Character Animation in 3D: Use Traditional Drawing Techniques to Produce Stunning CGI Animation (Focal Press Visual Effects and Animation) (Paperback)

The book is very clearly laid out, and covers all the bases of animation, from the basics of bouncing balls to full human and animal animation. There are clear and detailed instructions on how to achieve these results with the full range of 3D animation packages, and the good natured, conversational tone of the book makes it a pleasure to read. The principles taught in the book are as useful to 2D or stop motion animators as they are to 3D types, and the book could stand alone as a perfectly good introduction to the art of animation itself.

In addition to it's clarity and good sense, the accompanying CD is a great idea. When getting started in animation it can be very hard to figure out how drawings in a book would look when animated - with this CD you don't have to, as it contains fully animated examples of every excercise.

To sum up, this is a real corker of a book - buy it, read it, then put it on the shelf next to your Richard Williams and Preston Blairs.

There's a wealth of good stuff on the CD, and everything seems to be aimed at being as easy to use as possible, with all the main 3d programs (Max, Maya, Xsi and Lightwave) and the 2D techniques being supported totally with full instructions in PDF format and prebuilt and rigged models and scenes complete with help files in case you have problems. You even get useful stuff like diagrams and X-sheets that you can print out, and movies of the finished exercises, useable models, and sound files that you can lip-synch to.

The models and rigs, while basic, are well set up and complement the aim of the book - that is not to produce amazingly rendered beautifully modelled but mediocre animations, but really well timed and weighted animations that will give you a more complete understanding of animation, and more importantly show others that you understand animation.

The book encourages you to really get to grips with 2D before attempting the tasks in 3D - this approach works well - if you think you know 3D animation, but you've never attempted "traditional" 2D animation, this book will have you sharpening your pencils and filling in your x-sheets, and you'll begin to realise how much better an animator it's making you.

And the best bit is its' price. I've read books with a lot less than half the information crammed into this for more than twice the price. Lots of books claim to teach you animation but really just show you how to use a package. This book shows you how to animate well whatever package you use. As a professional animator I know this is an essential skill for any animator or person wishing to become one. Buy it now!

Showing you and telling you, in plain English how to do animation in 2D and then relaying these skills into a 3D package.

Now the great thing is , Steve Roberts has go into real great detail for every exercise in the book, and has done a PDF format of each exercise which is software specific, he uses Lightwave, Maya, Softimage and 3D Studio max these are the main industry packages.

He talks about walk cycles (many different ones), running, lifting objects every fundamental animation that you need to know to get a job.

Anyone wanting a book on animation should buy this as there is nothing that can top this book and believe me I have read enough of them.

This book tells you what you want to know and if you have never animated in Lightwave or Softimage for example he shows you how.

JUST BUY IT..........