Animation Master A Complete Guide

Animation:Master is an affordable and powerful 3D program easy enough to be used by students, new 3D artists, and hobbyists for learning the ins-and-outs of 3D, and powerful enough to be used by professional animators. Learning how to use the program is made easier with the completely updated Animation:Master: A Complete Guide. This is the only book dedicated to Animation:Master and now in it's fifth edition, it continues to be the best resource for all levels of A:M users. Whether new to Animation:Master or 3D, users learn the skills and fundamentals needed to master this incredibly powerful, low-cost program. Beginning with a detailed review of the tools, the book leads you through the important features of the program and explains when and how to use them. Once you're comfortable with the tools, you'll get started with the basics of modeling, bones, and action. From there you'll explore character modeling for animation, and set and environment modeling. In this edition, there is coverage of all the major new features through hands-on tutorials including Cloth, Hair Photon Mapping, OpenEXR output with split light buffer elements, compositing, and expressions. There is a detailed chapter on lighting chapter that covers Photon Mapping and radiosity solutions that explains how to set up lights to ensure correct radiance from surfaces for the most realistic renders possible. The rendering and compositing chapter is dedicated to setting up and using OpenEXR light buffers to get the most from A:M's built in compositor. The complex topic of expressions is also covered in detail, with the major uses and syntax necessary to get the most out of A:M explained in clear, non-technical terms. The CD-ROM includes all of the tutorial files and figures from the book. This is the one resource you'll need to go beyond the basics with Animation:Master 2006.Rogers, David is the author of 'Animation Master A Complete Guide', published 2006 under ISBN 9781584504757 and ISBN 1584504757.