3D Graphics Tutorial Collection (Graphics Series) [Paperback]

Shamms Mortier (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2, 2001 | ISBN-10: 1584500107 | ISBN-13: 978-1584500100 | Edition: 1st

As all graphic artists and designers know, every project requires a different set of tools, skills, and applications. In this book designers have access to a unique collection of forty graphics tutorials that provide hands-on insights and tips addressing various issues and programs. The tutorials were compiled from the popular Graphics Resource Club (www.graphicsresourceclub.com) and cover a variety of 3D applications as well as 2D support-software including Photoshop and Illustrator. The tutorials are written by a variety of experienced designers who share their ideas and solutions using specific programs. The techniques used in the tutorials can be easily applied to other professional 3D software with similar tools, making this collection an excellent resource for graphic designers of all levels.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

One of the best ways to learn a tool is to look over the shoulder of someone using it. In 3D Graphics Tutorial Collection, you get to watch a variety of artists use a variety of applications. This book is full of tutorials for the 3D artist on how to use tools ranging from low-priced applications like Bryce and Poser to Alias|Wavefront's Maya, and everything in between. The tutorials are written by users in the field, and each one offers insight and tips won from hands-on experience. You get lessons in Photoshop to create pseudo-3D images, in Illustrator to create patterns using text, and in 3D Studio Max for modeling a talking head and learning the basics of animation using Maya.

The good news is that some of the techniques taught using one application can be applied to most others. The bad news is that the diversity of the book is both its strength and its weakness. By spanning such a broad range of applications, there isn't enough on any one of them. Covering everything from the long-discontinued consumer-level app Ray Dream Studio to the current professional-level Maya application, 3D Graphics Tutorial Collection attempts to appeal to the widest possible audience. It succeeds in showing new users how projects are done in a variety of applications without their having to buy all those apps. But for a professional artist, it works out to be fairly expensive. Most professionals in the field use one program about 90 percent of the time and rely on a handful of supporting applications for the rest of the work. A book that offers only one or two tutorials on the program used the most is hardly a bargain. To add insult to injury, the accompanying CD-ROM includes a free working version of Amapi 4.1, but the book itself doesn't have an Amapi tutorial.

If you're brand-new to the world of 3D modeling and haven't yet settled on which application to use, 3D Graphics Tutorial Collection will give you a peek into the workings of many. It presents the kind of overview that's not readily available from most books or magazines. --Mike Caputo

About the Author

R. Shamms Mortier has written a number of successful books including The Bryce 3D Handbook, The Poser 4 Handbook, Creating 3D Comix, he contributes to a variety of industry magazines, and is a regular contributor to the Graphics Resource Club. He resides in Vermont.

Product Details

• Paperback: 364 pages
• Publisher: Charles River Media; 1st edition (January 2, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584500107
• ISBN-13: 978-1584500100
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,324,092 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars be wary of this author, August 10, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: 3D Graphics Tutorial Collection (Graphics Series) (Paperback)

the only good reviews this guy gets are from "professional reviewers"

reviews that give glowing ratings & heaps of praise on every book they supposedly read are not to be trusted. In all likelyhood that are given a script & a check.

As to this specific book it is incomplete and lacks flow. In the end you will have more questions than answers.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars be wary of this author, August 9, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: 3D Graphics Tutorial Collection (Graphics Series) (Paperback)

the only good reviews this guy gets are from "professional reviewers"

reviews that give glowing ratings & heaps of praise on every book they supposedly read are not to be trusted. In all likelyhood that are given a script & a check.

As to this specific book it is incomplete and lacks flow. In the end you will have more questions than answers.

1 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great deal of value as a refresher and reference, March 26, 2002

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 3D Graphics Tutorial Collection (Graphics Series) (Paperback)

The 3D Graphics Tutorial Collection is a superbly developed and presented compilation of "how to" instructional articles on the use and utilization of 3D Graphics. The novice website designer will learn how to master just about every graphics program available today and to properly employ a vast array of tools and plug-ins associated with graphics programs. This innovative, impressive, and "user friendly" collection of more than forty different tutorials were drawn from the "Graphics Resource Club", a subscription-based service providing subscribers with new step-by-step tutorials and online books each month. A companion CD-ROM includes all of the tutorials and their images and support files, along with a demo of Amapi 4.1. Ideal for the beginner, 3D Graphics Tutorial Collection also has a great deal of value as a refresher and reference for even the more experienced designers.