3D Creature Workshop

Rating:
Summary: This is great book for animator who want great work.
Review: I 'm very love this book except it don't clear in some paragraphs when you followed tutorials and this book don't cover in animation (all of it about to build great charactor models). CD that came with book contained very..very...very less data.

Rating:
Summary: Best 3D modeller book!
Review: If you have any of the programs listed for the tutorials in thebook you should buy this book.

The tutorials are in a way, that itdoesn't matter what 3D program you're using (either in the book ornot), they're easily readable into the 3D program you have. I have 3DStudio MAX 2.5/R3, and I use the spline modelling tools all the timenow that I've mastered them, somewhat. The entire book is great forbeginners, refreshing intermediates, and masters. Has some basicpoly-editing for those who use MeshSmooth. Patch modelling for thosewith MAX, and Spline/Surface tools for Animation Master. The onlyregret I'd see from the book is NURBS modelling. Would have liked totried a tutorial or two using that method.

I would have liked a moredetailed poly-editing tutorial. Something more along an advanced onefor high quality character editing like what was done for the splineediting chapters. Something other that just a fish would have beennice. Though it's still a great book to be worth 5 stars.

So gopick it up! :)...

Rating:
Summary: Creature design is a tough little business
Review: It seems that this book has had mixed reviews as to how useful it is. By and large, creature design and building 3D creature models is a tough little business. Reading this book alone will not get you instant results in creature making, it provides insight into how Bill Fleming does it, but you can't expect to become an expert without a lot of practice. The book itself does provide good foundations into spline modelling and polygon modelling and it is interesting to see one method of modelling creatures. I must admit that in trying to copy the walk-throughs, I was at a loss, with each successive attempt I got better but still I had difficulty making my own creatures. I know the methodology, its just applying them. And like everything it takes practice. The book will give you a good idea on how to get going, but you'll need to put in a lot of work yourself too. Having looked at books in Japan on similar subjects, the modelling methods used are very similar although there are some minor differences. By and large this book is a good starting point to introduce you to creature modelling, but its going to take a lot of practice to get anywhere.

Rating:
Summary: 3d Creature Workshop = Awesome!
Review: Just picked up the book 3D Creature Workshop by Bill Fleming, Editor in Chief at the newly-created Serious3D magazine.

In just one word: WOW!

Finally there is an excellent step-by-step, from beginning to end that shows you the what the experts are doing. This book is simply fanatastic for anyone creating monsters, animals, creatures and humanoids.

The first chapter sets up the book with the importance of creating a biography for your creature. Bill follows through on this in creatures he tutorials throughout the book, some of them quite amusing.

There are two chapters specifically devoted to users of 3D Studio Max R2, such as myself.

One chapter deals with creating a cartoon fish using patch modeling.

The other chapter is devoted to creating a cartoony mob hitman named Knuckles using Peter Watje's SurfaceTool.

Both of these chapters are excellent and are filled with invaluable knowledge and tips.

I would have liked to have seen a chapter on NURBS but with this changing in R2.5, maybe Bill adopted a wait and see attitude. he does cover NURBS with Lightwave and Animation Master which can be applied to Max.

Two other 3d programs are covered in additional tutorial chapters, Lightwave and Animation Master. Can't comment on these becuase I don't use them.

The second half of the book is geared towards photorealistic skin textures using Photoshop and your 3d program. This section alone is worth the price of the book. I instantly picked up several tips that I could not find anywhere else on the Net or in any other 3rd party 3d books or magazines..and trust me, I've read all of them.

If this book is any indication of what we can expect from Serious3d magazine (which ships next week), Bill, count me as a lifelong subscriber. END

Rating:
Summary: For the dedicated computer-based animating reference shelf
Review: Now in a completely updated, revised, and expanded second edition, Bill Fleming and Richard Schrand's 3d Creature Workshop offers the novice beginner or the seasoned professional with insightful ideas, tips, tricks and techniques on bringing 3D creatures to life on the computer. Detailed tutorials explain ever aspect of creature creation using a variety of programs including Amapi, Pixels, #D, Organica, Lifeforms, and working with jointed characters from Poser 4. Now anyone can learn how to effectively create landscapes and environments using Bryce 4, Vue d'Espirit 3, and World Construction Set, as well as generate high quality image maps using DarkTree textures. A companion CD-ROM includes images and support materials for all the tutorials, a demo version of Amapi 3D; and a great deal more. Comprehensive, "learner friendly", 3d Creature Workshop is a highly recommended addition to the dedicated computer-based animating reference shelf.

Rating:
Summary: The Fine Art of Tweaking 3D Models.
Review: Ok, we've all used the Lightwave videos, books and Internet tutorials. You know the ones, they give you the fundamental steps to creating a character model, then show the finished object which is the result of many hours of tweaking. How did they get there? These presentations are great for learning the fundamentals, but stop short of teaching the nuances of creating a great character model. 3D Creature Workshop takes off where the others leave off. This book could be re-titled to The Fine Art of Tweaking 3D Models.

Ever get frustrated trying to figure out how a particular contour was created on a model? How different bumps, ridges, dents, protrusions...etc. were created? Bill Fleming has unmasked the mystery behind great character models by sharing his wealth of knowledge in this area. This book will reduce the time required to become an accomplished modeler by light years. Remember, "A work of art is never finished only abandoned"----Leonardo da Vinci.

A humble Lightwave hobbyist.

Rating:
Summary: Waste of $$$$
Review: Out of 9 chapters, only Chapters 5 & 6 deal specifically with 3D Studio Max. Ch. 5 requires a plug-in and various maps to finish the model. They're sadly missing from the Companion CD. Worse still, Ch. 6 requires a plug-in that costs $85 or else you cannot do the exercise at all! You only find that out on page 164!

I hold the publisher and author responsible for such blatant omissions from the book. They have the repsonsibility to tell people that unless you have this $85 plug-in, various exercises will not work. The buyer can then make an informed decision on whether they want to buy the book or not. This book is a major letdown, I honestly cannot recommend it!

Rating:
Summary: Great book, but not perfect.
Review: This book goes far beyond the scope of "awesome". The examples and tutorials in this book are amazing to say the least. I am a 3D Studio MAX user and fairly beginner as well. After reading the book several times through, I set out to try the tutorials. The first 3DSMAX tutorial was boggling to me, if you are not familiar with b-splines and patches, consider working with them before you get this book. After about 3 hours, I was handling patches quite well. I had learned to make a virtual studio, lay out patches, and form them to match my outline. The book shows you how to do the work, and the rest is just experimentation. After using the 3DSMAX tutorials, I went on and tried the A:M and LW tutorials. I'm happy to say that with a few extra plugins, easily found on the 'net, one can easily do in MAX what others can do in the other tutorials. How exciting. Still, the book has some of it's own faults, and can be confusing at times, if you are a true beginner.

Rating:
Summary: promises...
Review: This book is very much a rehash of the last book printed in 1998. It includes the same tutorials used in that book. The patch modeling tutorial in this book even states that it is for max 2 (though the book cover says "updated for new versions of max" which now is version 4. He has added a few token tutorials for other programs such as Amapi and Darktree Textures...but it is not worth getting if you have the old book. I am disappointed that Mr. Flemming could not take the time to write a few new tutorials and truly update this book like the cover says. This book should be categorized as a reprint. If you are looking for uptodate tutorials, I suggest you search on the internet.