Into 3D With form.Z [Paperback]

Lachmi Khemlani (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 24, 1999

Form Z is a general purpose, three-dimensional modelling system that puts form-manipulating capabilities into the hands of the personal computer user. This text takes the reader through the full range of system capabilities from 2D through to 3D and into light effects, modelling and rendering.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Form Z is updated from time to time, and it is not always possible to ensure that the CD included in the book is the most recent demo. Readers are welcome to go to the formz website for a free download of the demo.

From the Author

form.Z is easily the best program for 3D design, beating more expensive programs hands-down when it comes to simplicity and ease of use. At the same time, it is very sophisticated and powerful--there is nothing you can conceive of that you cannot model in form.Z. This book is a comprehensive guide to the latest version of the program, based on my extensive teaching experience with it at Berkeley. I start with the most simple tools and operations, and gradually lead you to the more complex parts, covering all aspects of the program by the end of the book. The format is that of a "workshop"-- there are sets of exercises bringing together related tools and concepts, each concluding with a design problem, the modeling and rendering of which is described in detail. The design problems encompass a broad range of fields: architecture, interior design, urban design, structural design, product design, even graphic design!

The content of this book has evolved considerably from the time I first taught my form.Z course, based on my assessment of the manner in which the students responded to it, and their direct feedback and evaluation of the course after each session. I consider the carefully thought-out and organized sequence in which the material is presented as the main strength of this book. I have taken special care to avoid writing it as a manual! This is decidedly a "book"-- all the tools and their operations are described as they are most likely to be used and need to be learned by you rather than in the sequence in which they appear in the program.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Professional Publishing (June 24, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0070349339
• ISBN-13: 978-0070349339
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,594,801 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars You love the cover! What are you kidding?, September 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Into 3D With form.Z (Paperback)

The cover doesn't, nor do the example in the book, suggest the potential for the modeling that is possible with formZ. I have read the previous reviews and read the book and understand the admiration for the attempt to write and easy example based tutorial manual, but the fact of the matter is that this book falls amazingly flat in opening a new users eyes to what, after a few months of using the program, they might be able to create. The admiration for this cover being the most blatent proof of this contention. For god's sake the potential for almost photo-realistic portrayls of space and objects is phenomenal and nothing in this book even approaches that kind of detail or even attempts it. FormZ is a powerful tool, one should try and convey this.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Latest Demo of formZ: Note from Author, January 19, 2000

By 

Lachmi Khemlani (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Into 3D With form.Z (Paperback)

The latest demo version (3.5) of formZ can be downloaded directly from the formZ website. The changes from version 3.0 are very minor and do not affect the content of the book. The expired demo software was an unfortunate error. An updated CD-ROM can be obtained free of cost by calling the McGraw-Hill customer support number listed in the Preface of the book. The Preface also gives the address of a Website which has updates and other information about the book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good book with detailed exercises, September 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Into 3D With form.Z (Paperback)

I found the exercises in the book especially well-done -- described and illustrated in detailed. They really helped me to understand the modeling process in form.Z. I was initially a little sceptical about buying this book, reading some of the negative reviews that have been posted on this site, but I'm glad I finally did. I suppose a single book cannot cater to everyone's requirements, but this book met at least mine -- which was to learn the basics of form.Z as painlessly as possible.