Digital Character Animation 2, Volume I : Essential Techniques

Rating:
Summary: Not worth it
Review: This book is ultra beginner level. I thought it would help me design and program a skeletal deformation system for meshes, it did not. I don't see how it could even help someone who just wanted to animate characters in Max. Lots of pictures, very little text. I got every thing I was going to get out of this book in the first 5 minuets.

Rating:
Summary: Hands On Practice Book
Review: This book is written without any one software package in mind. Study this book, don't just read it. You need to apply these principals to really get what the author is saying. I think if you got this and tried reading it once by the fireplace (and not by the workstation) you would get bored/lost. So, it helps to already be pretty familiar with a software package before you get this book.

Rating:
Summary: Good starter book
Review: This book was very useful in teaching myself to make and animate 3D characters. The step-by-step direction are truely useful. The image details don't always match the the written directions and leave a bit to be desired, but it isn't really a hendrince.

Rating:
Summary: Good starter book
Review: This book was very useful in teaching myself to make and animate 3D characters. The step-by-step direction are truely useful. The image details don't always match the the written directions and leave a bit to be desired, but it isn't really a hendrince.

Rating:
Summary: A great reference and very good illustrated
Review: This is a very good book that shows not on a special 3D packet based how to create characters and how to animate them. Well for beginners and also for professional artists who always can find something new inside and a reference for new ideas. The examples on the CD are very good to show all the ways in modelling with patches, grids and NURBS`s. Also lots of descriptions of modifiers and abillities of poligonal surfaces. I must say well done George. A masterpiece in allround characterdesign and animation.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book for "BEGINNERS"
Review: This is an EXCELLENT book for the beginner animator. In this respect, i give it 5 of 5 stars. For an already highly experienced animator, it is 1 of 5 stars. The concepts in this book assume you know little about modeling characters and animation. It is very well explained in clear english, with lots of excellent pictures to help explain it. However, each section doesn't go very deep into details, so it would be difficult to go on your own after reading this book. It does, however, give you a better understanding of all the things that need to come together in order to make a good animation. You also have to know your preferred animation package thoroughly in order to do the lessons in this book. The book shows no "steps" involved in any specific program, so you'd better know the program well! This book is better than the original Digital Character Animation book. It goes into more detail on complicated subjects, like different methods (pole orientations) of creating a NURBS head. There was valuable information in this book that i found nowhere else! I think the whole intention of the author was to write a "beginner" book. I read somewhere than Vol II (the current book is Vol I) will go into much greater detail, so this book may be good for advanced users. I can't wait for Vol II!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent, very clear, thorough and well organized
Review: This is an excellent overview of the process of 3D computer animation. Lots of color illustrations and diagrams on every page make it easy reading and there are a wealth of useful tips to simplify the complex process of character animation. This book should be useful for beginners as well as experienced animators. The Bibliography even has a description of each book.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent intro to basic principles of character animation
Review: This is such a good book on learning the basics of modeling for animation, rigging, posing, locomotion and even facial animation and dialogue. I read this book to learn character animation and I noticed I keep coming back to it because it is a very good source of fundamentals. the importance of staging, timing, and the principles are covered with useful 3d renderings to match. examples of jump and walk cycles, etc are included. and core facial expression poses are shown also noting which muscles are used. the cd contains some nice clips of animation cycles done.

Although simple in its approach, it's basics is rooted deep from a solid understanding of character animation knowledge. and since it is software independant, it will never go out of date.

Rating:
Summary: If you only buy one 3D book...
Review: This is the best resource on 3D modelling and animation I have ever encountered. It's generic nature (not specifying a particular package) makes it useful for users of all 3D software. The book presents a number of ways to model heads limbs etc. with both nurbs and polygons. Buy it now!