Blender Foundations
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Product Description
Product Description
Blender Foundations is the definitive resource for getting started with 3D art in Blender, one of the most popular 3D/Animation tools on the market . With the expert insight and experience of Roland Hess, noted Blender expert and author, animators and artists will learn the basics starting with the revised 2.5 interface, modeling tools, sculpting, lighting and materials through rendering, compositing and video editing. Some of the new features covered include the completely re-thought interface, the character animation and keying system, and the smoke simulator.
More than just a tutorial guide, "Blender Foundations" covers the philosophy behind this ingenious software that so many 3D artists are turning to today. Start working today with Blender with the accompanying web site which includes all of the projects and support files alongside videos, step-by-step screenshots of the trickier tutorials, as well as a direct links to official resources like the Blender download site and artist forums.
. A practical, project oriented title on creating high quality 3D art for FREE. Blender is free, Open Source software, which makes it ideal for new users wanting to try 3D with little investment, animation studios looking to increase their capabilities and educational institutions with limited resources in their art departments.
. "Blender Foundations" helps new and old users alike get started with the ALL NEW features and workflows of the forthcoming Blender 2.5.
. "Blender Foundations" offers techniques and tools for the complete Blender workflow, demonstrating a real-world project from start to finish. Hands-on insight is even further applied with the companion website which includes source files at all stages so transitioning users can pick and choose via tool/chapter what they want to explore.
About the Author
By Roland Hess, working with graphics and imaging software for over 20 years, Roland is the leading expert for Blender software. As one of a handful of people involved with Blender who is both an active user of the software as well as one of the developers, he brings a unique perspective to Blender instruction that helps to bridge the difficult gap between technical knowledge and artistic endeavor. Hess wrote: Animating with Blender for Focal 2009, and The Essential Blender, No Starch, 2007.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I think this is the first book based on Blender's radical user-interface overhaul, so I decided it was a must-buy.
For the confused, the title is a bit misleading. Blender 2.6 is a long way off, and even 2.55 is currently available only as a beta version. This means that occasionally the book refers to an as-yet unavailable feature or hot-key.
As you would expect from this established Blender author (and nice guy!), his book is very, very good. Not only does it cover a vast amount of what Blender can do, but at various points it also gives you a heads-up on related matters that it DOESN'T cover.
Chapters include:
The interface
Animation basics
Modelling a scene
Lighting
Modelling and rigging a character (including hair)
Adding textures
Using the 'sculpt' tool
Shape keys and morphing
Rendering
And stuff like cloth, force fields, soft bodies, particles, etc.
And a final chapter on Video compilation and final output.
It's a great book, and only a few things prevented me from giving it a 5-star review. The MAIN one is that when I buy a book, I prefer it to be 'stand alone'. If someone new to Blender picks up this book, they have NO CHANCE at all of making sense of it unless they're prepared to frequently visit the associated website. The book doesn't give nearly enough step-by-step illustrations - instead, it tells you that you'll find them on the website, together with various other videos etc. (which I admit, are all very good - but I would have preferred them on a DVD, making the book a 'complete' product.)
Maybe this is just a personal thing - if it doesn't bother you, then consider this a four-and-a-half star review. The missing half-star is because of some fairly serious errata (which, again, is put right on the website... mostly.)
Despite these reservations, I recommend the book very much. If you're uncertain whether or not to purchase, why not visit the website in advance? (blenderfoundationsDOTcom)
For the confused, the title is a bit misleading. Blender 2.6 is a long way off, and even 2.55 is currently available only as a beta version. This means that occasionally the book refers to an as-yet unavailable feature or hot-key.
As you would expect from this established Blender author (and nice guy!), his book is very, very good. Not only does it cover a vast amount of what Blender can do, but at various points it also gives you a heads-up on related matters that it DOESN'T cover.
Chapters include:
The interface
Animation basics
Modelling a scene
Lighting
Modelling and rigging a character (including hair)
Adding textures
Using the 'sculpt' tool
Shape keys and morphing
Rendering
And stuff like cloth, force fields, soft bodies, particles, etc.
And a final chapter on Video compilation and final output.
It's a great book, and only a few things prevented me from giving it a 5-star review. The MAIN one is that when I buy a book, I prefer it to be 'stand alone'. If someone new to Blender picks up this book, they have NO CHANCE at all of making sense of it unless they're prepared to frequently visit the associated website. The book doesn't give nearly enough step-by-step illustrations - instead, it tells you that you'll find them on the website, together with various other videos etc. (which I admit, are all very good - but I would have preferred them on a DVD, making the book a 'complete' product.)
Maybe this is just a personal thing - if it doesn't bother you, then consider this a four-and-a-half star review. The missing half-star is because of some fairly serious errata (which, again, is put right on the website... mostly.)
Despite these reservations, I recommend the book very much. If you're uncertain whether or not to purchase, why not visit the website in advance? (blenderfoundationsDOTcom)
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Having given up trying to learn Blender using online tutorials, I turned to this book - expecting it to be hard work and something of a slog.
What I found was perhaps the best introduction to a 3D program I've read in a long time. It's diagrams are clear (and in colour), it expertly explain modelling, molding, and animation, and I can say now I feel quite at home using the new version of Blander.
So why not five stars? I found the chapter on textures and materials a little confusing and there weren't any tutorials on using the game/physics engine. That said, don't let that put you off. If you understand everything in this book, you'll be way ahead of the curve and be able to produce really interesting renders.
What I found was perhaps the best introduction to a 3D program I've read in a long time. It's diagrams are clear (and in colour), it expertly explain modelling, molding, and animation, and I can say now I feel quite at home using the new version of Blander.
So why not five stars? I found the chapter on textures and materials a little confusing and there weren't any tutorials on using the game/physics engine. That said, don't let that put you off. If you understand everything in this book, you'll be way ahead of the curve and be able to produce really interesting renders.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is definitely one of the best books written about any graphical program. The whole complexity of Blender would demand similarly complex book about it. However, this book manages to present huge quantity of information in a shortest possible manner and still keeps it very entertaining and useful. In just about few hours from when you start reading you will have a great understanding of 3D in general and of Blender UI and how best to use it. Both of these topics are vast but author manages to introduce this in such a way that after few hours of reading and working with Blender you feel like you gained years worth of knowledge.
After this initial introduction you start building your project which takes you through the rest of the book. Again, you will be taken through a series of very difficult tasks in a way that is fun, educative and very condense. These tasks will cover all the aspects of Blender including modelling, materials, textures, ligthing, compositing, etc., and along the way you will gain even more insight in how best to use Blender's complex interface to minimize your work flow.
Another good thing about this book is that author promises to help you along the way, and says he usually responds within 24 hours if you have any questions. I didn't really expect that until I really did ask him something, and he responded within two hours - on Saturday :)
After this initial introduction you start building your project which takes you through the rest of the book. Again, you will be taken through a series of very difficult tasks in a way that is fun, educative and very condense. These tasks will cover all the aspects of Blender including modelling, materials, textures, ligthing, compositing, etc., and along the way you will gain even more insight in how best to use Blender's complex interface to minimize your work flow.
Another good thing about this book is that author promises to help you along the way, and says he usually responds within 24 hours if you have any questions. I didn't really expect that until I really did ask him something, and he responded within two hours - on Saturday :)
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
great
The book was as described and arrived quickly. It was for my son who thinks its brill, right up his street.
Published 3 months ago by Rose
get a serious headstart with this book.
I decided before I even started using blender that I was not going to get lost in a sea of online video tutorials, dipping in here and there and learning little. Read more
Published 9 months ago by P. Cumming
Good Introduction
As someone totally new to Blender I find this book an excellent starting point. I have not read it from cover to cover but have dipped into the parts that I find most useful. Read more
Published 12 months ago by M. Clarke
Blender Foundations Crits
An excellent book that eased me into using the new Blender 5.2 interface. It would have been an extra bonus to have a CD to help with the tutorials, although the lessons are... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Dicon
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