Produce mind-blowing visual effects with Autodesk Maya. Gain the practical skills and knowledge you need to recreate phenomena critical to visual effects work, including fire, water, smoke, explosions, and destruction, as well as their integration with real-world film and video. In Creating Visual Effects in Maya, Maya master Lee Lanier has combined the latest studio techniques with multi-chapter, hands-on projects and professionally-vetted workflows to bolster your CG toolkit. Engaging, full-color tutorials cover: Creating foliage, fire, and smoke with Paint Effects Growing Maya Fur and nHair on clothing, characters, and sets Replicating water, smoke, sparks, swarms, bubbles, and debris with nParticles and nCloth Controlling scenes and simulations with expressions and MEL, Python, and PyMEL scripting Adding dust, fog, smoke, rippling water, and fireballs with Fluid Effects containers Creating damage with Effects presets, deformers, and animated textures Matchmoving and motion tracking with Maya and MatchMover Creating complex destruction by combining rigid bodies, nParticles, nCloth, and Fluid Effects Setting up, rendering, and compositing mental ray render passes with Autodesk Composite, Adobe After Effects, and The Foundry Nuke The companion website (www.focalpress.com/cw/lanier) features a treasure trove of Maya, MatchMover, After Effects, and Nuke project files, image sequences, texture bitmaps, and MEL, Python, and PyMEL scripts, allowing you to immediately apply the techniques taught in the book.

Animation has a lot to do with acting. That is, character animation, not the standardized, mechanical process of animation. Acting and animation are highly creative processes. This book is divided into two parts: From film history we learn about the importance of actors and the variety of acting that goes into animation; then, we will turn to the actor's point of view to describe the various techniques involved. Through exhaustive research and interviews with people ranging from the late Ray Harryhausen, Jim Danforth, Joe Letteri, and Bruno Bozzetto, this book will be the primary source for animators and animation actors. Key Features Interviews with industry legends are found throughout this exhaustive work on animation From film history we learn about the importance of actors and the variety of acting that goes into animation, then turn to the actor's point of view to describe the various techniques involved Coverage of acting from Vaudeville to Rotoscoping to Performance Capture Case studies throughout bring the content to life while providing actionable tools and techniques that can be used immediately

Action Analysis is one of the fundamental princples of animation that underpins all types of animation: 2d, 3d, computer animation, stop motion, etc. This is a fundamental skill that all animators need to create polished, believable animation. An example of Action Analysis would be Shrek's swagger in the film, Shrek. The animators clearly understood (through action analysis) the type of walk achieved by a large and heavy individual (the real) and then applied their observations to the animated character of an ogre (the fantastic). It is action analysis that enabled the animation team to visually translate a real life situation into an ogre's walk, achieving such fantastic results. Key animation skills are demonstrated with in-depth illustrations, photographs and live action footage filmed with high speed cameras. Detailed Case Studies, practical assignments and industry interviews ground action analysis methodology with real life examples. Action Analysis for Animators is a essential guide for students, amateurs and professionals. * A title that unites classic principles of Action Analysis with contemporary workflows. Apply the practices of action analysis to any animaton process. * Extensive illustrations of people and animals in motion that break down the action of animals and humans in a step-by-step manner. * Tips included throughout the book on how to capture motion and analyse action. * Detailed case studies illustrated with line drawings, diagrams, photographs and live action footage, integrate real world examples with practical knowledge. * DVD included as a resource for amateur and experience animators, featuring Short Animations and Live Action examples juxtaposed with stills of animals and humans in motion.

Bring your artwork to life with the power of the FORCE! Watch, listen, and follow along as Mike Mattesi demonstrates the fundamental FORCE line and explains dynamic figure drawing techniques through 30 videos that are launched through the book's companion App. Packed with superb, powerfully drawn examples, the updated third edition of FORCE features an all-new section on the "FORCE blob," and dozens of fresh illustrations. Mike Mattesi’s 10th anniversary edition of FORCE will teach readers how to put thought and imagination to paper. Whether you are an illustrator, animator, comic book artist, or student, you'll learn to use rhythm, shape, and line to bring out the life in any subject.

The 10th Anniversary Edition contains numerous improvements. Around 30 videos are embedded within the book and accessible through the FORCE Drawing App. In the App, click on the image of the camera, point your mobile device’s camera at the page with the symbol, and then finally tap the video card image floating above the drawing to launch the video. Then sit back and watch the video that shows me creating that drawing and discussing my process. Many new drawings can be found within this edition and the addition of color now further clarifies the theory of FORCE.

Key Features

The unique, dynamic learning system that has helped thousands of artists enhance their figure drawing abilities

Dozens of updated illustrations and all-new content, exclusive to the 3rd edition

Select pages can be scanned by your smartphone or other device to pull up bonus video content, enhancing the learning process

Companion App:

Nearly 50 videos are available on the free FORCE Drawing companion app that can be downloaded through Google Play or the Apple App Store

Table of Contents

Seeing Life

Forceful Form

Forceful Shape

Clothing

On location

Reportage

Index

CREATE PERFECTLY FORMATTED E-BOOKS WITH EPUB

"EPUB from the Ground Up" shows you, step by step, how to develop state-of-the-art electronic publications with one of the most widely used standards in the industry. This practical guide walks you through the basics of HTML, XHTML, XML, CSS, and JavaScript. No prior experience with markup languages or programming is needed

You'll learn how to set up your EPUB file, select fonts, add images, and even incorporate audio, video, interactivity, and more features with EPUB 3. The book explains how to convert your file for use on various devices, including the Kindle. The most popular free software for EPUB creation, such as Sigil and Calibre, is also discussed. Detailed examples help you understand the concepts covered in this hands-on resource. Learn how to use XML, HTML, and XHTML to code your EPUB file Enhance the visual quality of your e-book with CSS Change fonts and add colors and images Create the table of contents and manage reading order using Navigation Center eXtended (NCX) and Open Packaging Format (OPF) files Convert your EPUB file to Kindle and other formats Discover how digital rights management (DRM) and signatures protect e-books and how to secure embedded fonts with font obfuscation Learn to use EPUB 3 enhancements, including support for audio, video, and Flash files, Mathematics Markup Language (MathML), Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL), and more Create interactive e-books using JavaScript

All examples and source code in the book are available for download at www.mhprofessional.com/EPUB

Whether you're a novice making your first film or a more advanced animator looking to strengthen an existing concept, Animating Short Stories provides practical techniques to bring your story to life. Each technique is clearly and beautifully illustrated covering different animation mediums; including 2D, 3D and stop-motion. It takes readers step by step through: - how to develop story ideas - to prepare for creative obstacles - scriptwriting and storyboarding - each chapter provides clear examples and full colour images from award-winning student films as well as commercial examples from big studios In addition, a companion website includes a specially created short film demonstrating key visual storytelling and narrative techniques alongside the student movies featured throughout. Also included are documents pertaining to sample production schedule and shotlists, screenplay templates, style guides and cheat sheets.

Swendly Benilia shares with us simple and tangible tips and tricks to understanding and drawing FORCE across hundreds of drawings full of dunamism and energy! This book is an expellant companion to the FORCE brand since it delivers hundreds of FORCE drawings with succinct notations, filtered and approved by Mike Mattesi, about how to improve your FORCE drawing skills Key Features: Hundreds of dynamic FORCE drawing that inspire the reader to see and draw FORCE Succinct tips and tricks keep it light and educational The tips and tricks not only explain how but also why the drawings are successful. This is unique to the FORCE Drawing method Each page shares numerous drawing around a FORCE idea with a short paragraph to further clarify the FORCE tip or trick. Explaining to the reader why the drawings work increases their ability of achieving the same level of excellence Swendly Benilia is a professional character designer and illustrator. During his five years in the field he contributed with artwork for various game and publishing projects. Swendly also instructs FORCE Drawing. Michael Mattesi has authored four FORCE books, published in numerous languages, utilized around the world to inspire and educate artists on the concept of FORCE. He has instructed FORCE Drawing for over twenty years and inspired thousands of artists. Simultaneously, Michael has been contributing his skills as a professional artists on numerous award-winning projects in varied capacities and has collaborated with Pixar, Walt Disney Feature Animation, Walt Disney Consumer Products, Marvel Comics, Hasbro Toys, ABC, Microsoft, Electronic Arts, DreamWorks/PDI, Zynga, The School of Visual Arts, Beijing University, Art Center, Scuola Internazionale di Comics, San Jose State University. The Academy of Art University, Nickelodeoan, LeapFrog and many others. Micael's students occupy all fields of the art industry and have themselves gained prestige for their abilities. Michael lives in northern California with his wife and two daughters. Visit him at: DrawingFORCE.com and connect with Michael on Facebook at: DrawingFORCE.com with Mike Mattesi or email him directly: [email protected] Key Features Hundreds of dynamic FORCE drawings that inspire the reader to see and draw FORCE. Compact tips and tricks keep it light and educational. The tips and tricks explain how and why the drawings are successful. Explaining to the you why the drawings work increases your ability of achieving the same level of excellence.

Design Computing will help you understand the rapidly evolving relationship between computing, designers, and the many different environments they create or work in. The book introduces the topic of design computing, and covers the basics of hardware and software, so you don't need to be an expert. Topics include the fundamentals of digital representation, programming and interfaces for design; the shifting landscape of opportunity and expectation in practice and pedagogy; placing sensors in buildings to measure performance; and the challenge of applying information effectively in design. The book also includes additional reading for those who wish to dig deeper into the subject. Design Computing will provide you with a greater awareness of the issues that permeate the field, opportunities for you to investigate, and perhaps motivation to push the boundaries.

Motion graphics are no longer just for movie and television screens. You now see motion graphics anywhere there's a moving image, including your desktop web browser, your smartphone, and on digital signage when you shop or travel. Creating motion graphics with Adobe After Effects can enhance your value as a creative professional. Learn Adobe After Effects CC by building cool creative projects that teach you how to: Apply and customize effects and layer styles, and use animation presets to apply pre-built animations and effect combinations Achieve advanced effects quickly using techniques such as green screen background removal, masking, speed changes, motion tracking, and animation in 3D space Animate individual layers of still graphics imported from Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator Animate text, including changing type size, letter spacing, rotation, and color over time, and flowing text along a path Create a set of visually consistent intro videos for a social media platform, while practicing efficient production techniques Export a motion graphics composition once and render multiple versions for different delivery media (such as television, web sites, and smartphones) This study guide uses over 7 hours of video integrated with text to help you gain real-world skills that will get you started in your career in motion graphics. It lays the foundation for taking the Adobe Certified Associate (ACA) certification exam and helps prepare you for an entry-level position in a competitive job market.

Song lyrics fly across the screen in time to music. A globe spins and zooms into a war-torn country. Money rises from a screen to explain an economic situation. Now, more than ever, we are surrounded by these motion graphics on our TV and cinema screens, on our smartphones, computers, and tablets, on Main Street and in our galleries. Motion Graphics: Principles and Processes from the Ground Up is your introduction to the core principles of the discipline, whether your background or ambitions lie in animation, graphic design, film production, or visual effects. Ian Crook and Peter Beare provide you with a wide understanding of the key concepts and techniques that will help you plan, develop and produce your own creative projects.

Animating with Stop Motion Pro is comprehensive, hands-on guide to achieving professional results with Stop Motion Pro 7.0 software. Gone are the days of stop motion guesswork and waiting to see the finalized result of your meticulous, labor intensive animations. With the push of a mouse button and the Stop Motion Pro software, animators have ten times the capability of simple camera stop motion capture. Re-visualize stop motion character movements, graph these movements and composite characters into a flawless animations with the techniques and step by step tutorials featured in Animating with Stop Motion Pro. Create professional stop motion animation immediately with detailed exercises at the companion website:

www.focalpress.com/cw/sawicki-9780240812199/. Integrate classic stop motion animation techniques with the latest stop motion software features.

This book shows how the web-based PhysGL programming environment (http://physgl.org) can be used to teach and learn elementary mechanics (physics) using simple coding exercises. The book's theme is that the lessons encountered in such a course can be used to generate physics-based animations, providing students with compelling and self-made visuals to aid their learning. Topics presented are parallel to those found in a traditional physics text, making for straightforward integration into a typical lecture-based physics course. Users will appreciate the ease at which compelling OpenGL-based graphics and animations can be produced using PhysGL, as well as its clean, simple language constructs. The author argues that coding should be a standard part of lower-division STEM courses, and provides many anecdotal experiences and observations, that include observed benefits of the coding work.

Motion 5 - So funktioniert's von der GEM Reihe (Graphically Enhanced Manuals) erklart Apple's neue Motion 5 Software mit reichhaltigen Illustrationen die man sonst nirgendwo findet in den offiziellen Anleitungen und Buchern. Dieses 147 seitige Buch in Grossformat hilft ihnen in einganglicher Weise die Konzepte und Arbeitsvorgange in Motion 5 zu verstehen und meistern. Was sind Graphically Enhanced Manuals (GEM)? Es handelt sich hierbei um eine neue Art von Anleitungen, die einen Schwerpunkt auf die visuelle Vermittlung des Stoffes legen. Dies hilft ihnen, eine Applikation zu VERSTEHEN und nicht nur zu LERNEN. Sie mussen nicht muhselig 500 Seiten trockene Bedienungsanleitungen mit reinen Texterklarungen durchlesen. Umfangreiche Graphiken und Diagramme helfen Ihnen dabei, den aha Effekt zu erfahren und selbst bei komplizierten Sachverhalten durchzublicken. Die Graphically Enhanced Manuals ermoglichen es Ihnen, ein Programm viel schneller mit einem wesentlich tieferen Verstandnis der Konzepte, Funktionen und Arbeitsvorgange zu meistern - und das in einer intuitiven und leicht verstandlichen Art und Weise

The Maya guide for animators, How to Cheat in Maya 2012 presents everything you need to know about character animation in Maya. Fully updated for the latest revision of Maya, this book provides you with complete, step-by-step walkthroughs of essential animation techniques to increase your efficiency and speed. This is an animator's workflow in book form, written by professional animators-not a software book with a few animation pointers thrown in. In addition to all the gold-mine coverage and interviews with expert animators from the previous edition, How to Cheat in Maya 2012 also features a new in-depth chapter on the principles of animation, updated information on camera settings and animation using Maya's new Camera Sequencer tool, the ins and outs of the brand new Editable Motion Trails tool, new techniques for working with characters in multi-shot animation tests and short films, a new cycles chapter covering actions like flying and walks, time-saving scripts, and advanced tricks with the new Graph Editor. The proven "How to Cheat" series gets you up to speed quickly, and in a way that's fun.

After Effects (AE) is the most commonly used application in the postproduction field. It is commonly referred to as "Photoshop on wheels." AE is the dominant application of its ilk with an estimated user base of 1.25 million users. A plug-in is a computer program that interacts with a host application to provide certain functionality to the software. The right one can dramatically expand the look or sound of a video project. 3rd party plug-ins are programs developed by companies other than the company that developed the software's OS. After Effects has extensive plug-in support, and a broad range of 3rd party plug-ins are available (several hundred), such as particle systems for realistic effects for rain, snow, or fire, tools for cropping footage or adding motion blur, twisting and shattering layers in 3D space, and much more. Surveys show that the vast majority of AE users heavily use 3rd party plug-ins, and this trend has and will continue to increase. This 4c book is the first to cover how, when, and why an AE user should use a specific 3rd party plug-in. From sexy effects and graphics enhancements to workflow automation and file conversion, it's all covered.The DVD features video tutorials, plug-in demos, video interviews with vendors and users, as well as video samples of the plug-ins. Also available is a free companion website with rolling plug-in updates, links to sample movies on YouTube, and more.

Become Tony White's personal animation student. Experience many of the teaching techniques of the golden era of Disney and Warner Brothers studios and beyond.all from the comfort of your own home or studio. Tony White's Animation Master Class is uniquely designed to cover the core principles of animated movement comprehensively. How to Make Animated Films offers secrets and unique approaches only a Master Animator could share. Includes hands-on Tutorials, demonstrations and final sample animations. . Whether you want to become a qualified animator of 2D, 3D, Flash or any other form of animation, Tony White's foundations bring you closer to that goal. The downloadable resources are invaluable, in that readers are not only taught principles and concepts in the book, they are able to see them demonstrated in action in the movies.

This book takes the practicality of other "Gems" series such as "Graphics Gems" and "Game Programming Gems" and provide a quick reference for novice and expert programmers alike to swiftly track down a solution to a task needed for their VR project. Reading the book from cover to cover is not the expected use case, but being familiar with the territory from the Introduction and then jumping to the needed explanations is how the book will mostly be used. Each chapter (other than Introduction) will contain between 5 to 10 "tips", each of which is a self-contained explanation with implementation detail generally demonstrated as pseudo code, or in cases where it makes sense, actual code. Key Features Sections written by veteran virtual reality researchers and developers Usable code snipits that readers can put to immediate use in their own projects. Tips of value both to readers entering the field as well as those looking for solutions that expand their repertoire.

Put the power of Expressions to work in your animations with controls and efficiencies impossible to achieve with traditional keyframing techniques.
No programming skills are required. Foundation concepts and skills orient the new designer and serve as a handy reference to the experienced one. Basics of creating Expressions, variables, commands, and Expression helpers precede the leap into JavaScript and math essentials for more advanced Expressions that include randomness and physical simulations.
Full color illustrations display the scripts and the resulting effects, Pick Whip techniques, and sequential animations. Downloadable companion files include QuickTime movies of the demo animations, and AE project files that permit you to examine the Expressions at http: //www.taylorandfrancis.com/cw/geduld-9780240809366/

From a steamy jungle to a modern city, or even a sci-fi space station, 3D Game Environments is the ultimate resource to help you create AAA quality art for a variety of game worlds. Primarily using Photoshop and 3ds Max, students will learn to create realistic textures from photo source and a variety of techniques to portray dynamic and believable game worlds. With detailed tutorials on creating 3D models, applying 2D art to 3D models, and clear concise advice on issues of efficiency and optimization for a 3D game engine, Luke Ahearn gives you everything students need to make their own realistic game environments. Key Features The entire game world development process; from planning to 3D modeling, UV layout, and creating textures. Exercises and projects to practice with; each section includes projects to guide you through creating different world genres. The updated companion website-www.lukeahearn.com/textures/ now includes video tutorials in addition to updated sample textures, shaders, materials, actions, brushes, program demos, plug-ins and all art from the book-all the tools you need in one place.