From the Author
We at Mesmer Press had a unique conception for this book. We wanted to publish a coherent, easy to understand training manual that stays up to date and doesn’t cost a lot of money. We also wanted to create a helpful, understandable guide to what is undeniably very complex software. I designed the ‘XSI Illuminated’ series for people learning Avid Softimage XSI 2 on their own, at work or in a school setting. A complement to the book, ‘XSI101TeachersAide’ is available to educators and instructors free or charge, and provides lesson plans, chapter overviews, quizzes and more to help teachers make the most of XSI in the classroom.
This updated 2 version of XSI Illuminated: Foundation covers the XSI User Interface, polygonal modeling, subdivision surfaces, NURBS curve editing, the new snapping tools, NURBS modeling tools, deformation, keyframe animation, editing animation timing with the Animation Editor, applying materials and shaders, working with virtual cameras, 3D lighting design, rendering with the mental ray renderer, and much more. XSI Illuminated: Foundation also contains 16 easy to follow tutorials designed to teach core concepts and demonstrate proper workflow. Our plan is to follow this book up with other modules that cover more advanced topics in 3d animation, like Skeleton rigging, enveloping, scripting, shaders, etc.
I think this book proves that computer books just don’t have to be expensive, out of date and hard to read. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Anthony Rossano
January, 2001
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
Anthony Rossano is the Chief Executive Officer at Mesmer, Inc. After receiving his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Washington, Rossano went to work for Microsoft Corp. In 1988, Rossonao left Microsoft and founded Mesmer, Inc. Technically proficient in a wide range of animationprograms, his expertise lies in Softimage 3DExtreme, Softimage|XSI, and Alias|Wavefront Maya Composer. Anthony Rossano has taught all over the world, and counts among his training clients PDI, Lucas Arts, Tippett Studios, Electronic Arts, Microsoft, Monolith, Psynosis, Boeing, Lockheed, and Lear. Anthony is a level-2 certified Softimage Instructor, and has been working with XSI throughout its development and beta testing phases. He is the author of Inside Softimage 3D, as well as numerous magazine articles and web tutorials.
Shinsaku Arima is the director of Mesmer Berkeley, where he is also a Softimage instructor. After receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Southern California, Arima worked as a fine artist for three years before putting his large-scale sculpting endeavor on hold and embarking on a 3D animation adventure. Arima has taught 3D animation at numerous schools, including DeAnza College in Cupertino, Academy of Art College in San Francisco, Ex"Pression Center for New Media in Emeryville and co-instructing at San Francisco Art Institute with a Pixar artist. Primarily he has been teaching at Mesmer Animation Labs in Berkeley. Arima is a Softimage|3D 201 certified instructor.
