Amazon.co.uk Review
Never forgetting that "the human form is the most valuable and challenging resource in fine art"
3-D Human Modeling and Animation helps make the transition from 2D to 3D--working with height, width, and now depth--easier. Student artists and animators learning or expanding their skills for modelling and animating digital humans will find this book a great resource.
Lessons and instruction begin by modelling the feet, progressing upward through the body and ending with the head--the most complicated to create. The modelling approach you'll use involves skinning cross-sectional splines and contours, a system that uses a series of curved or straight outlines and then connects them. Students will find the various procedures used here helpful no matter what software or hardware setup you may be using.
In an example on human motion you consider the movement of clothes on the human body. These tend to move separately--the swing of a skirt as it twirls in contrast to the human figure. The book suggests that you animate your characters with secondary actions so that their movements look more realistic and dramatic.
While there is no companion CD-ROM this book offers plenty of illustrations, step-by-step instructions and student exercises. Whether you're just learning to model or want to expand beyond your 2D skills and make the leap into the 3D arena you'll find 3-D Human Modeling and Animation a good place to start. --Brooke Gilbert
Product Description
"3–D Human Modeling and Animation fills a tremendous void that has become even more evident with the successful use of 3–D in movies like Disney′s Toy Story. While there has been much written about drawing the human form in relation to art, commercial design, and 2–D cartooning, the subject of 3–D modeling and animation of the human form has been neglected at the same time that the use of 3–D tools has been exploding. It is my judgment that [this] book will become the reference that professional and student artists and animators turn to in order to master one of the most challenging yet exciting subjects to model and animate–the human form." –Nick Pavlovic, CEO, Visual Information Development, Inc., Monrovia, CA
Ideal for graphic designers, artists, and others, 3–D Human Modeling and Animation builds a bridge from traditional figure drawing, painting, and sculpture to the creation and animation of figures using computer technology.
With a step–by–step approach, the book leads readers through the process of modeling human figures, with specific yet flexible techniques that can be applied to many different hardware/software setups. Separate chapters cover different areas of the body, and contain everything readers need to know about proportion, basic design strategies, 3–D construction methods, and other essential information. The final chapters show how to prepare figures for animation and get them up and running–and jumping, walking, turning, and twisting!
Complete with illustrations, helpful exercises, and more, 3–D Human Modeling and Animation opens up a whole new world of creative possibilities to explore.
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