Computer Animation: Algorithms and Techniques (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Computer Graphics) Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is not about how to accomplish animation using prepackaged software nor is it about art design for animation. Instead, it is aimed at computer science students who wish to write programs that perform animation and want to understand the algorithmic and mathematical issues behind that task.
Chapter one is a broad history of computer animation, and it would be misleading to think that this is a typical chapter in this book. Chapter 2 is a broad overview of computer graphics topics. It mentions quaternions, transformation matrices, the rendering pipeline, and I think it is meant to be a quick review more than an instructive chapter. If you are not already familiar with the material in chapter 2 this book will be over your head.
Chapters 3 through 6 are the meat of the book for those interested in computer animation algorithms. Chapter 3 presents low level details on interpolation and not only shows the math but also shows code fragments in C on how to accomplish some of the tasks mentioned. Chapter four presents more advanced algorithms such as camera control, kinematic modeling, rigid body simulation, flocking behavior, and collision detection. Again in this chapter mathematics of the algorithms is presented along side of C code to accomplish the tasks.
Chapter 5 changes topics from the discussion of object motion and the underlying physics to the topic of natural phenomena. The author does a good job of laying out clearly the basics of the mathematics behind these effects. However, he does seem to gloss over details more than he did in previous chapters. The same is true of Chapter 6 on the modeling and animation of articulated figures. The basics are all there, but there just wasn't enough detail to satisfy me.
As for the companion website, it is working at the time I am writing this review. However, the problem I have with books that have companion sites in place of an accompanying CD is that over time these websites are usually neglected and at worst, disconnected. However, an accompanying CD is always shipped with a new book.
Overall, this book is the best compromise I've found between accessible and comprehensive on this subject, and I would recommend it to anyone thinking about writing their own computer animation code.

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All About Techniques in Drawing for Animation Production Review

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(More customer reviews)As an animation artist, I am familiar with the author's work and eagerly awaited the arrival of this book. It did not disappoint!
It is good for beginners and seasoned veterans alike. The sequential animation drawings - along with their respective numberings and spacing charts - are worth more than the price of the book. They are an excellent way for the student of animation to see how the drawings are spaced to provide the true 'spark of life' so necessary in the success of the animated image 'coming alive'. The book ranks up there with the Preston Blair books, Thomas and Johnston's ILLUSION OF LIFE, and Richard William's THE
ANIMATOR'S SURVIVAL KIT. The chapters on Storyboarding, Layout and Background, along with many other animation gems, are there as well. A true tour de force!

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Titles in Barron's popular and growing "All About Techniques" series are written especially for advanced art students and experienced amateurs. They explain aspects of art theory, then provide step-by-step advice on methods for creating professional-looking art. This title covers every aspect of cartoon animation art in traditional media, starting with descriptions of tools and materials. Following chapters instruct in the creation of storyboards, then show how to render facial expressions, clothing, props, and body posturesto give characters individuality and help tell their stories. Concluding chapters show how to create action animation for films. Students will also find instruction in rendering background landscapes, as well as a brief history of modern cartoon animation.

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Hi-Fi Color For Comics: Digital Techniques for Professional Results Review

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(More customer reviews)I've always been interested in coloring my art in Photoshop like the pros do; as a self-taught artist, I'm constantly looking for the best resources to teach me what I need to know. Suffice it to say, I've bought quite a few books discussing computer painting and coloring. I've picked things up from them here and there, but I can honestly say that I have not found a book more comprehensive, more considerate of its audience, and better conceived than Hi-Fi Color for Comics. Before reading any further, however, please note that to get the best results from this book, you need to have Photoshop on your computer.
Hi-Fi Color for Comics is actually the best resource you can have if you're trying to learn how to do computer coloring for either comics work or just coloring your own black-and-white artwork - whether the art is inked or still in pencils. In this book you'll learn:
1. How to best scan your work and even how to best stitch together artwork that is too large to fit into one scan
2. How to 'flat' artwork (lay down the base colors)
3. How to render over the flats (the actual painting)
4. How to create color holds (turning black and white lines into colored lines for dramatic effects)
5. Special effects (making glows, fire effects, etc.) and making 'Helpers' (special image files that you can use in your artwork as starters for skies, grass, gravel, etc.)
6. Color Separation (in other words, how to finish your artwork's file and make it ready for print, etc.)
While this book would be great if it only outlined these subjects, it does something even greater: it contains a DVD-ROM that includes a large number of files. Here are just a few:
1. Photoshop Pre-Sets (color settings, brushes, and even shortcut scripts [which you will use liberally in the book's lessons] that you can install directly into Photoshop)
2. Examples of colored artwork, Helpers, etc.
3. 'Homework' assignments for stitching scanned artwork, flatting, etc.
Basically, the DVD-ROM allows you to practice what you learn right along with the lessons taught. You can open the files provided and dig right into coloring them to really get your feet wet in the coloring process right away. This is probably the best feature of the book. And, as a bonus, the pencils that you will color over are done by professionals and, in some cases, provided by top artists like Terry Moore and John Byrne.
Now, certainly, this book is not perfect: there are a number of typos, a couple of accidents in some of the lesson steps, and I found several instances where some lesson steps were accidentally left out (fortunately, they're simple enough that you will figure it out even if you're a novice). Also, those of you wanting to color your penciled artwork should note that, before performing the color separation Step 3 script to finish your artwork, be sure to Apply your line art or else your pencils would be almost completely washed out (the book fails to mention this problematic issue, I discovered).
While it has its faults, Hi-Fi Color for Comics remains the very best resource out there for those interested in learning the comic book style of computer coloring. It is a tremendously well-thought-out book, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. If this book is your speed, you may also want to consider another helpful volume, with has another approach to coloring, Digital Manga Workshop: An Artist's Guide to Creating Manga Illustrations on Your Computer. Enjoy!

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This is an exciting and complete instructional package starting with the basics and progressing through step-by-step demonstrations that take you from line art to full, awe-inspiring colour.It features instruction on equipment, scanning, setting up pages, colour theory, flatting, rendering, special effects, colour holds, colour separations, and even details on the business of becoming a professional colourist.The bonus CD-Rom, includes Photoshop tools and actions that pro colourists Brian and Kristy Miller use to streamline their colouring work, plus sample Photoshop files so that readers can work along with the demonstrations.

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