Character Animation In Depth: The Complete Expert's Guide to Professional Character Animation

Rating:
Summary: Too many applications attempted; spread too thin
Review: Overall this was a very helpful book. My main "problem" with this book is the author's attempt to cover so many applications so specifically. As a Lightwave user, I am still left in the dark about Lightwave's bones in character animation; which is one of the main reasons I purchased the book. Only the very basic setup was covered as a tutorial. How about something more complex such as a "hand" with limited ranges, fall-offs and strengths...? The version 5.0 and 5.6 is jumped between frequently...then Hash...then Softimage.....Max.... For character animation theory this is a good book but if you are trying to actually be a character animator using only one of the apps (such as Lightwave), then I suggest doing alot more reading from other books and web tutorials. For the price this book is good but no great wonder. I did learn from it; only not as much as I thought I would have when I bought it.

Rating:
Summary: Not In Depth
Review: The Structure of the book is very complicated, it's as if constructed from many different articles written for some 3D application. And many of the information is very software specific. There are many examples but not a single complete advanced tutorial. Many chapters copied from Doug's old book LW5.0 character animation. There are many other books on Character Animation much better than this.1 out of 5.

Rating:
Summary: I have mixed feelings about this book
Review: There's a lot of information here, but Kelly may have tried to cover too many bases at once, particularly his examples in 3D programs. Most folks model in one program, so examples in other programs either go by the wayside or you try to figure out how such an example might work in YOUR program. It's near impossible to be all things to all programs, so-to-speak. But, still, lots of information.

Rating:
Summary: Best Animation book I have read.
Review: This book goes way beyond the title of Character Animation. It is really and in depth book. From pre-production to textures to animation, to post production and setting up your own shop. This book covers it all. There are very detailed tutorials from several different animation programs. If you are planning to purchase an animation program this is the book to buy first. If you have your program already this is a very good book to help you get out a finished product. Comes with a CD that is loaded with examples and demo programs.

Rating:
Summary: Required reading for AM98 users
Review: This text includes a section by setup expert Steph Greenberg that is so useful, some friends and I are requiring it as a text for our volunteer, on-line course. The course covers construction and IK/constraints setup of a human model for animation, using Hash's Animation:Master 98.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Work
Review: This title really gives you a lot of book for your money - the author has obviously put a lot of time and effort into it. I recommend this to any enthusiasts getting started in 3D animation, especially students looking towards 3D as a career. While the selection of topics and articles was sometimes a bit eclectic, this has a huge amount of information put together, that might add up to the best of what you'd find in a year of surfing the web, all in one book.

Rating:
Summary: There's plenty here to make the book worthwhile.
Review: Yes, there are software-specific sections, and few people will find every single page of this book useful. Still, at 900-plus pages of text, there's plenty of valuable information to guide the serious aspiring (or working) animator in the principles of good character modeling, setup, and animation. Kelly covers nearly every relevant topic imaginable in enough depth to make this book quite useful overall. And while it could be argued that its attempt to cover such a broad field stretches the informatin too thin, I think the author manages to adhere well to the intended scope of the book. It would be a mistake to expect a single text to answer all of your questions, and especially to expect all of the information to be applicable to your own software. Each topic detailed here could easily be a book in itself, so if you're looking for a wealth of useful info thoughtfully condensed into one volume, Kelly's book should meet or exceed your most reasonable expectations.

Rating:
Summary: a very broad book
Review: ~970 Pages, first a bit of a shock. The contents of the book is very broad, it isnt concentrated on one program, which is interesting to get the jist of character animation. Not a book for pirate software owners (consult your software manual, and get to know your 3D Software first before reading this book). All in all very informative.