Cinema 4D R8 Handbook (Charles River Media Graphics) [Paperback]

Adam Watkins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 21, 2003 | ISBN-10: 1584502169 | ISBN-13: 978-1584502166 | Edition: 1

Cinema 4D is known worldwide as one of the most powerful and diverse animation and rendering applications available. Cinema4D R8/8.1 is a major upgrade, with a multitude of new functions and modifications that can be dizzying to get through. With The Cinema 4D R8 Handbook, however, you'll get up to speed quickly. The book has been completely updated to cover the major new functions and provide hands-on methods for analyzing the many new tools. Using a project-based approach, you'll be creating impressive projects as you learn. Beginning with the general tools and tool layout, you'll learn how to customize the tools to create a work environment conducive to your workflow, including where to start, how to start, and when to finish. Then the real fun begins with the modeling tools. Modeling is covered, from primitive methods and NURBS, to object creation, polygon creation, and NURBS editing. Next you'll put C4D's powerful texture capabilities to work and discover how they function, when they should be used, and what types of effects can be created with simple textures. From there, the all-important issues of cinematography and how to control the camera within C4D are explored. In the same chapter, you'll learn about the often ignored area of lighting and lighting theory, by using lessons from the areas of photography and theatre. Moving along, you'll explore the complex and powerful animation tools, including timeline, F-curves, tangents, and Beziers. You'll find out how to use new timeline tools as well as when, where, and why to use them. Young or old, novice or experienced, amateur or professional; The Cinema 4D R8 Handbook will provide you with the tools, techniques, and tricks to increase your productivity, workflow, and the quality of your work with C4D.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Adam Watkins (San Antonio, TX) is the director of Computer Arts at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas. He has a BFA in theater set and lighting design, and an MFA in graphic design. His previous books include The Maya 4.5 Handbook, Final Cut Pro 3 and DVD Studio Pro Handbook, and 3D Animation: From Models to Movies.

Product Details

• Paperback: 504 pages
• Publisher: Charles River Media; 1 edition (July 21, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584502169
• ISBN-13: 978-1584502166
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 1.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,734,673 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Poorly Written Handbook!!, August 27, 2003

By 

scrolaw polaw (Abudabi) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cinema 4D R8 Handbook (Charles River Media Graphics) (Paperback)

With the 6th edition of the Cinema 4D Handbook being poorly rated, this one reaches beyond beleif the incomprehensible. The pages has very little writting and the pictures are even more inaccurate than the last volume. Step by Step tutorials are very complicated and at times even impossible to complete due to the lack of explanation.

When comming to the vector part of the tutorial, the version does not cover the subject properly at all. The vectorial concepts are defragmented in many parts and hard to understand even what seems the very basic.

I DO NOT recommend this book at all and at such high price for such an incompetently written book, it is not worth it.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars confusing, October 11, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Cinema 4D R8 Handbook (Charles River Media Graphics) (Paperback)

As a beginner in C4D I found this expensive book difficult to follow w/ poorly printed images (screen shots). I get better results from few online tutorials. I wonder if experienced C4D users will be able to learn anything new from this confusing book.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars You're better off making origami cranes from the pages., April 27, 2004

By 

"somnium19" (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cinema 4D R8 Handbook (Charles River Media Graphics) (Paperback)

I took a beginners Cinema 4d class and unfortunately this book was required. Thank God I didn't pay full price! First of all, reading comprehension is downright atrocious. When you're finished wading through this muck of a book, you'll find you know a lot about WHAT things do, but very little about HOW TO use them. If you haven't bought this yet, turn away quickly and save yourself! You'll learn more on your own by playing with the software, online tutorials or a completely different book (and author?). If you're already stuck with it like me, make about 500 or so origami cranes and you're halfway to being lucky enough to winning your money back in the lottery!