A comprehensive and understandable examination of Avid|Softimage's elegant new computer animation system, XSI Illuminated: Foundation is a perfect companion for working animators, students, and teachers alike. 
New for Version 4 of Softimage|XSI, 'XSI Foundation' is a complete learning tool for people picking up Softimage XSI for the first time. ‘XSI Foundation' now covers the new Texture Layer Editor, the Texture UV Editor, and the Compositor, in addition to a complete coverage of Polygon and NURBS modeling, animation tools and detailed information on Materials, Lighting and Rendering. This new, fourth version of the Mesmer Press book also contains numerous new tutorials, including ‘UV Mapping Dice’, ‘Rendering with Layered Shaders’, ‘Using the Compositor’ and more. Complete coverage of: 
The XSI Interface and Workflow Organization: Hierarchy and Groups Building Sets and Models Working with the Operator Stack Serious Polygon Modeling Techniques Building with Subdivision Surfaces NURBS Surface Modeling Speeding Work with Layers All About Curves and Snapping Tools Keyframe Animation Technique Path Animation Deformations and Weightmaps Using the Paint Tool with Weightmaps Materials (Shaders) in the RenderTree Lighting, and Rendering with mental ray Refining with the Animation Editor Viewing Your Renders with the Flipbook 
New book sections include: 
Images, Sources and Clips Using XSI with PhotoShop Texture Projections The Texture Layer Editor Polygon UV Editing Compositing layers with XSI

XSI Illuminated: Foundation 2

Computers & Technology

Rossano, Anthony

Arima,Shinsaku

Web Development & Design

Mesmer Inc

Maya Illuminated: Games is a comprehensive guide to the powerful tools Maya gives you to create stunning game art. Inside you’ll find exhaustive coverage of both Maya’s polygonal modeling and UV mapping toolsets. Also covered is information on character rigging and animation as they apply to game work, and ways to use Maya for going beyond low-poly work for games. This book is the perfect companion for working game artists and aspiring game artists alike. 
Complete coverage of: • The polygonal modeling toolset • Polygonal modeling theory • The UV mapping toolset • UV mapping tips and tricks • Character rigging issues for game content • Animation issues for game content • Other ways Maya can be used to create game art

Maya Illuminated: Games

Daughtry, Lane

Demong, Brian

Digital Audio, Video & Photography

A comprehensive and understandable look at discreet’s massively popular computer animation system, 3ds max Illuminated is a perfect companion for working animators, students, and teachers alike. 3ds max Illuminated: Foundation is the first step in a complete 3D animation curriculum designed by the masters at Mesmer Animation Labs. Scene files used in the book, additional tutorials, and sample course outlines for instructors are all available online at Mesmer.com. Intensive classroom training for professionals is available at the Mesmer facilities in Washington and California, and people from all around the world use the web-based Mesmer eLearning system to learn more about 3d animation. Complete coverage of: • Basic 3d concepts • How to work with files • User interface issues • How to use transformations • Workflow: Modeling, Animating, Rendering • Surfaces and splines • Modifiers and the modifier stack • Low-polygon modeling • The basics of animation • Keyframing and editing animation curves • Creating an animation cycle • How to create and apply materials • Lights and cameras • Rendering and file output • Deformations: Warps, Morphs, and more • Using links to build hierarchies • Forward and Inverse Kinematics • Track View and Schematic View

3Ds Max Illuminated Foundation: A Complete Guide to Getting Started with Discreet's 3D Studio Max

Greene, Ryan M.

A comprehensive and understandable look at Softimage’s elegant character animation system, XSI Illuminated is a perfect companion for working animators, students, and teachers alike. XSI Illuminated: Character is part of a complete 3D animation curriculum designed by the animators and instructors at Mesmer Animation Labs. Scene files used in the book, additional XSI tutorials, and sample course outlines for instructors are all available online at Mesmer.com. Intensive classroom training for professionals is available at the Mesmer facilities in Washington and California, and people from all around the world use the web-based Mesmer eLearning system to learn more about XSI. Complete coverage of: • Planning for Animation • Non-Linear Animation with the Mixer • Serious Polygon Modeling • Modeling with Subdivision Surfaces • Deformations and Weight Maps • Using Shape Trees for Facial Animation • Shape Animation and Lip Sync • Building Inverse Kinematic (IK) Skeletons • Blending Forward Kinematics with IK • Binding Skins to Inverse Kinematic Skeletons • Enveloping and Weighting • Custom Properties and Linked Parameters • Human Character Modeling Strategies • Creating Libraries of Actions • Facial Animation Controllers • Advanced Character Setup • Expressions for Human Movement • Emotions and Facial Musculature

XSI Illuminated: Character

Originally published as Inside Softimage 3D by New Riders, the complete guide to using Softimage|3D is back in print as Softimage|3D Fundamentals, updated for Softimage|3D v4.0 and with an additional all-new chapter on writing expressions. Softimage|3D Fundamentals covers the techniques and art of animating with Softimage|3D, but it is also so technically complete that Softimage licensed Fundamentals as the user manual included with the Softimage|3D 4.0 software! Complete coverage of: Exploring the Softimage Interface • Moving in Space • Producing Your First Animation • Advanced Interface Concepts • General Modeling Concepts • Polygon Modeling • NURBS Modeling • Boolean Modeling • Meta-Clay Modeling • Duplicates and Instances • Materials and Textures • General Animation Concepts • Shape Animation • Animating with Deformations • Animating with Inverse Kinematics • Animating with Dynamics • The mental ray Renderer • NEW! - Expressions for Animation and Character Rigging

Softimage|3D Fundamentals