Mastering 3-D Animation (Paperback, 2nd Revised edition)

Riveting illustrations and step-by-step instructions show animators at all levels how to create professional, studio quality 3D models and animations in this easy-to-follow guide, now revised to cover the latest developments in software and subdivision modelling. Professional animator and professor of animation Peter Ratner teaches aspiring and experienced animators the fundamentals of NURBS and polygon modelling and animation, animating with deformation tools, special effects, modelling human features and figures, lighting, surfacing, expressing emotion with facial animation, animating action, composition, and cinematography. Instructions and exercises are provided in a non-software and non-platform specific format to encourage readers to experiment with their own technology. The book includes more than 800 useful illustrations along with models and sample animations on a CD-ROM. This guide is a crash course in the up-and-coming field of animation that takes readers chapter-by-chapter from the introductory level to the advanced - a book no aspiring animator or animation instructor will want to miss.