Customer Reviews

FormZ Modeling for Digital Visual Effects and Animation (Graphics Series)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Rindner's book is a very clear, understandable (but not condescending) manual on modeling techniques, but assumes you're already up-to-speed with the use of Form*Z. If you're a new user looking for a primer that will help you learn Form*Z from the ground up, this isn't the best choice. If you already know how to use Form*Z and you want to improve your modeling skills, this is an excellent manual.

Finally your FZ book arrived this morning. What can I say except 'thankyou' for writing this book. I think it's the only one in the market that reveals such advanced techniques for modelling. Truly your hard-earned career experience is shared here without reservations. I could not accept FZ's claim that 'Anything you can imagine can be modelled in FZ' before, but now after seeing your working techniques, I can. My eyes are opened. Instead of simple examples that rehash the User's manual, this book's examples are quite complex, typical of real-world requirements. Learning the techniques from the Automobile chapters alone will enable one to use the concepts presented there to build any other model thereafter. Cons? Maybe absolute beginners will find this book a bit daunting, but it's stuff that every beginner must learn to progress.

Rindner has done a spendid job with this advanced book on formZ. He offers valuable process methods, advanced modeling descriptions through real world examples and how to prepare formZ for standard Animation apps. Rinders' modeling techniques alone are invaluable to the intermediate to advanced formZ user. What impresses me most about the book is that it is not just for digital visual effects and animation. Many design disciplines will find this book to be a strong technical resources.

Dave Ridner's book is a must-have for any FormZ modeller who wants to create organic or streamlined shapes. FormZ's strengths have always been its comprehensive set of solid boolean tools. This book takes shape-editing much further, showing how to create complex rounded surfaces using combinations of tools and techniques that are essential to any advanced modeller.

A new user to FormZ I was stuggling to find a way to alleviate the stress of such a high learning curve. This book helps in more of an indirect way then I had expected. The tutorials are relativly well written but are difficult to reproduce. I found myself banging my head against the wall trying to figure out what I had done wrong. When I did figure it out I did learn but only after hours of frustration. If you are a new user be prepared for some long hours.

Rinder presents complex material in a very complex yet knowledgable, get-right-to-the-point manner. I found the examples used as illustrations to be "real", not watered down for purposes of simplifying the author's work. Unfortunately my copy of the book had a section toward rear (the drawing hands part) in which pictures illustrating the text were omitted and replaced with gray squares. The book was sent back as defective. Otherwise, very highly recommended.

This book requires that you can already work with FormZ and seems to be intended for people who are using FormZ to create models to be animated with 3DS or Electric Image. FormZ was at version 3 when this book was written (1999). The approach seems to be that of a person who makes a living building models destined for an animation production environment.

The book starts with a heady discussion called "Digital Production Pipeline and 3D Modeling Process" and continues in the vein of managing workflow for several chapters.

It then progresses to chapters containing "Exercises" which are follow along tutorial-style and include such things as engine exhaust nozzles, auto wheels and tires, auto interiors, and a human hand. The exercises show lots of techniques for using FormZ to its fullest, particularly when modeling surface meshes.

David Rindner is big. Special for advanced 3D modelling

David Rindner has produced an excellent tome that was just the tonic I needed. After getting up to speed with Form Z's interface and basic tool procedures I needed an authoritative method for producing highly realistic, crafted "sculptures". This book provided exactly that. I have already used the methods to solve one of my first visualisation jobs, in a timely and error free manner. I would recommend this book to anyone who has conquered the basic paradigms of Form Z and is looking for intermediate to advanced methods of building flowing shapes. David provides a handful of distinct methods that are polygonal based and which he has developed uniquely for himself. I would like to see other Form Z books on the market that offer alternative modelling methods that exploit the new tools in Form Z such as patch splines and true nurbs functions, perhaps something for the second edition?

Too basic! I expected at least more of an intermediate level. Complete waste of time! I'd strongly recommend "Inside FormZ" instead.