Written in cookbook style, this book offers solutions to all common Flash Android development problems through recipes. Each recipe contains step-by-step instructions followed by analysis of what was done in each task and other useful information. The book is designed so that you can read it chapter by chapter, or you can look at the list of recipes and refer to them in no particular order. This book contains recipes covering a variety of topics from the very simple to those that are more advanced. If you are a seasoned Flash developer, this book will get you quickly up to speed with what is possible with Android. For those who are new to Flash, welcome to the world of visually rich, rapid application development for mobile Android devices! If you have any interest in Flash development for Android, this book is for you.

Stopmotion is an incredibly fun, hands-on way to make amazing films, using simple software, inexpensive equipment, and stuff that's already lying around your house. Stopmotion Explosion will have you making your first stopmotion film within minutes of picking up the book. It's that easy

Stopmotion has enjoyed a renaissance in recent years, as the tools required are now widely available to anyone with a story to tell. Filmmakers, animators, and artists have reached new levels of visual creativity using Stopmotion Explosion's techniques. Now you too can join the revolution

Unlike traditional cel and 3D animation, which both require a high level of artistry and technical skill, stopmotion films can be made by nearly anyone. Using Stopmotion Explosion's techniques, stopmotion films have been made by animators as young as 8 (with adult supervision).

Stopmotion Explosion contains 292 pages of example projects, hundreds of illustrations, and detailed step-by-step instructions for screenwriting, video editing, animating, audio recording and video processing software, no prior expertise required.

HISTORY
Learn stopmotion science through an illustrated history of film and animation. See how stopmotion was first used in the special effects industry. Learn how "stopmotion" solved a heated debate among artists, and changed the way paintings were created forever.

ANIMATION
Make animations with inexpensive webcams, digital point-and-shoot cameras, and digital camcorders. Learn how to adjust camera settings to achieve the best image, and what features to look for in a stopmotion camera. See breakdowns of walk, run, and speech animations. Build your own wire stopmotion armature, and learn about some of the best toys to animate.

Animate intense battle sequences with frame-by-frame breakdowns of roundhouse kicks, uppercuts, and punches. Add gigantic explosions, gunfire, laser blasters, lightsabers and rocket-launch effects. Make your characters fly like Superman with special flying rigs and photo-editing magic.

Complete instructions for two stopmotion programs. Grab frames from your camera, preview your animations and make detailed tweaks using onion skinning. Export movie files that can be edited and uploaded to YouTube.

STORYTELLING
Ready-to-go movie ideas, story mashups, and proven techniques for creating memorable characters. Learn how to write for film and draw storyboards. Adapt scenes from your favorite films and video games. Use your screenplays and storyboards to plan camera angles, design sets, build characters, even organize your files while animating.

AUDIO
Record great-sounding audio and character voices, then enhance and morph your sounds using hundreds of audio effects and free recording software.

SETS & LIGHTING
Build stopmotion movie sets using household items and construction toys. Light your sets Hollywood-style with three-point lighting techniques, desk lamps, clip lights, flashlights, lasers, and colored cellophane.

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Add punch to your animations with our illustrated guide to image composition, Learn about the rule of thirds, the rule of triangles, depth of field, and the differences between standard and widescreen video frames.

VIDEO EDITING
Edit your animation, combine multiple video files, and add video effects, transitions, sounds, titles, and rolling credits using free video editing software.

Quickly perform common stopmotion tasks, such as transforming a series of still images into a video file, learn the best settings for encoding online video, and definitions of common digital video terms and technology.

Start your own movie studio with Stopmotion Explosion today

3D Modeling, Animation, and Rendering: An Illustrated Lexicon, Black and White Edition presents definitions for over 1200 terms, with hundreds of illustrations. The lexicon includes terms from many related subjects, such as CAD, CAD/CAM, cinematography, light, physics, natural behaviors, and atmospheric phenomena. It was written for students, teachers, and professionals, as well as for lay readers who want a broader understanding of the tools and concepts involved. Terms related to 3D modeling include bicubic surface, constructive solid geometry, intersection, mesh optimization, polygonization, ruled surface, and spline. Terms related to animation include character rigging, flash animation, keyframing, lattice animation, light animation, motion capture, onion skinning, skeletal animation, storyboard, and velocity curve. Animation and rendering often encompass techniques from cinematography, including lighting, camera work, and mood-setting atmospherics. Terms related to these major subjects and rendering itself include ambient light, beauty pass, caustics, color models, crane shot, Dutch angle, Gouraud shading model, graphics pipeline, lead room, matting, montage, photon mapping, ray casting, ray tracing, reflection pass, shutter angle, and wipe. Some of the key terms refer to other sources for more in-depth coverage of the topic.

This unique book presents definitions for over 1200 terms, with hundreds of illustrations, in both black and white and color (color edition only). The lexicon includes terms from many related subjects, such as CAD, CAD/CAM, cinematography, light, physics, natural behaviors, and atmospheric phenomena. It was written for students, teachers, and professionals, as well as for lay readers who want a broader understanding of the tools and concepts involved. Terms related to 3D modeling include bicubic surface, constructive solid geometry, intersection, mesh optimization, polygonization, ruled surface, and spline. Terms related to animation include character rigging, flash animation, keyframing, lattice animation, light animation, motion capture, onion skinning, skeletal animation, storyboard, and velocity curve. Animation and rendering often encompass techniques from cinematography, including lighting, camera work, and mood-setting atmospherics. Terms related to these major subjects and rendering itself include ambient light, beauty pass, caustics, color models, crane shot, Dutch angle, Gouraud shading model, graphics pipeline, lead room, matting, montage, photon mapping, ray casting, ray tracing, reflection pass, shutter angle, and wipe. Some of the key terms refer to other sources for more in-depth coverage of the topic.

How digital visual effects in film can be used to support storytelling: a guide for scriptwriters and students. Computer-generated effects are often blamed for bad Hollywood movies. Yet when a critic complains that "technology swamps storytelling" (in a review of Van Helsing, calling it "an example of everything that is wrong with Hollywood computer-generated effects movies"), it says more about the weakness of the story than the strength of the technology. In Digital Storytelling, Shilo McClean shows how digital visual effects can be a tool of storytelling in film, adding narrative power as do sound, color, and "experimental" camera angles-other innovative film technologies that were once criticized for being distractions from the story. It is time, she says, to rethink the function of digital visual effects. Effects artists say-contrary to the critics-that effects always derive from story. Digital effects are a part of production, not post-production; they are becoming part of the story development process. Digital Storytelling is grounded in filmmaking, the scriptwriting process in particular. McClean considers crucial questions about digital visual effects-whether they undermine classical storytelling structure, if they always call attention to themselves, whether their use is limited to certain genres-and looks at contemporary films (including a chapter-long analysis of Steven Spielberg's use of computer-generated effects) and contemporary film theory to find the answers. McClean argues that to consider digital visual effects as simply contributing the "wow" factor underestimates them. They are, she writes, the legitimate inheritors of film storycraft.

This title consists of book and CD-ROM. This book takes a unique approach to modelling as it breaks down character creation using an easy-to-follow formula that makes the learning process less daunting. The author presents an overview of modelling basics and then shows how to block out the body, shape body parts, add details, and create joints and controls using Maya 8. By the time you have finished the book, you will have created a figure that is textured, rigged, and ready to be animated. This book helps: understand the building blocks of modelling, including quads, edge loops, normals, UVs, and mapping; discover how 'modelling by formula' eases the character creation process; find out how to create a UV layout that makes texturing easier; and, learn how to place joints and controls and skin your character so it deforms properly when animated. The companion CD contains the images from the book, Maya files to help build the character, AVI movies that show the modelling process in real time, and Mel scripts for installing a character modelling tool menu that can improve the user's workflow.

Companion CD included with all the featured third-party plug-ins and more! Character design, modeling, and texturing are the fundamental building blocks of character animation. LightWave 3D [8] Cartoon Character Creation Volume 1: Modeling & Texturing includes both general theory and comprehensive tutorials for every aspect of modeling and texturing 3D characters. Learn how, why, and when to use the most efficient techniques so you can have fun creating your own fantastic 3D characters. Find out how to configure LightWave 3D for character creation, and learn the necessary steps of the character concept, design, and planning stages; discover multiple methods for modeling characters and clothing using subdivision patches; understand the techniques for creating complex UV mapping; learn about surface attributes and surfacing characters; enhance the appearance of your characters through the use of gradients and procedural textures; explore a variety of techniques for creating image maps and applying them to your characters.

Companion CD included with illustrations demonstrating the use of LightWave in feature films! LightWave 3D [8]: 1001 Tips & Tricks brings together thirty-one masters in the fields of character modeling, animation, texturing, lighting, digital cinematography, special effects, and programming to provide a myriad of helpful tips for all levels of LightWave users. Whether you've just started using LightWave or you've been using it for years, this book of collective wisdom will show you how to achieve better results in less time through a combination of hidden software features, time-saving tricks, and professional techniques. The 1,354 tips cover every aspect of LightWave, including configuration, modeling, texturing, staging, lighting, animating, special effects, rendering, compositing, scripting, and troubleshooting.

* Packed with expert advice, timesaving tips, and more than 150 step-by-step tutorials, this book is a must for anyone who wants to master this complex, expensive software package
* Offers full coverage of new software features and enhancements and shows users how to master everything from the Particle Flow interface and architectural objects and materials to Shockwave 3D Export and VertexPaint features
* The companion CD-ROMs include a demo version of the new 3ds max, tutorial files, 3D models, bonus plug-ins, and more
* 3ds max is used to create approximately eighty percent of the top video games-including Grand Theft Auto 3-and is extensively employed for special effects in movies such as The Matrix Reloaded

Go mobile with the most popular motion tool on the Web. Written by a team of software development experts, this thorough resource will help you build, deploy, and run rich media applications across multiple channels and devices. Plus, utilize JSP, ASP.NET, or ColdFusion MX to port information dynamically.

Digital 3D has become a core feature of the twenty-first-century visual landscape. Yet 3D cinema is a contradictory media form: producing spaces that are highly regimented and exhaustively detailed, it simultaneously relies upon distortions of vision and space that are inherently strange. Spaces Mapped and Monstrous explores the paradoxical nature of 3D cinema to offer a critical analysis of an inescapable part of contemporary culture. Considering 3D's distinctive visual qualities and its connections to wider digital systems, Nick Jones situates the production and exhibition of 3D cinema within a web of aesthetic, technological, and historical contexts. He examines 3D's relationship with computer interfaces, virtual reality, and digital networks as well as tracing its lineage to predigital models of visual organization. Jones emphasizes that 3D is not only a technology used in films but also a tool for producing, controlling, and distorting space within systems of surveillance, corporatization, and militarization. The book features detailed analysis of a wide range of films-including Avatar (2009), Goodbye to Language (2014), Love (2015), and Clash of the Titans (2010)-demonstrating that 3D is not merely an augmentation of 2D cinema but that it has its own unique properties. Spaces Mapped and Monstrous brings together media archaeology, digital theory, and textual analysis to provide a new account of the importance of 3D to visual culture today.

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.

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.

Talented animation artists often neglect successful storytelling in favor of strong visuals, but now you can have both with this complete guide to adaptation for animation. Veteran independent filmmaker Hannes Rall teaches you how to draw and adapt inspiration from copyright-free materials like fairy tales, myths, and classic literature, making it easier than ever to create your own compelling narrative. Particular focus is given to making the adequate narrative and visual choices when transferring a text from page to screen: How to create a successful adaptation. With sections on subjects like transcultural adaptations, visual poetry and production design, this book is just the right mix of practical advice, lavish illustrations, and industry case studies to give you everything you need to start adapting your story today. Key features: Learn to apply concepts of adapting classic and modern literature for animation in different techniques Exclusive interviews with animation legends Giannalberto Bendazzi, John Canemaker, Ishu Patel and Georges Schwizgebel Lavishly illustrated with 325 color images (mostly never published before) that give thrilling insights into the visual development of award-winning animated adaptations

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.

Learn how to bridge the gap between the traditional animation principles and digital software. Tradigital Flash: 12 Principles of Animation in Adobe Flash brings the essentials of traditional animation and Adobe Flash together. The early masters of animationcreated a list of 12 principles which are important for anyone who wants to create interesting and believable animation. Digital animation continues to make incredible technological advancements that give animators the capability to produce visually stunning work. New technology, however, also has a tendency to create an environment where animators are so focused on adapting to the new workflow that they tend to dismiss these fundamental animation principles... which often leads to poor and lifeless character animation. Tradigital Flash helps you focus on these principles while using the program's wide array of features to create believable animation, consistently. Tradigital Flash joins three other Tradigital books covering Maya, Blender, and 3ds Max. This new volume in the series approaches the topic in a different way, giving readers both a practical look at the software, and providing a theoretical understanding of the genre. Learn a new principle in each chapter, the Flash tools most related to it and how to put it all together. A plethora of examples demonstrate the good methods which animators should use in Flash, how to avoid the bad ones and ways to create a workflow that works for you. An easy-to-follow approach with examples throughout the book that build on each other, showing how the principles act together. A companion website www.rubberonion.com/tradigital-animate features more examples, downloadable FLA resource files, video tutorials. Key Features Every chapter teaches you a principle, shows you the corresponding tool or tools, and shows you how to all put it together. A wide array of examples demonstrate the good, bad, and sometimes ugly procedures an animator can practice with Flash. A follow-along approach, where examples throughout the book build on each other, showing how the principles act together. A companion website features more examples, downloadable swf resource files, video tutorials.

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

The fastest, easiest, most comprehensive way to learn Adobe Animate Classroom in a Book (R), the best-selling series of hands-on software training workbooks, offers what no other book or training program does -- an official training series from Adobe, developed with the support of Adobe product experts. Adobe Animate Classroom in a Book (2021 release) contains lessons that cover the basics and beyond, providing countless tips and techniques to help you become more productive with the program. You can follow the book from start to finish or choose only those lessons that interest you. Purchase of this book includes valuable online features. Follow the instructions in the book's "Getting Started" section to unlock access to: Downloadable lesson files you need to work through the projects in the book Web Edition containing the complete text of the book, interactive quizzes, and videos that walk you through the lessons step by step What you need to use this book: Adobe Animate (2021 release) software, for either Windows or macOS. (Software not included.) Note: Classroom in a Book does not replace the documentation, support, updates, or any other benefits of being a registered owner of Adobe Animate software.

Building Science Graphics: An illustrated guide to communicating science through diagrams and visualizations is a practical guide for anyone-regardless of previous design experience and preferred drawing tools-interested in creating science-centric illustrated explanatory diagrams. Starting with a clear introduction to the concept of information graphics and their role in contemporary science communication, it then outlines a process for creating graphics using evidence-based design strategies. The heart of the book is composed of two step-by-step graphical worksheets, designed to help jump-start any new project. This is both a textbook and a practical reference for anyone that needs to convey scientific information in an illustrated form for articles, poster presentations, slide shows, press releases, blog posts, social media posts and beyond.

Why take months to learn every button in 3ds Max when you can create great visuals with just a few key tools? Utilize the tool of choice, 3ds Max 2014, for generating realistic environments, seamless CG effects, and jaw dropping games in a matter of hours. You can use the memory-hogging methods that choke your display and take forever to render, or you can get it done quickly and efficiently. Michael McCarthy offers a goldmine of artistic inspiration, timesaving tips & tricks, and step-by-step walkthroughs-you'll wonder how you every got by without it! Start animating today with detailed tutorials, source files, bitmaps, and video demonstrations-all featured on the companion website. This new edition has been completely revamped for 3ds Max 2014. You will find coverage on brand new features and tools such as Scene Management, iRay, Nitrous, Mass FX, and particles and physics. How to Cheat in 3ds Max 2014 features interviews with industry professionals that will help you gain the edge you need in the competitive world of animation. 3ds Max luminary and recipient of the 2011 Autodesk 3ds Max Master Award, author Michael McCarthy shares his 3ds Max secrets and little-known tips and tricks that save users hours of time Includes all new content and advanced cheats on modelling, special effects, natural elements, and the particle system Proven How to Cheat series teaches how to create quick yet stunning special effects, animations, realistic textures, and game elements

Hybrid Drawing Techniques: Design Process and Presentation reaffirms the value of traditional hand drawing in the design process by demonstrating how to integrate it with digital techniques; enhancing and streamlining the investigative process while at the same time yielding superior presentation images. This book is a foundations guide to both approaches: sketching, hardline drawing, perspective drawing, digital applications, and Adobe Photoshop; providing step-by-step demonstrations and examples from a variety of professional and student work for using and combining traditional and digital tools. Also included are sections addressing strategies for using color, composition and light to further enhance one's drawings. An eResource offers copyright free images for download that includes: tonal patterns, watercolor fields, people, trees, and skies.

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.