Teaches beginning students everything they need to know to render out exceptional frames. Also provides comprehensive information about textures, how they are projected onto models, and how to use them to modulate bump, transparency, reflectivity, and other surface properties.

This book will help you understand and work with XSI 4 to create a highly detailed character in a production environment. The approach in this book is unique because it is the result of a collaboration between art and technology.

Inspiration and technique are rolled into one with this stunning display of 3D representations of the female form.

You've seen the amazing possibilities offered by XSI. With this official SOFTIMAGE XSI guide, you're ready to not only create animation using this powerful software, but also to create a career. SOFTIMAGE XSI 5 for a Future Animation Studio Boss: The Official Guide to Career Skills with XSI addresses both the technical and business sides of being a professional 3D animator, teaching you how to use the technology of SOFTIMAGE XSI to earn a living as a 3D animator and studio owner.Working through several hands-on tutorials, you'll use the SOFTIMAGE XSI software to learn 3D animation skills necessary to obtain an internship or entry level position. Hone your career skills with tips on writing a resumé, pricing an animation project, and identifying and approaching potential clients. Get ready to take your first step toward success in the professional animation industry.

Improve your 3D animation by understanding the key traditional 2D skills. Learn the basics for producing original and exciting animation.

Improve your character animation with a mastery of traditional principles and processes including weight and balance, timing, walks, birds, fish, snakes, four legged animals, acting and lip-synch. Traditional animation skills and techniques are presented in both 2D and 3D space. The companion CD features demonstration animations and exercises conducted in each of the major animation packages including 3ds Max, LightWave, Maya, and XSI Softimage.

Meet some of the finest 2D and 3D artists working in the industry today and discover how they create some of the most innovative digital art in the world. More than a gallery book or a coffee table book- Digital Art Masters Volume 5 includes over 50 artists and 900 unique and stunning 2D and 3D digital art. Beyond the breath taking images is a breakdown of the techniques, challenges and tricks the artists employed while creating stunning imagery. This volume, much like the previous volumes is not your standard coffee table book nor is it our usual how-to-book. New to this volume will be 5 artist video tutorials. Five artists will specifically detail an aspect of their gallery image from start to finish, offering further technique driven insight and expertise offering 2 1⁄2 hours of additional inspiration. With a click of a mouse, artists willbe able to apply the leading techniques to their own work with access to additional video tutorials, source files, textures and digital brushes at the companion website: http://www.focalpress.com/digital-art-masters/index.html.

Describes ways artists can use traditional animation techniques with computer technology.

Whether for big budget films and game productions or lower budget TV and Internet content, creating flexible and believable character rigs is an essential skill required to bring any 3D animation to life. As the leading software used for cutting-edge animation, Maya has an established rigging toolset for creating realistic character controls. Traditionally, however, the process of manually building custom rigs in the software interface has been time-consuming and expensive for those who want to produce high-quality 3D characters. Now for the first time and from the author of the best-seller, Maya Character Creation, comes an in-depth guide on how the pros are using MEL (Maya Embedded Language) scripting to streamline and automate the rigging process. With MEL Scripting a Character Rig in Maya, you’ll learn how you can build custom character rigs in a matter of seconds, as opposed to days or weeks. In this detailed guide, you’ll learn: • The techniques used to build a complex character rig in the software interface, followed by instructions for writing the equivalent MEL code for scripting the entire process. • Fundamental concepts of creating animation controls in Maya, from the basics of creating, editing, and binding skeletons, to more complex rigs with controls that employ spline IK and channel connections. • Important coding techniques such as using conditional statements, loops, variables, and procedures. • How to create a character animation GUI (Graphical User Interface) that makes animating the character easy and fast. • Important skills for building rigs using numerous hands-on exercises, all code examples and Maya files available on the companion Web site.

digital Cinematography and Directing is unlike any other cinematography or directing book you've seen. This book was written entirely for 3D animators. Based on real-world photographic and cinematic principles, it teaches you essential skills and concepts that you can apply to any industry 3D application, such as LightWave 3D, Softimage XSI, 3ds max, CINEMA 4D, Maya, and other leading programs. This book does not focus on using software but rather teaches you how to understand and use the camera within your 3D application. Master focal lengths, f-stops, and apertures within your 3D aplication. Learn how pre-production planning can guide and enhance your project by applying essential storyboarding techniques. Use light as not only an illumination source, but as a tool for cinematic storytelling. Learn how to direct your digital cast with proper staging techniques "Dan Ablan's years of innovating digital production techniques and his undeniable expertise at teaching CGI, FX, and Film, makes digitalCinematography and Directing a must-have!" -Dave Adams, Dreamworks.