Rating: 
Summary: Very thin coverage of material for such a thick book.
Review: While this book has some good information, overall it only briefly covers only a fraction of Lightwave's features. It is esspecially lacking in the area of IK and skeletal setups. In fact it only mentions Skelegons and then moves on to a quick intro into Bones in Layout. This book was not at all what I was expecting. Esspecially considering the title: Inside Lightwave[6]. If all you're looking for is some basic tutorials then this is the book for you, but if you're looking for a reference or a book with some advanced techniques (or even some good tips from a more experienced user) then find another book.
Rating: 
Summary: A new expression engine for custom scripting and control
Review: With Inside Lightwave [6], Dan Ablan informs the reader about SubPatch modeling, skelegons, and bones for character animation; Weight Maps for precise character deformation; expressions for complete animation control; radiosity for photo realistic rendering; new surfacing for unparalleled texturing; endomorphs for easy lip-syncing; Motion Designer for cloth animation; new hybrid inverse/forward kinematics for easy character animation control; NewGraph Editor for control over channels, a new expression engine for custom scripting and control, and much, much more. Inside Lightwave [6] is accompanied by a CD-ROM containing all the scene files for each of the books projects; sample textures from Marlin Studios; Royalty-free LightWave 3D objects; demo products and free plug-ins, and more. Inside Lightwave [6] is a "must" for anyone working with NewTek's LightWave 3D.
Rating:
Summary: Must have if you use LW 6
Review: WOW! Dan outdid himself with this book! All Lightwave users, from rank beginners to advanced users can find something of interest and will learn something from LightWave 6 (Inside). The chapters on CG human creations and animations are worth the price of the book alone. Dan also has an excellent tutorial on skelegon creation and usage.Best of all - the tutorials go beyond a 'paint by number' approach and once you've completed them - you will have skills and knowledge of LW that will help with your own creations. Highly recommended!
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