? For readers intrigued by 3D video games as a hobby or a potential career, this book offers an introduction to the world of 3D game animation and provides step?by?step instructions on creating storyboards, scenery, characters, and even software
? Cover topics such as working with 3D coordinates, keyframing, NURBS modeling, lighting, rigging, skinning, particle effects, and more
? Video game sales exceeded the movie industry?s box office draw last year by $1 billion

For readers intrigued by 3D video games as a hobby or a potential career, this book offers an introduction to the world of 3D game animation and provides step--by--step instructions on creating storyboards, scenery, characters, and even software Cover topics such as working with 3D coordinates, keyframing, NURBS modeling, lighting, rigging, skinning, particle effects, and more Video game sales exceeded the movie industry’s box office draw last year by 1 billion dollars.

Gain the skills that will get you into game design

Bring fantasy creatures and settings to life, and launch a lucrative career

There?s gold in them thar games, and here?s your mining kit! Find out how to design, model, and animate characters, give your settings detail and dimension, create a storyboard, add dialogue, produce special effects, plan a game, and more. You?ll even get an overview of essential software, and tips for landing a job in the game industry.

Discover how to

• Create realistic motion
• Develop a game concept
• Model a complete character from scratch
• Add a skeleton rig to your character
• Find out how to use particles and dynamics
• Sync facial movements with soundtracks

Kelly L. Murdock has written about computer topics ranging from multimedia to JavaScript. He has also created 3D models for feature films and worked as a freelance 3D artist.

Gain the skills that will get you into game design Bring fantasy creatures and settings to life, and launch a lucrative career There’s gold in them thar games, and here’s your mining kit! Find out how to design, model, and animate characters, give your settings detail and dimension, create a storyboard, add dialogue, produce special effects, plan a game, and more. You’ll even get an overview of essential software, and tips for landing a job in the game industry. Discover how to Create realistic motion Develop a game concept Model a complete character from scratch Add a skeleton rig to your character Find out how to use particles and dynamics Sync facial movements with soundtracks

* For readers intrigued by 3D video games as a hobby or a potential career, this book offers an introduction to the world of 3D game animation and provides step-by-step instructions on creating storyboards, scenery, characters, and even software
* Cover topics such as working with 3D coordinates, keyframing, NURBS modeling, lighting, rigging, skinning, particle effects, and more
* Video game sales exceeded the movie industry’s box office draw last year by $1 billion

Falling short...

I purchased this book hoping it would help me show a novice how to start modeling for games. While the author covers the overview and technical terms, the essential modeling instruction is severely lacking. The book talks about creating detail but fails to deliver quality examples.

I bought this title because I own a few of the author’s other works including the 3ds max bible. This was a dissapointment because it fails to provide the information on technical skills while it raises false hopes of earning money from games, if folks use this resource. (Read back of book cover)

The up side to this book is in the overview. It does introduce the information and resources needed for the game industry, and it covers the basic concepts of animation and modeling, but does not mention many important pit falls common to many an aspiring beginner.

Warning - not usable with Maya PLE

On p. 2 in the book "3D Game Animation for Dummies" it says, "the examples are taught using the free version of Maya." In the next paragraph, it says, "The Maya, Personal Learning Edition that is used for the examples in this book can be downloaded for free from the Alias Web site, www.alias.com, This version of Maya is not a limited trial version, nor is it a feature-disabled version. It includes all the features of the actual shipping version of Maya, except that the images are rendered with a watermark and the saved files are limited to this version."

After I bought the book and encountered a problem, Wiley Tech Support replied:
"The issue is not with your operating system or with the text. The issue is that you are using the non-commercial version of Maya, the Personal Learning Edition (PLE). Per the PLE FAQ at the Alias Products site (http://www.alias.com/eng/products-services/maya/maya_ple/faq.shtml#D):>>File Format and Data Input/Output: You cannot write standard Maya software files (.ma, .mb); only the Maya Personal Learning Edition file format (.mp) can be saved; however, you can import standard Maya software files.<< Thus, to fully utilize May along with the book, you would need to own the Maya Complete Edition of the software. We recommend you visit the URL given above and read the FAQ to familiarize yourself with the limitations of the version of the software you have so that you can make the necessary accommodations when reading our book."

A word of warning to potential buyers.

A great introduction to 3D game animation

Sure, you won’t be able to land a job at Electronic Arts just by reading this book, but it’s a great way to explore the topic. The author does a great job introducing animation lingo and techniques to novices. If you don’t know your NURBS from your keyframes, this book is a great place to get educated. It may even whet your appetite for a more detailed book, such as the author’s 3ds max Bible.

Total rubbish! Do not buy this

This book has a microscopic amount of useful information hidden in reams of copy-paste instructions about how to do really basic things in Maya. It is full of typos, the copy-pastes have not been checked so that incorrect info is all over the place, the diagrams are so badly printed that it’s impossible to see the screen shots in many cases. The grammar and general use of English is so poor that I had to check the author details, because I was sure it had been written by a ten year old. There is no discernable teaching strategy in the book, just a load of random info spread between "click this menu, now click this one, now click this item".

The longest section is about creating a model of a character. The end result is so laughable that I would have been on the floor holding my sides if I hadn’t spent money on the book. A child could have done better. The authors excuse is "I skipped some tweaking to make it easier for you." Tweaking! Destroying the model and starting again wouldn’t have saved it.

There is nothing about game programming in the book at all, except "Game programmers use DirectX and OpenGL," and "Keep your polygon count low." Well, that was worth buying the book for.

As a final insult, the book is printed on such cheap paper that you can see the print through the page and it has warped as if it had been dropped in a puddle, just from atmospheric damp.

The author seems to know next to nothing about 3D animation or game programming that you couldn’t learn in 2 hours on the internet. I suspect he/she was a tea boy/girl for a few games companies. All in all a right rip off, and yes, I’m a dummy for pre-ordering it. Next time I’ll wait for some reviews.

Total rubbish! Don’t buy this.

This book has a microscopic amount of useful information hidden in reams of copy-paste instructions about how to do really basic things in Maya. It is full of typos, the copy-pastes have not been checked so that incorrect info is all over the place, the diagrams are so badly printed that it’s impossible to see the screen shots in many cases. The grammar and general use of English is so poor that I had to check the author details, because I was sure it had been written by a ten year old. There is no discernable teaching strategy in the book, just a load of random info spread between "click this menu, now click this one, now click this item".

The longest section is about creating a model of a character. The end result is so laughable that I would have been on the floor holding my sides if I hadn’t spent money on the book. A child could have done better. The authors excuse is "I skipped some tweaking to make it easier for you." Tweaking! Destroying the model and starting again wouldn’t have saved it.

There is nothing about game programming in the book at all, except "Game programmers use DirectX and OpenGL," and "Keep your polygon count low." Well, that was worth buying the book for.

As a final insult, the book is printed on such cheap paper that you can see the print through the page and it has warped as if it had been dropped in a puddle, just from atmospheric damp.

The author seems to know next to nothing about 3D animation or game programming that you couldn’t learn in 2 hours on the internet. I suspect he/she was a tea boy/girl for a few games companies. All in all a right rip off, and yes, I’m a dummy for pre-ordering it. Next time I’ll wait for some reviews.