Advanced Maya: Character Modeling Review

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(More customer reviews)As a trained, certified Maya user I have never fully explored modeling human characters as my work never required it. But like most 3D artists I am always hoping to expand my abilities, and as a result I have completed just about every single tutorial online and none seemed to really get me where I wanted to be. This DVD, however, will get you there. The Author's technique is easy to follow, produces a clean and polished result, and just makes sense where other tutorials simply fall apart if you don't understand one step. I would definitely recommend this DVD to current Maya users, though new users might be lost early on since the Author assumes a working knowledge of the Maya interface and settings.
The only reason I give it a 4 instead of 5 is that the Author spends a lot of time moving points around and spinning around his model. While you too will be doing this in the course of building your character, you probably don't need to see him do it for 15 minute stretches to get the idea. There seems to have been no editing of the material, so there are one or two times where he makes a mistake and has to back up several steps, which if you were following along too closely means you too will have to back up and unlearn a step or two. Editing, fellas, editing.
They probably could have used this wasted time more wisely, perhaps giving a better overview of WHY you are doing this particular step, how it fits into the big picture, and less with the "how."
That said, the Author really does know his stuff and is a good teacher, so I still highly recommend this for anyone looking to learn character modeling.

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Advanced Maya: Character Modeling will take you through each step of modeling a character from head to toe. Starting with photographs of a human female model, every step from the first polygon to the final tweak is illustrated and explained. Also, learn how to create a custom shelf to be used throughout the modeling process that will speed up your workflow.The 16 page book is a handy guide to the included DVD disc. The DVD disc (data format) includes over 16 hours of high-resolution (1024x768) video in Quicktime™ MOV format, designed for crystal clear viewing on a computer monitor. Voice narraration on these movies by artist Kenny Cooper will guide you through each movie. A Maya scene file is saved on the disc for the start and end of each movie segment - 50 segments in all.Designed for the intermediate level Maya user, this training video will help you learn how to use polygonal and sub-divisional modeling tools to create a fully articulated human 3D model. Follow along as each body part is created, matched, attached and refined. - Includes printed guide to all 50 movies - 16 hours of Quicktime™ Movies with audio - Suitable for all Maya platforms - Suitable for intermediate Maya users (advise that you have a basic understanding of Maya before beginning) - High resolution 1024x768 captures - Movies created using Maya 5.0 - Works with the free Personal Learning Edition of Maya - Produced by Jim Lammers, co-author of the best-selling Maya Fundamentals books.

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Introducing ZBrush Review

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(More customer reviews)As a fellow author, I have bookshelf upon bookshelf of 3D books. Most of these don't get much use. "Introducing ZBrush," however, will get a good workout. Although I've always been impressed by the work produced by ZBrush, I've never been a fan of the interface or workflow and thus have used it relatively little to date. Eric Keller's book makes it all less intimidating. His book covers all the basics, plus includes ample step-by-step guides. The illustrations and example models are a step above many 3D books. I'm also happy to see instructions for importing from and exporting to Maya (ZBrush displacement maps look fantastic in Maya). The DVD includes models, materials, textures, movies, tools, and macros, plus a trial of ZBrush 3. Admittedly, there is a wealth of ZBrush information on the web. However, if you prefer to have a book at your fingertips and would rather not slog through forums for quick answers, this book is a good investment. (If I had a wish, it would be that more of the illustrations were in color, and not black-and-white.)

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If you want to take advantage of one of the hottest CG tools available, Introducing ZBrush is the perfect place to start.
Introducing ZBrush helps you jump into this exciting drawing and sculpting software without fear. Learn ZBrush 3.1 basics inside and out and get comfortable sculpting in a digital environment with this relaxed, friendly, and thorough guide. Master these practical techniques and soon you'll be creating realistic, cartoon, and organic models with flair.
Introduces you to ZBrush 3.1, the sculpting software that lets you create digital art with a fine-art feel, which you can transfer into Maya or other 3D applicationsCovers painting, meshes, organic sculpting, hard surface sculpting, textures, lighting, rendering, working with other 3D applications, and scriptingWalks you through a series of fun and engaging tutorials where you can start creating your own work, including human, cartoon, and organic models

Learn to create lush, beautiful digital art with ZBrush and this detailed guide.

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Autodesk Maya 2010: The Modeling and Animation Handbook (Autodesk Maya Techniques: Offical Autodesk Training Guides) Review

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(More customer reviews)This book was required by one of my 3d animation classes. after doing several of the tutorials my class mates and i realized that the authors frequently skip steps, have poor image examples, and are hard to learn from. i do not recommend this book to anyone.

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Maya is the industry-leading 3D animation and effects software used in movies, special effects, games, cartoons, short films, commercials, etc. Complex and difficult to learn, the new Maya 2010 features updates to modeling, animation, dynamics, and rendering modules. This invaluable book offers hands-on introduction to the tools and techniques of this fascinating software.
This extraordinary, full-color book presents you with clear step-by-step instructions to projects that enhance your understanding of the modeling and animation stages of production using files from the Yash Raj Films and Walt Disney Pictures feature film Roadside Romeo. You'll learn how to build models with a variety of surface types and then make them move with a range of animation techniques. Instructor-led tutorials are featured on the DVD that will help you grasp best practices from the beginning with the intent of avoiding unnecessary challenges further along in the process.
Serves as the next step after you have gained a solid understanding of Maya and you're ready for 3D modeling and animation

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d'artiste Character Modeling 2: Digital Artists Master Class Review

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(More customer reviews)Character Modeling 2 is an art book at heart with an in depth look at the 3D production process of 3 different artists. It's part of the d'artiste series where artists are featured with their tutorials.
The featured artists in this issue are Kevin Lanning, Timur "Taron" Baysal and Zack Petroc. Each of them comes with a short biography on their life and career in computer graphics.
This is not strictly a tutorial book even though it might look that way. It's a "making of" book that provides multiple screenshots of work in progress. The accompanying captions describes the workflow and techniques used. Different 3D software packages are used, such as Lightwave, 3ds Max, Maya, ZBrush, Mudbox, etc. The workflow and techniques presented are universal and can be applied easily to other software, even if the controls are different. That being said, the book provides very useful information and look into different workflows of professional 3D artists.
These guys have been in the computer graphics industry for a long time. Each artist has a gallery included, which showcase the 3D models and projects they have worked on. Each artwork is captioned. It's nothing less than impressive.
Here's the list of "tutorials":
High-poly workflow
Low-poly workflow
Rip and process workflow
Box modeling
ZBrush and texturing
Character creation
Workarounds
(More pictures are available on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.)

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d'artiste: Character Modeling 2 presents the techniques of leading character modelers Kevin Lanning, Zack Petroc, and Timur "Taron" Baysal.

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Essence: The Face: Modeling and Texturing Review

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(More customer reviews)For anyone looking to learn how to model and texture a human face from the pros this is an excellent book. There are a few techniques described in the book that are not particularly helpful IMHO but, overall it is a great resource. The first chapter on modeling was not well executed because it really did not give a clear idea about how to go about modeling a human head from scratch. Instead it described how to begin modeling from a pre-existing head the modeler had already created using some proprietary tools written by the modeler to assist him so it is of no use whatsoever if you are just starting out. The rest of the book is quite good and there are some gems later on. I also purchased the DVD with the book which includes all of the models, photography and textures. Overall, I was not tremendously impressed with the DVD. The photography is well done, as are the textures (though there are some areas above the eye and in the ears that could be improved but I can forgive these as they are minor). The modeling however is not well executed IMHO. The mesh topology left a lot to be desired in some key areas around the mouth, chin, eyes, ears and nose. Also there is considerable geometry in the ears but, it is not used particularly well. I don't feel like the modeling was very accurate or faithful to the photography either, specifically around the eyes (they are much too large for a real human; I assume some creative license was taken here). TO be fair, the modeler in question (Hong Suck Suh) is a tremendously talented person and I am I awe of most of his other work but, I don't think this is one of his more successful creative ventures. I highly recommend purchasing the book but, save your money on the DVD unless you are looking for some great photography and DX tools to use for texturing.

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Designed for artists with a mid- to advanced understanding of 3-D character creation, Essence: The Face teaches the skills of a professional character modeling team encompassing reference photography, modeling, UV mapping, texturing, and rendering to create a digital double that would be at home in a next-gen game or HD movie.

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