Reviewing Model RIG Animate 3DS Max 7 (Reviewed by: Rafiq R. Elmansy)

Have you ever thought in creating 3D character? If so, then you must asked yourself the following questions:

 

1-     How do I model my character?

2-     How do I enhance my character look with materials?

3-     How do I animate my new character?

 

These questions form the basic steps to bring your character to life. Michele Bousquet has answered them in his book Model RIG Animate with 3DS Max 7.

 

The first and the second chapters answer the first two questions about modeling and adding materials to the character. Starting with pre-training on the tools used in modeling and adding materials, Michele goes step by step in his tutorial and applies each tool on the example included in the book CD.

 

The preparation for animation process is covered well in the third, fourth and fifth chapters. Chapter 3 teaches you how to assign bones for the model. Adding RIGs to the bones process is described in chapter 4. After completing the bones, chapter 5 is concerned with associating the bones with the model, which is known as the skinning.

 

My favorite topic, animating the model, is covered in the last two chapters. Chapter 7 is concerned with the character modeling, when chapter 8 concentrates on the facial animation.

 

This book is a must-have reference for animators, designers and teachers who want to deliver the modeling and animation with rigging features in 3DS Max7 in a simple focused way.

 

Product Details:

Book Name: Model, Rig, Animate with 3ds max 7

Written by: Michele Bousquet

Publisher: New Riders Press

ISBN: 0321321782

The Digital Video Hacks Review (Reviewed by Rafiq R. Elmansy)

The Digital Video Hacks by Joshua Paul gives you a shortcut to produce low cost movies by providing some useful tips and tools hacks for the movie production process.

With this book, you do not need studio expensive equipments to get a professional looking movie. All you need is to look around you for inexpensive tools to help getting your movie a professional look.

Joshua has organized the hacks in this book into eight chapters according to the stages of the video production process.

• The first chapter describes the most important stage to save money and produce a professional looking movie. It is the preparing stage, where you do the planning, storyboarding and organizing your work.
• The lighting related hacks that help create low cost lighting effects are introduced in the second chapter.
• The third chapter is concerning about acquiring your movie, which include hacks about how to shoot you movie and distribute it.
• The fourth chapter introduces hacks to help create high quality output when editing your movie. 
• Chapter 5 shows you how to create audio that will grasp the attention of your audience's eye and ears. This leaves a greater effect than presenting the idea to  the eye only.
• Effects help deliver your message and visualizing your storyboard with interesting way that remains in the mind of your audience. So, the hacks in the sixth chapter are concerning about this interesting part of the movie production process.
• After finishing your movie, the hacks in the seventh chapter help distributing you work with variety of ways such as using the internet, cell phones and pocket pc.
• Joshua finishes his book with some general hacks that are useful in presenting your movie in chapter 8.

  Many of us are interested in creating low cost movies. I think this book is good for all who want to create personal movies for memories. It is also good for web designers who want to enhance their web site design with new video media under the limited budget of the web projects. Digital Video Hacks is one of the rare books that cover this kind of video projects.

The Digital Video Hacks Review

Written By Joshua Paul

Publisher: O'Reilly

ISBN: 0596009461