some form of optical fibers. In these transmission systems, neither the phase nor frequency of the optical signal carries information – only the intensity of the signal is used. To transmit more information in a single optical carrier, the phase of the optical carrier must be explored.
As a result, there is renewed interest in phase-modulated optical communications, mainly in direct-detection DPSK signals for long-haul optical communication systems. When optical amplifiers are used to maintain certain signal level among the fiber link, the system is limited by amplifier noises and fiber nonlinearities. Phase-Modulated Optical Communication Systems surveys this newly popular area, covering the following topics:
- The transmitter and receiver for phase-modulated coherent lightwave systems
- Method for performance analysis of phase-modulated optical signals
- Direct-detection DPSK signal with fiber nonlinearities, degraded by nonlinear phase noise and intrachannel effects
- Wavelength-division-multiplexed direct-detection DPSK signals
- Multi-level phase-modulated optical signals, such as the four-phase DQPSK signal.
Graduate students, professional engineers, and researchers will all benefit from this updated treatment of an important topic in the optical communications field.
Average customer rating:
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Principles of Lightwave Communications
Goran H. Einarsson
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons
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ASIN: 0471952974 |
Book Description
The book details the theoretical fundamentals which under-pin lightwave communications. In particular, the author provides essential information on the reception of optical signals. Opening with a summary of the history and development of optical communications, the book progresses to cover light propagation in optical fibers, optical waveguides, optical detection theory and heterodyne systems. Detailed examples are interspersed throughout the book to assist the reader's understanding and step-by-step mathematical analysis is included.
Book Description
This practical and easy-to-follow book showa you how to transform your 3D projects with your own digital photographs and enhance your 3D animation by adding photographs that you’ve composed, lit, and shot. The featured tips and ideas will quickly have you creating quality photographs for use throughout the 3D workflow. From the mechanics of megapixels to the tricks of lighting to the art of finding the best images to shoot, you’ll learn valuable techniques that will transform your designs.
Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.
Customer Reviews:
A wealth of information!.......2007-09-16
Dan Ablan is a great instructor, hands down! His books, courseware and support are far none the best in this industry. This book is truly a reflection of quality, quality that you'd expect Dan to provide.
Some of you might say that some of the chapters in this book are pretty basic. I am not here to bash any of you, I just want to write a review about this book, but... Not everyone will find these chapters "basic." They are what I call, informative!
This book provides a wealth of information. Some of it was information I already knew, but that's because I have been doing photography since I was a kid. His technique and ideations however, put a whole new spin on how I work with my digital photos. I admire Dan for his creativity and ideas. This book will definately give you a new perspective on how to use digital pictures and how to incorpoate them into 3d.
If you are looking for an excellent book to accompany your library, this book is it! I am an amateur at best when it comes to 3D animation. Owning this book, I see myself advancing past this "amateur" level. :)
If you like Dan's teaching style and his other books, you truly wont be dissapointed by this one! I would also like to suggest his courseware! Dan's courseware is just as good, if not better than his books!
There was nothing in this book that I did not enjoy or get bored with. However, if you are a pro working for Pixar or some professional company, this book might seem "basic" to you.. For the other 95% of us, this book is a great investment!
-Justin
An oddball collection of topics.......2007-09-15
I'm somewhat of a noob in 3d modelling and animation, and so this book really interested me. I was hoping to learn how to better use photography to do things like create effective reference images, textures, normal maps, bump maps, displacement maps, and such.
After reading through most of the book, I'm pretty disappointed. While the book does cover such topics, I feel that it gives those topics a pretty superficial treatment, and the focus of the book seems to be on other, what I'd consider, "oddball topics".
The book devotes a lot of time covering digital photography in general. It does this fairly well, but honestly, a book like "Real World Digital Photography" does that much better.
The book also has large sections where it goes into great detail into how to create a 3d slideshow, and another on how to create a digital collage using After Effects. While these topics are kind of interesting, honestly, how often are you going to do something like that?
The book is kind of an interesting read, but after reading it I'm wondering who the intended audience for it actually is. Certainly not 3d animators or modelers like the title and the description of the book seem to indicate.
Training for beginners at its best........2007-03-19
While some may mistake this for a masterclass in 3D and digital photography, it is quite clearly geared towards beginners. But, it's value as a source of professional training does not stop there. What I found most profoundly useful about this book by Dan Ablan is that it not only helps newcomers to 3D and/or digital photography, but that it may also inspire those who may be intimidated by the depth and complexity associated with 3D to now pursue this wonderful medium to enhance their self expression and understanding. I have purchased many training materials written by Dan Ablan, from video tutorial DVD's to instructional books such as this one, and have always felt the wiser for doing so. I waited until I finished this book before sitting down to write this review. Contrary to other assessments, the techniques taught in this book are accurate for the uses stated in their related topics. If you want to dip your toes into the water of 3D while improving your digital photography skills, then I would highly recommend that you pick up this book. Read it thoroughly. I believe you will find yourself returning to it as a source of reference again and again, as I have. Enjoy.
Excellent & Informative.......2007-03-16
I was hesitant to get this book after reading the one review posted. But instead I got the book anyway. I have to say that the information is excellent. I've worked in 3D for a while, using Maya and Cinema 4D, but had not explored the use of digital photography to the fullest extent. I had emailed Dan Ablan and he replied right away. He told me this book was about ideas and that it helps bridge the gap between photography and 3D, two fields he's worked in for over a decade. He was right and I found that his example photos were outstanding and use of them even better. This book covers managing files which is a big deal as you start taking more shots such as textures and image maps. It covers how to create panoramas in more than one application, and it covers hdri and as Dan shows, works great in modo. I'm new to modo, but the project was cool. I was surprised that the book even covered image modeling using image modeler from [...]and then there was the after effects tutorial creating a heavily layered, animated montage all from photos using masks and keys and blending. I liked the use of 3D for animated photo slideshows and image mapping ideas.
What really surprised me the most was that even though the tutorial are geared towards beginners it has helped my 3D work immensely. What's cool is that Dan included hours of video training tutorials on the book's DVD to help you learn more and there's tons of sample images to work with and free demo software.
Top notch book!
Bad HDRI coverage, maybe OK for beginners.......2007-03-04
This is an important topic. The publisher should have found a more experienced author to write this book!
The coverage of HDRI imaging was full of mistakes. In a step-by-step tutorial, the author makes every mistake in the book: he focuses his camera wrong, he changes the f-stop between bracketed exposures even though this will change the camera's DOF and mess up the alignment of images, in assembling his High Dymanic Range Images with Adobe Photoshop PS2 he advises readers to change modes from HDRI to 16 bit and back, without mentioning that this means he is no longer creating a High Dymanic Range Image. The author doesn't seem to notice that the series of bungling mistakes he has made hasn't produced a HDRI map suitable for image based lighting, and instead acts as if he has achieved highly realistic results.
The author's mis-adventures photographing a Christmas Tree ball in his back yard to make HDRI are only one chapter in this book. He also attempts to make texture maps out of photographs (he gets to the color maps, doesn't go much further into how to derive bump or specular or other maps based on the color.) The book is also full of "filler" chapters that would only be useful to a beginner first using a computer. There's a chapter on image management, showing how you can use a program like iPhoto to organize your pictures, and explaining the difference between compressed and uncompressed image files.
Overall there's not much for a dedicated 3D artist in this book, although some beginners might find some of it useful.
Book Description
LightWave v9 Lighting is the only book on the market from a professional artist explaining the theory and application of lighting with LightWave 3D. The book has the following key features: Describes step-by-step everything you need to know about the qualities of light; Clearly explains modern lighting concepts; Steps through LightWave's impressive toolset, describing the qualities and uses of each tool and feature; Addresses lighting design issues, dealing with everything from the motivation of a light source to the emotional impact of color on the scene; Companion CD is packed with images and plugins, and includes a demo version of LightWave 3D version 9; Includes a 16 page color insert of lighting examples.
Customer Reviews:
I happen to think this is an excellent book, despite material from the LW8 book.......2007-06-29
It's true, if you own one of the older books, you don't necessarily need this book to learn the lighting theory but let's be fair. I'm sorry, but as the author I must object to the remark that this is just an old book with a new cover. I spent considerable time on the update. The book is updated for LightWave 9 throughought. It's true that much of the material is the same. In order for it to change, light will have to change. That's probably not going to happen in this timespace continuum. It is still an excellent learning tool with information that is not available elsewhere. If anyone has any specific requests for the next version I take requests on www.spinquad.com.
Awesome resource from a CGI lighting master.......2007-06-25
If you're new to LightWave (or 3D in general) Nick Boughen's lighting book is a must-have. Nick skillfully teaches you to see the various qualities of light in the real world and how to reproduce them in 3D. You'll learn how lights work in LightWave, how color and shadow affect your scene, how to create specialized light rigs, and how to light objects to match background plates. Nicks is an industry veteran with a wealth of film and television credits to his name. When you purchase this book, you're not getting a rehash of LightWave manual. You're getting proven tips and techniques from someone who works as a lighting artist day in and day out.
Some have noted that this book is similar to past versions. If you already own a previous copy of Nick's lighting book you should look through this new edition to determine if the update is for you. For everyone else, you need this book. No other reference can provide you with such a thorough and complete understanding of lighting in LightWave.
Old book.......2007-06-14
If you have previous version of this book, save your money and skip this one, they are basically the same book with different front cover page..
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![Digital Lighting and Rendering (2nd Edition) ([digital])](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/0321316312.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
