Create high-quality photorealistic renders of architectural visualizations using 3ds Max and Vray with the project-based tutorials in this book. Learn how to combine lighting and rendering options to end-up with the most realistic final renders possible at a professional level. The tutorials in this book are filled with beautiful full-color images and they teach you how to light both interiors and exteriors and daytime and nighttime scenes. Learn how to save time without sacrificing the quality of your final renders with tips and tricks on rendering with Vray - the most accurate rendering application for 3ds Max. The downloadable resources include all the project files that you need to recreate each of the projects presented within the book. Please note that this book does not support the current versions of 3ds Max and V-Ray. Topics include:

Storyboarding is a very tough business, and a new storyboarder really needs to have their wits about them and have professional savvy to survive in this competitive field. Storyboarding: Rules of Thumb offers highly illustrative examples of basic storyboarding concepts, as well as sound, career-oriented advice for the new artist. This book also features a number of veteran storyboard artists sharing their experiences in the professional world.

Unique, believable characters that think, feel, and captivate your audience are ones that involve emotion, personality, and story. Successful animators balance all of these elements within a single character and narrative. With Acting and Performance for Animation, discover how to create dynamic, dramatic performances and believable character interaction for 2D and 3D animation and motion capture. An invaluable resource, Acting and Performance for Animation is a practical guide to the variety of performance techniques relevant to animators. Develop believable character interactions with chapters detailing the principles of performance, performance types, character emotion and personality, physical and psychological performance, and scene composition. Analyze scripts, sound, acting, action and performance with hints, tips, and animated examples featured in an extensive guide for animators working in film, TV, games, and commercials. Explore different performance techniques based upon the experiences of seasoned animators and actors with case studies featuring Peter Lord, John Stevenson, Marco Marenghi, Mark Baker, Neville Astley, Joanna Quinn, and more.

How to create a simulation where participants have a sense of freedom and personal control while still maintaining the structure necessary for an effective story is a difficult task indeed. This book examines how to create an engaging, effective story (necessary to teach participants), while relating practical considerations of building a simulation. It also looks at stories as classic ways of teaching and gathering knowledge and considers other theories of interactive narrative design such as synthetic story creation and management and participant-generated story experiences. It also discusses enabling technologies in artificial intelligence, synthetic characters design and development, speech recognition technology, 3D modelling, and the future of story-driven games. Story Driven Simulations reviews the existing efforts in this field as well as focusing on the recent efforts of Paramount Pictures and The Institute for Creative Technologies at the University of Southern California, where this expert author team created successful simulations for the U.S. Army, Department of Defense, as well as other educational simulations.

With 18 years under his belt in the game industry, a key contributor to the MotorStorm series, and the creator of the 3ds Max in Minutes video series (at FocalPress.com), Andrew Gahan delivers the expert techniques in 3ds Max Modeling for Games, 2nd edition. This updated edition is packed with new tutorials that will enhance your modeling skills and pump up your portfolio with high-quality work in no time. Along with Anthony O'Donnell and a team of experts, Gahan covers all of the fundamental game modeling techniques, including character and environment modeling, mapping, and texturing. Finally, a bonus section in 3ds Max Modeling for Games offers readers insights and tips on how to get their careers started in the game industry. New, expanded tutorials take readers of all abilities through full character and environment modeling from beginning to endCompanion website (3d-for-games.com) offers a robust, supportive forum where readers can get commentary on new work, develop skills and portfolio art, as well as network with other game artists on a variety of projects. Also features project files for all tutorials in the book and enough support images and photos to keep the budding artist busy for monthsCompletely updated gallery allows the reader to build on various models

This book focuses on the history of video games, consoles, and home computers from the very beginning until the mid-nineties, which started a new era in digital entertainment. The text features the most innovative games and introduces the pioneers who developed them. It offers brief analyses of the most relevant games from each time period. An epilogue covers the events and systems that followed this golden age while the appendices include a history of handheld games and an overview of the retro-gaming scene.

Brimming with workflow efficiencies for the experienced editor, The Avid Handbook teaches you the hows and whys of operating the system in order to reach streamlined, creative end solutions. The book emphasizes time-saving techniques, shortcuts, and workflow procedures- the true keys to getting a job done.The book has also been updated to include new information on HD formats and workflows, color-correction and grading capability enhancements, MXF media standardization, and much more.Also new to this edition are an 8 page 4-color insert, adding depth to the color-correction lessons, as well as running sidebars throughout the book, calling out time-saving tips and techniques.

Data Visualization for Design Thinking helps you make better maps. Treating maps as applied research, you'll be able to understand how to map sites, places, ideas, and projects, revealing the complex relationships between what you represent, your thinking, the technology you use, the culture you belong to, and your aesthetic practices. More than 100 examples illustrated with over 200 color images show you how to visualize data through mapping. Includes five in-depth cases studies and numerous examples throughout.

Mobile apps are a big part of people's lives, with apps for just about anything. An app's UX can help it stand out and be the key to its success. But often, developers find UX intimidating and don't know where to begin. Usability Matters gives app developers practical advice and guidance on how to improve the UX of their mobile apps on any platform. After they read this book from cover to cover, they'll find themselves reaching for it again and again as a reference each time they develop a new app. * Practical advice and guidance * Provides theory and background on the technology * Hands-on teaching This book is for anyone who is developing an app and wants to create a great user experience, regardless of mobile platform. ABOUT THE TECHNOLOGY The user experience (UX) of an app can be key to its success but is often something that developers don't know how to approach or is considered a part of design that is intimidating and overlooked. AUTHOR BIO Matt Lacey has been creating apps for mobile devices since 2001. He is currently working as an independent mobile development consultant, helping companies of all sizes with strategy, planning and implementation of mobile development solutions. Matt is a community leader and Microsoft MVP who organizes user group meetings to help people learn to create better apps.

This volume on virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) and gamification for cultural heritage offers an insightful introduction to the theories, development, recent applications and trends of the enabling technologies for mixed reality and gamified interaction in cultural heritage and creative industries in general. It has two main goals: serving as an introductory textbook to train beginning and experienced researchers in the field of interactive digital cultural heritage, and offering a novel platform for researchers in and across the culturally-related disciplines. To this end, it is divided into two sections following a pedagogical model developed by the focus group of the first EU Marie S. Curie Fellowship Initial Training Network on Digital Cultural Heritage (ITN-DCH): Section I describes recent advances in mixed reality enabling technologies, while section II presents the latest findings on interaction with 3D tangible and intangible digital cultural heritage. The sections include selected contributions from some of the most respected scholars, researchers and professionals in the fields of VR/AR, gamification, and digital heritage. This book is intended for all heritage professionals, researchers, lecturers and students who wish to explore the latest mixed reality and gamification technologies in the context of cultural heritage and creative industries. It pursues a pedagogic approach based on trainings, conferences, workshops and summer schools that the ITN-DCH fellows have been following in order to learn how to design next-generation virtual heritage applications, systems and services.

A temporal GIS is an information system designed to describe spatial change over time. As yet, there are no temporal GISs, although the seeds exist. This book examines the conceptual, logical and physical design of a temporal GIS. It provides a broad survey of research on spatiotemporality, the philosophy of time, temporal databases and spatial data structuring. The book also describes an investigation of spatiotemporal data structuring and accessing possibilities.

In Advanced Visual Effects Compositing: Techniques for Working with Problematic Footage, learn to tackle difficult visual effect composites in layer-based and node-based compositing programs. In this book, industry veteran and compositing expert Lee Lanier offers tips, tricks, techniques, and workflows for difficult visual effects shots, including poorly shot green screen, moving shots with no visible motion tracking marks, shots requiring three-dimensional (3D) elements that lack 3D renders, poor-quality stock footage, and incorrectly lit shots. Lanier details the common problems of visual effects shots and offers practical solutions using examples from Adobe After Effects and Blackmagic Design Fusion. An accompanying eResource (www.routledge.com/9781138668348) features video image sequences, 3D renders, and other tutorial materials, allowing you to practice the discussed techniques. The visual effects challenges covered in this book include: Chroma keying Motion tracking Relighting in the composite Repairing plates Replicating damage Adding depth with 2.5D Working with stock footage

Current computer graphics hardware and software make it possible to synthesize near photo-realistic images, but the simulation of natural-looking motion of articulated figures remains a difficult and challenging task. Skillfully rendered animation of humans, animals, and robots can delight and move us, but simulating their realistic motion holds great promise for many other applications as well, including ergonomic engineering design, clinical diagnosis of pathological movements, rehabilitation therapy, and biomechanics. Making Them Move presents the work of leading researchers in computer graphics, psychology, robotics and mechanical engineering who were invited to attend the Workshop on the Mechanics, Control and Animation of Articulated Figures held at the MIT Media Lab in April 1989. The book explores biological and robotic motor control, as well as state-of-the-art computer graphics techniques for simulating human and animal figures in a natural and physically realistic manner.

The Anti-HDR HDR Photography Book contains everything you'll need to know in order to get the best results from your High Dynamic Range images. Designed for those who want to extend the dynamic range in their work, but are frustrated by over-processed and hyper-saturated images, this book proves that HDR techniques are capable of producing photographs that are both stunning and realistic. In addition to helping you choose the right equipment and settings to optimize your shoot for HDR, the book explains how to use post-processing software to create natural-looking photographs, blend source images with layer masks, and establish an efficient workflow. By teaching you to effectively use all the most important tools of HDR, it will expand the scope of your portfolio and allow you to create images that you never thought were possible. Key features include: What to look for when choosing a camera for HDR Description of gear that is important to the HDR photographer How to use the HDR software applications Photomatix and SNS-HDR Pro to achieve natural-looking results Discussion of blending multiple source images using simple masks and techniques An in-depth examination of the use of Luminance Masks for blending and editing bracketed images to a photorealistic composite Guide to workflow, from organizing images on the computer to pre-merge editing of RAW files using both Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Bridge The use of black-and-white in HDR and image-blending, including ways to convert color images to black-and-white

This is a selection of the major papers from a meeting on database accuracy which took place in December 1988 in Montecito, USA. They look at errors and accuracy in spatial databases, particularly the problems of modelling uncertainties and reliability, testing accuracy and practical implications. The chapters of the book represent a number of different perspectives on the accuracy problem, from efforts to simulate and model error to techniques for accommodating to it. The 23 chapters are organized into seven sections, and to provide a brief introduction to each. The first and last sections are general overviews. In between, the papers in Section Two through Four look at error in GIS with increasing technical complexity and generality. Section Five groups together four papers on various aspects of error in the spatial analysis of socio-economic data, and Section Six contains four papers on more fundamental approaches to the particular problems of aggreation and reporting zone effects which underlie much modeling in human geography and related disciplines.

The creation of ever more realistic 3-D images is central to the development of computer graphics. The ray tracing technique has become one of the most popular and powerful means by which photo-realistic images can now be created. The simplicity, elegance and ease of implementation makes ray tracing an essential part of understanding and exploiting state-of-the-art computer graphics.
An Introduction to Ray Tracing develops from fundamental principles to advanced applications, providing "how-to" procedures as well as a detailed understanding of the scientific foundations of ray tracing. It is also richly illustrated with four-color and black-and-white plates. This is a book which will be welcomed by all concerned with modern computer graphics, image processing, and computer-aided design.
Key Features
* Provides practical "how-to" information
* Contains high quality color plates of images created using ray tracing techniques
* Progresses from a basic understanding to the advanced science and application of ray tracing

This is the right book for users who liked the author's "Beginning AutoCAD" workbook and want to learn more about AutoCAD's features, including Xref, Attributes, and 3D solids. This clear, no nonsense, easy-to-follow text is totally updated for AutoCAD 2016 and 2016 LT, and it offers several new and improved features. All exercises are easy to print on standard 8 1/2" x 11" paper. For use with the PC version of AutoCAD 2016 only. New Features include ... * Start Tab page, containing two sliding content frames, Learn and Create, enabling you to quickly access recent drawing files, templates, product updates, and online resources. * DIM command, allowing you to create dimensions based on a selected object. Improved Features include ... * Enhanced Status Bar, giving you greater control of the tools you want displayed. * Isometric Grid Pattern now displays Lines instead of Dots. * Command Preview is enhanced to allow for Blend, Erase, Scale, Stretch, and Rotate commands. * Improved graphics with Line Smoothing and the display of perfect curves. Cheryl Shrock recently retired as Professor and Chairperson of Computer Aided Design at Orange Coast College in California, where she had taught since 1990. She is an Autodesk (R) registered author. Previous to teaching, she owned and operated a commercial product and machine design company, using CAD to create and document designs. This book draws upon both her teaching and industry experience. Steve Heather has 30-plus years of experience as a practicing mechanical engineer and has taught AutoCAD to engineering and architectural students at the college level. He is an authorized AutoCAD beta tester and a member of AutoCAD Connected Desktop Customer Council. Steve lives near Canterbury, England, and welcomes your questions or comments at: [email protected].

Multimedia Technology IV is a collection of papers from the 4th International Conference on Multimedia Technology (ICMT 2015, Sydney, Australia, 28-29 March 2015). The book discusses a wide range of topics, including: - Image and signal processing - Video and audio processing - Multimedia data communication and transmission, and - Multimedia tools. Presenting recent advances, and new techniques and applications, the contributions will be of interest to academics and professionals involved in the field of multimedia technology.

For introductory digital media courses in computer science, art, communication, or digital media departments Tools and Techniques for Understanding and Producing Digital Media Digital Media encompasses a wide variety of topics, including the study of image, sound, and video processing, compression, interactive multimedia development, and advanced web programming. Digital Media Primer is designed for students from all disciplines, and teaches the foundational concepts and basic techniques of digital media production. The text is not tied to a specific application program like Flash or Photoshop; instead, the author introduces tools and techniques using a task-based approach and gives the rationale for using those techniques. This way, students learn skills they can transfer to different platforms and tools. For students that do not know how to navigate certain tools, Wong provides brief Application tutorials as supplemental material. The Third Edition has been thoroughly revised and updated to include current mobile device technology, ultra high-definition video, and multimedia authoring from Flash ActionScript programming to JavaScript programming with HTML5 Canvas.

Developing Your Design Process is your primary source for acquiring knowledge of how and why you design. It will help you understand how architects think as well as learn why you should educate yourself about design culture. You'll explore the spark of imagination that leads to a strong concept, realize the importance of sketching and rough drafts, focus your original concept to make your abstract idea visible, and finally step away for a moment to critically question your concept by identifying its strengths and weaknesses. You'll also be introduced to the language of design, architectural terminology, historic precedents, and designers, in addition to the why, what, and how of the design process.

The book is illustrated throughout with international examples of work by professionals and students in the discipline of architecture, and other related design professions.

Developing Your Design Process is your primary source for acquiring knowledge of how and why you design. It will help you understand how architects think as well as learn why you should educate yourself about design culture. You'll explore the spark of imagination that leads to a strong concept, realize the importance of sketching and rough drafts, focus your original concept to make your abstract idea visible, and finally step away for a moment to critically question your concept by identifying its strengths and weaknesses. You'll also be introduced to the language of design, architectural terminology, historic precedents, and designers, in addition to the why, what, and how of the design process.

The book is illustrated throughout with international examples of work by professionals and students in the discipline of architecture, and other related design professions.

To date, most criticism of print and digital technotexts - literary objects that foreground the role of their media of inscription - has emphasized the avant-garde contexts of a text's production. The Baroque Technotext opens new perspectives on this important and innovative literary canon, analysing the role of baroque and neo-baroque aesthetics in the emergence and possible futures of technotexts. Combining the insights of poststructuralist theory of the baroque, postcolonial theory of the neobaroque, and insightful critique of the prevailing modernist approaches to technotexts, The Baroque Technotext reframes critical debate of contemporary experiments in literary practice in the late age of print. Analyses of works from authors including Jonathan Safran Foer, Chris Ware and David Clark are matched with reflections on other media texts - film, visual art and interface design - that have adopted baroque aesthetic tropes.

This book is the proceedings of the 40th annual Graphics Interface conference the oldest continuously scheduled conference in the field. The book includes high-quality papers on recent advances in interactive systems, human computer interaction, and graphics from around the world. It covers the following topics: shading and rendering, geometric modeling and meshing, image-based rendering, image synthesis and realism, computer animation, real-time rendering, non-photorealistic rendering, interaction techniques, human interface devices, augmented reality, data and information visualization, mobile computing, haptic and tangible interfaces, and perception."

Consumers today expect extremely realistic imagery generated in real time for interactive applications such as computer games, virtual prototyping, and scientific visualisation. However, the increasing demands for fidelity coupled with rapid advances in hardware architecture pose a challenge: how do you find optimal, sustainable solutions to accommodate both speed of rendering and quality? Real-Time Rendering: Computer Graphics with Control Engineering presents a novel framework for solving the perennial challenge of resource allocation and the trade-off between quality and speed in interactive computer graphics rendering. Conventional approaches are mainly based on heuristics and algorithms, are largely application specific, and offer fluctuating performance, particularly as applications become more complex. The solution proposed by the authors draws on powerful concepts from control engineering to address these shortcomings. Expanding the horizon of real-time rendering techniques, this book: Explains how control systems work with real-time computer graphics Proposes a data-driven modelling approach that more accurately represents the system behaviour of the rendering process Develops a control system strategy for linear and non-linear models using proportional, integral, derivative (PID) and fuzzy control techniques Uses real-world data from rendering applications in proof-of-concept experiments Compares the proposed solution to existing techniques Provides practical details on implementation, including references to tools and source code This pioneering work takes a major step forward by applying control theory in the context of a computer graphics system. Promoting cross-disciplinary research, it offers guidance for anyone who wants to develop more advanced solutions for real-time computer graphics rendering.

ThisvolumecontainstheProceedingsofthe2ndInternationalSymposiumon Intelligent Interactive Multimedia Systems and Services (KES-IIMSS 2009) This second edition of the KES-IIMSS Symposium was organized by the Department of Information Technologies of University of Milan, Italy in c- junctionwithHanyangUniversity, KoreaandKESInternational. KES-IIMSS is a new series of international scienti?c symposia aimed at presenting novel research in the ?elds of intelligent multimedia systems relevant to the dev- opment of a new generation of interactive, user-centric services. The major theme underlying this year's symposium is the rapid integration of mul- media processing techniques within a new wave of user-centric services and processes. Indeed, pervasive computing has blurred the traditional disti- tion between conventional information technologies and multimedia proce- ing, making multimedia an integral part of a new generation of IT-based interactive systems. The aim of the KES-IIMSS symposium, following the general structure of KES events, is to provide an internationally respected forum for publishing high-quality results of scienti?c research while all- ing for timely dissemination of research breakthroughs and novel ideas via a number of autonomous special sessions and workshops on emerging - sues and topics identi?ed each year. IMSS 2009 co-located events include the International Workshop on Human-Computer Interaction in Knowled- based Environments, and three invited sessions respectively on Intelligent Systems for Healthcare, Design of Intelligent Environments for Supporting Human Interaction and Multimedia Techniques for Device and Ambient - telligence (MTDAI).