Improve your 3D animation by understanding the key traditional 2D skills. Learn the basics for producing original and exciting animation.

3D Mesh Processing and Character Animation focusses specifically on topics that are important in three-dimensional modelling, surface design and real-time character animation. It provides an in-depth coverage of data structures and popular methods used in geometry processing, keyframe and inverse kinematics animations and shader based processing of mesh objects. It also introduces two powerful and versatile libraries, OpenMesh and Assimp, and demonstrates their usefulness through implementations of a wide range of algorithms in mesh processing and character animation respectively. This Textbook is written for students at an advanced undergraduate or postgraduate level who are interested in the study and development of graphics algorithms for three-dimensional mesh modeling and analysis, and animations of rigged character models. The key topics covered in the book are mesh data structures for processing adjacency queries, simplification and subdivision algorithms, mesh parameterization methods, 3D mesh morphing, skeletal animation, motion capture data, scene graphs, quaternions, inverse kinematics algorithms, OpenGL-4 tessellation and geometry shaders, geometry processing and terrain rendering.

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. Book jacket.

Based on 10 years of animation teaching experience, this comprehensive guide to key techniques will ensure your skills best fit the computer animation workplace. A complete understanding of the vital animation drawing skills will be achieved by learning the pitfalls in a 2D exercise then applying these skills when using 3D animation packages. Providing a broad coverage this book will be relevant whatever 3D package you use, Softimage XSI, Maya, 3ds max or LightWave. Just knowing and being able to use a specific 3D software package does not make you an animator, but reading this book will! The Free CD-ROM includes; how to animate exercises in each specific 3d animation program; short movies showing best practice; computer models so you can experiment and learn; a free demo copy and discount code for the best 2D animation software you can buy, DigiCel FlipBook. www.characteranimationin3d.com, provides further resources about the world of animation, extensive list of links, how to get a job, build a lightbox, make an animated movie and much more!

Companion CD includes new plug-ins to enhance character setup and animation, available only in this book!Quality rigging and animation preparation is vital for creating characters that can truly act and make an audience believe they are live, emotive beings. LightWave 3D [8] Cartoon Character Creation - Volume 2: Rigging & Animation includes both general theory and comprehensive tutorials for every aspect of rigging and animating 3D characters. Learn how, why, and when to use the most efficient techniques so you can have fun animating your own fantastic 3D characters.Learn all about rigging characters, including weight mapping, bone creation, IK, and deformations; discover advanced rigging techniques, including expressions, FK/IK blending, quadruped rigging, and more; find out how to use the animation controls and animate using inverse kinematics; explore the intricacies of facial animation, including morphs, facial expressions, lip sync, and advanced morph controls; learn how to use dynamics for secondary body motion and clothing.

Autodesk 3ds Max is the application of choice for professional animators working in game design and film effects because of its amazing set of character animation tools. But while the results these professionals achieve can be stunningly complex, animating characters with 3ds Max doesn't have to be hard. Its powerful Biped module, with pre-linked and realistically constrained skeletons and its suite of motion tools, dramatically speeds up the animation process. The easy-to-follow instructions in this book will have you animating your own characters in just a few hours.

The essential fundamentals of 3D animation for aspiring 3D artists 3D is everywhere--video games, movie and television special effects, mobile devices, etc. Many aspiring artists and animators have grown up with 3D and computers, and naturally gravitate to this field as their area of interest. Bringing a blend of studio and classroom experience to offer you thorough coverage of the 3D animation industry, this must-have book shows you what it takes to create compelling and realistic 3D imagery. Serves as the first step to understanding the language of 3D and computer graphics (CG) Covers 3D animation basics: pre-production, modeling, animation, rendering, and post-production Dissects core 3D concepts including design, film, video, and games Examines what artistic and technical skills are needed to succeed in the industry Offers helpful real-world scenarios and informative interviews with key educators and studio and industry professionals Whether you're considering a career in as a 3D artist or simply wish to expand your understanding of general CG principles, this book will give you a great overview and knowledge of core 3D Animation concepts and the industry.

Creating a 3D Animated CGI Short presents an insightful behind-the-scenes tour of the entire production process for 3D artists, animators, and independent filmmakers who are interested in creating their own CGI shorts as well as for those who are simply fans and enthusiasts of CGI films in general. This book presents detailed examples of every step of the production process; from initial concept through character design, set design, modeling, texturing, lighting, camera animation, character animation, lip sync, rendering, post-production, compositing, and all the way to film festival submissions and online web distribution. It truly has something for everyone interested in CGI films. Using readily available off-the-shelf hardware and software such as modo, LightWave 3D, FPrime, HD Instance, Peak, Shake, iMovie, iDVD, GarageBand and more, Creating a 3D Animated CGI Short shows how to produce a complete 3D animated CGI Short, including how to fund the production by taking on paid freelance projects along the way. Where other filmmaking books typically describe industry standard methodologies that are most effective for larger productions, this book shows how to drastically simplify and condense those processes and focus only on the essential elements that will enable a single artist or filmmaker to complete a CGI short on their own.

Making a Game Demo: From Concept to Demo Gold provides a detailed and comprehensive guide to getting started in the computer game industry. Written by professional game designers and developers, this book combines the fields of design, art, scripting, and programming in one book to help you take your first steps toward creating a game demo. Discover how the use of documentation can help you organize the game design process; understand how to model and animate a variety of objects, including human characters; explore the basics of scripting with Lua; learn about texturing, vertex lighting, light mapping, motion capture, and collision checking. The companion CD contains all the code and other files needed for the tutorials, the Ka3D game engine, the Zax demo, all the images in the book, demo software, and more!