5 comments about Essential 3ds max 8 (Wordware Applications Library).

1. If you are just starting out and want to learn Max with no previous 3D experience then this is a great book to start with. It covers all the basics you will need to get up and running before moving onto more application specific excercises.



2. I had max for a while and was moving forward but had alot of little questions that needed to be answered. This book helped me understand the UI layout more as well as how to customize it. There are a couple neat character models in there as well that he breaks down step by step in the later chapters.



3. I approached this book with no preconceived expectations, expecially after reading the one negative review below. When searching for books on design or development, I find there are typically two types:
   
   1. Books written like textbooks that can be used in a structured classroom setting that cover almost everything from A-Z in an order that builds from the foundation of the subject matter to advanced topics that are comprised of all of the preceding content.
   
   2. Books written for those who are comfortable learning in a non-traditional way and who are interested in diving into specific topics that cover just enough to accomplish a certain goal.
   
   I'm by no means stating one type is better than the other. It usually depends on what the reader is wishing to accomplish near term and weighing that against longer-term goals. I've found this book to be the latter of the two types and great for accomplishing what I need to know for now to get me started in 3DS Max (while having a lot of fun doing it); allowing me to then decide if I want to take things further and apply my time reading more detailed books on specific techniques.
   
   Keep in mind that the author's experience is primarily in the game industry, so the content is definitely written from that angle.
   
   The only complaint I have is that I believe the author's one lesson in adding a 3D element to a photo indicates that the source of light in the photo is coming from one direction when in fact it is coming from the opposite direction. The techniques still apply, just with lighting in reverse.



4. Well as some beginning animators I started a while back creating models and doing some animation more or less on the fly as i figured it out. I finally decided to get serious and stop wasting time. This book does excactly that. It gets to the nuts and bolts on how to start with effeciency in mind. The results is producing quality work in at least half the time it would have taken me to do the same work without the knowledge. The author also kept it interesting and fun. That is what stood out. Some may take the "whitty" comments too seriously. I thought it was just fun and it allowed me to keep reading and trying. It kept me interested. Too many books out there are simply to boring resulting in a book that has never seen past chap 3.
   
   If your just starting and want solid, effective information on how to use 3DMAX 8 this is a great start.



5. A couple of things I want to mention right off: 1) this book is not in color, the b&w pics are very hard to make out in places. 2) this book has nothing to say about animating, its mostly all about sub-d modeling with very brief descriptions of materials, uv mapping and rendering. I will say though that Josh does have a very good writing style and make difficult subjects about the user interface effortlessly easy. My idea of "essential" 3Dsmax is being able to follow through with the entire process of modeling, texturing, rigging, animating and rendering which you really wont be able to do with this book. This book could have been so much better if it was a more complete overview of Max. If you got a project you have to do in Max, and you need a quick primer to get you up to speed with the UI, you cant beat this book. No other book on Max will teach you the basics as quickly and easily.

5 comments about Flash 5 for Windows & Macintosh, Third Edition (Visual QuickStart Guide).

1. Horrible book! It leaves out important steps for beginners! Example: in telling you how to do a shape tween (p. 304), it neglects to tell you to select "create tween", something a beginner would not know. It tells you to get a certain tool, or go to a certain window, but does not tell you where it is or how to get to it (and some are hidden quite well in Flash) This book leaves out a lot of important steps that are unique to Flash, but goes into lengthy detail about things that anyone could figure out, like how to draw a circle with the circle tool.



2. It is a book for beginners who know little about computer graphic. It doesn't give you much besides what you can do with the tools. You can't expect to find any special tips in this book. Too plain. Don't know why the instructor suggested this book. It is not as great as he told us.



3. Don't buy this book, not only does it leave you frustrated because of the lack of explanation it also gives you no idea's on actionscripting, all you will do with this book is read over and over the steps wondering where you are going wrong because the explanations are wrong, they might as well just pasted a 5 over the old 4 books and sold it as a new one, I can't wait for the 6 version, I'm sure that will be a repackaged 4 as well !!!

   SAVE YOUR MONEY-get some other book!!!




4. I bought Katherine Ulrich's Visual Quickstart Guide to Flash5, and have found it to be very helpful. With no prior knowledge of animating or flash..i have found this book to be very helpful..giving the basics on such things as timelines, shape and motion tweens,and the general layout/tools of Flash5. After just a few days of reading in my free time, i am able to make simple flash movies and i'm very excited about it. For a total beginner like myself, this book is very good..however, i can admit to not owning any other Flash5 books to compare it with. It doesn't give a lot of help in the area of action scripting..so if you are someone wanting to learn action scripting i'd say to pass this one over and find something else..but for someone just starting out in Flash..this book is good..has many helpful tips and easy to understand!



5. Anytime I stuck or forget about when I am in front of my computer with macromedia flash on, this book has saved my behind many times! I have flash MX now and this book still to the certain extend help me!

5 comments about Gimp: The Official Handbook: Learn the Ins and Outs of Gimp from the Masters Who Wrote the GIMP User's Manual on The Web.

1. The information that some readers assert is lacking from the book is in fact easily found. For example, instructions for downloading and installing new plug-ins is on page 51 in the section ``Extra Plug-ins.'' People who have more patience, and who are willing to spend the time with this 900-page volume, will find it extremely helpful. I have been using it for just a few days and have already learned many useful techniques. The numerous illustrations well demonstrate the operations that can be performed with all the available tools. See for yourself. This is an excellent book.



2. I have over 300 technical books on C, C++, Java, Linux, Unix, Windows NT, distributed processing, CORBA, DCOM, Perl, etc etc. I have been a software developer for over 17 years. The reason I mention this is that I know a good technical reference (or tutorial, or "handbook") when I see one, and this is none of those. The first reviewer here had it right when (s)he said "try looking something up". It's truly useless. A classic example of a rushed book timed to cash in on the open-source and Linux craze. Save your money. The online reference is actually more useful than this glossy garbage. Case in point: I tried looking on page 51 as the last (positive!) reviewer suggested and the only information I can see is a URL for the plug-in registry - not exactly a reference for someone looking for a particular add-on tool in a hurry. And it's true that when optional plug-ins are mentioned, NO indication of the package name is given, which is very frustrating. Do yourself a favor and wait for a more thought-out reference.



3. I will just add to the two negative reviews below by saying that the *explanations* I read when skimming through the book were so bad that I could only understand the sections on points I was already familiar with. I think this is the worst technical writing that I have ever seen in print.



4. A total waste of money (and the English language). The authors are more concerned with showing their "guru" status than with actually instructing the reader in such basics as applying plug-ins, transparencies... By all means, if you're a guru yourself, this book will be more understandable. But then again, if you're a guru yourself, you shouldn't need to toss your money away.



5. Like so much in the opensource world, this book is not designed for the ease of it's users. The authors show little concern for accessebility or introducing their material in a structured, sensible manner befitting a primer on Gimp. This book, at best, has value as a reference work...

5 comments about Macromedia Flash 8: A Tutorial Guide (Visual Quickstart Guides).

1. The macromedia Flash 8 tutorial guide for Jay Armstrong and Jen deHaan is the official macromedia tutorial guide for Flash 8. This book is a good book for beginners to Flash 8 as it gives simple organized training examples that help understanding the program features.
   The book is divided into tasks starting from creating Flash-working file to using dynamic content in the Flash project.
   The best advantage in this book is the simplicity in delivering information, as well as the organizing and the developing of the examples.



2. This book is a great starter for Flash 8 for both regular and professional versions of the program. Chapters are broken down into simple subjects which can be completed in a short period of time. This book enables a person to get acquainted with many areas of Flash and the interface. This book works with the samples that are installed automatically when Flash installs. A couple of times when I got stuck, I realized I had not followed the steps as written in the book. This book is an excellent beginner tutorial.



3. Basically this is a printed version of the Macromedia Flash 8 online Help docs .. so I was a bit disappointed that I had to pay 20 bucks for a book that should have come in the box (it's not like this is an inexpensive program) ..
   
   That said, having printed docs does have its advantages .. so no big grief from me on that point. But if you are looking for something that you don't already have, you may want to check some other alternatives ...
   
   What the book teaches, it does very well .. you'll get a nice overview of the basics .. and the tutorials are very easy to follow .. even does a fair job on getting what can be an intimidating foray into ActionScript.
   
   However, there are two areas not covered I found glaring omissions ..
   
   One .. no instruction at all on preloaders (those "movie loading" animations before the actual Flash animations) ..none .. not even a mention of their existence. Since most users of Flash will need to know how to do this .. I cannot believe there wasn't even a cursory discussion about this.
   
   Two .. the biggest improvement to Flash 8 Professional is its video handling capabilities. Again .. nothing on this at all ... outside of the very first lesson where you are instructed to drag a video (FLV) file from the Library to the Stage .. no talk about creating FLVs (using the Video Encoder) .. nothing on imbedding or streaming .. how to best incorporate video into Flash .. nothing .. I was really shocked this wasn't covered .. even at the most rudimentary level.
   
   Also .. no index .. another unexplainable omission ..
   
   Again .. what it does .. it does well .. but for being the "Official Macromedia Documentation" (now Adobe) for Flash 8 .. it should have offered a lot more.



4. When I first picked up this book, I noticed how thin and small it was.
   
   Two things came to mind:
   -It is short and straigth to the point in covering the essentials
   -It will make a good pocket reference
   
   Unfortunately, it does neither.
   
   I have worked with Flash since version 2. I was looking for a great book to recommend to my students.
   
   It covers some topics but a lot is missing for someone just starting in Flash.
   
   I guess it should be retitled a "Key changes in Flash 8 not found in Flash MX 2004". It would be too generous of me to do so
   regardless because it doesn't come even close.
   Save your $$$$.



5. I've been making websites for almost 9 years now. It started with HTML and over time expanded to include Javascript, CSS, and eventually Coldfusion. I have watched as web standards change and evolve and go through "phases". For me, Flash was one of those "phases". Everyone's seen them. Websites made with Flash just because they can be. Menu is flash. Interface is flash. The entire site was one big .swf file. I hated it. So I put off learning it for many years. Thankfully people realized some of the best websites were a combination of many of the technologies on the market; and of course Flash was one of them. I had to learn it.
   Macromedia FLASH 8: A Tutorial Guide is exactly what you'd expect. It's a guide to learning Flash basics, presented in a tutorial form. I knew what I was getting into it when I picked it up. What some people may not realize is that they already own this book. Open your copy of Flash 8, click on "Help" and then "Getting Started with Flash". Scroll down to the tutorial section and get started. The text you find there is almost word-for-word what you'd find in this book. Do I think that's a problem? No, not necessarily. What are the benefits of paying 30 dollars for something I can get for free? I'm a coder by nature. I'm used to having reference manuals around. Like some people, I prefer hard copies most of the time since I already spend so much time staring at text on a computer screen. To be honest, I've tried since Flash 5 to run through the tutorials and kick start the learning process. Unfortunately, between the "property inspector", the "action script" code window, the "stage", the "library" and now the tutorial window it just seemed a bit overwhelming (even with two monitors!). But having this book in front of me so that I can read the tutorial and then work it out on the computer proved to make all the difference.
   The book is 26 chapters and just under 300 pages. It starts with simple tasks like creating a banner, and leads up to using Actionscript to create customized applications using Flash. Personally, I felt a lot more comfortable doing the actionscript chapters than I did using the Flash GUI. Flash can be a very complicated thing to learn for some people. There's a lot of information to take in, and a lot of windows to keep track of. If you're anything like me and have been dying to learn Flash but just can't seem to find the time; this book might be for you. But if you're not a "hard copy" kind of person, just remember you can get all the information for free by using the help function built into the program.

5 comments about Introduction to Level Design for PC Games (Game Development Series).

1. What a rip-off. There is very little info. about design in this book, and what is here is nothing specific. Chapter 1 is an overview of design info., chapter 2 an overview of building architecture info. 7 of the remaining 9 chapters are a gmax tutorial or about using gmax, 1 chapter is a photoshop tutorial, and 1 chapter is about careers in the gaming industry ( I guess the book wasn't thick enough and they needed to add pages ). If you are interested in a book about using gmax, possibly look here, but I don't think it is worth the full price. There are many online gmax resources/tutorials available for free, and other books devoted to gmax if you need a hard copy. If you are looking for detailed case studies of the 'whys' of level DESIGN, look somewhere else.



2. Unlike the last review done by the assistant manager for a Hardee's, I found the book to be very informative. Introduction to is just that. The book starts out with some good preparation methods on how to plan the design of the game, then goes into some architectual theory and fundamentals.
   Most games done by novices look like a novice did them totally missing the basics of design all together. They think the sizzle is in the programming(like Mr.Hardee's). Level design is about the way the game looks and feels, not totally code. (If you look up qualifications for a level designer, they want Max or Maya and Photoshop then some C++ ablities. )The gmax chapters were a good crash course on "Baby 3DSM", I use the daddy version -3D Studio Max , and found the gMax looked and operated very similar, way to go Discreet! The Photoshop tutorials were informative and good for some quick textures, the best textures are the real ones though. The Careers chapter was informative and gave me a little more knowledge about salaries and expectations. Good Job Andy! The book was worth it!



3. "Level Design using gmax" would have been a much better title. I was expecting a book that covered general theory of level design. Instead, this book is focused entirely on gmax. That isn't a bad thing, but it is not what the title implies. The book consists of 1 chapter breezing over design, 1 chapter on architecture, and then 6 chapters of gmax, with one chapter of photoshop in the middle.. The final chapter covers careers in the game industry.

   The book is full of fluff and padding. For example, the book is written specifically for multiplayer, 3D FPS levels, which makes the book useless to anyone interested in any other kind of game. Despite this, the author wastes pages explaining all the types of pc games out there, from 2d to rpg to sims. The last chapter has interviewing tips, like not to lie on your application and sending the thank-you note after an interview. Gee, thanks, but I have a book on resumes. How about some design tips?

   This book desperately needed an editor. The author meanders around with no purpose, and repeats the same information 2 pages later. "Mod" is defined at least three times in the first chapter, and he repeatedly explains how people who make levels for games are called "level designers" or "modders". The same Frank Lloyd Wright picture is used in multiple chapters. I laughed out loud on page xxi of the introduction, where the publisher printed the author's notes ("Maybe think about how this quote is a great "hook" to get the reader interested, I know it is in a later chapter (11) but maybe it could be deleted there or not. This quote validates the Level Designer as an up and coming desired position. I think it is better in the front end than the back end to the casual bookstore browser." Finally something useful in the book, even if it is on selling lame game design books, not on level design.

   Charles River Media usually puts out good, solid books with a lot of valuable information. They should be ashamed of this one.




4. First, a bit on where I come from. I've been mapping for games such as Descent, FreeSpace, Red Faction, and Unreal Tournament as a hobbyist since 1997. There are very few books written on the subject of level design and so any book with the pontifical title of "Introduction to Level Design" would catch my attention. Sadly, this is a text that simply isn't worth your time.

   The majority of the book is a tutorial to gMax, a stripped-down version of discreet's 3D Studio Max software. This is bookended by discussions on the theory and then jobs in the industry.

   It's in the former section that the book loses all credibility. Here are a few choice quotes:

   (pg. xviii) "If you want to make game levels that many others will enjoy, you must make multiplayer levels. There is not a good market for single player levels, mainly due to the fact that they have little replay value." [This might be true for the hobbyist, however a map designer interested in breaking into the industry, of whom this book tries to appeal, simply must have several single player levels under his/her belt. Single player levels are more demanding, requiring cohesive stories, scripting, and usually more convincing architecture. Not to mention that there are still far, far more single player games on the market than multiplayer-oriented ones.]

   (pg. xxi) "Probably the best way to get a job creating levels is exposure. One was is creating levels and posting them on the various game sites. The forums give feedback and encouragement to the novice designers. Maybe think about how this quote is a great 'hook' to get the reader interested, I know it is in a later chapter (11) but maybe it could be deleted there or not. This quote validate the Level Designer as an up and coming desired position. I think it is better in the front end than the back end to the casual bookstore browser." [Yes, this was a sloppy editing comment that was not removed from the final version of the book. Alarms go off because of this blatant error in the Introduction. Was this book even edited?]

   (pg. 9) "Building a great level is truly just lots of trial and error and a little talent." [Baloney. There is a huge amount of artistic and modeling talent behind the best levels. It is not a crap shoot that makes a great level, it is skilled design.]

   Here's my advice. Build levels and build them well. Voraciously seek feedback and advice from others in the mapping community and implement their suggestions wisely. In this way you get better. No book can tell you how to design good levels just as no book can tell you how to write the next great American novel. These are learning experiences that you must learn and discover for yourself. There exist forums on the Internet for every major gaming community. Other mappers are more than willing to help newcomers, so seek their advice! This entire journey of improvement and discovery is precisely what makes map design such a fascinating hobby!

   Unfortunately, Mr. Clayton's background seems to limit him to 3DS Max modeling. As a result, this book is a simplistic treatment on the ins and outs of gMax. It is clear that the actual level design process sorely lacks detailed explanation. In other words, this book is predominantly a modeling tutorial disguised as level design tutorial. But pretty models do not make a good map. A solid foundation in gameplay fundamentals is crucial to complement the visuals. Sadly, Mr. Clayton's book is sorely lacking in that regard.




5. I think the general concensus of the body of reviews here is pretty much spot on.

   I am a student studying game design at University and I had hoped this book would offer some insight into Level Design.

   Unfortunately the book reads like something a tweleve year old would write for school and panders to its target audience (presumably teenage boys) by using phrases like:

   "Some levels that are moderately easy to create in a short period of time would be a Quake, Doom, or Unreal level. They area all about being cool and have nothing to do with story"

   "they are all about being cool" - did an author REALLY write something like that? Shame on you!

   It is grammatically hideous and absolutely superficial with regard to level design. The book frequently contradicts itself and whilst I can only assume it offers good tips on using GMax, it offers absolutely no insight into making levels fun.

   None of the opinions are backed up:

   "It is important to create intelligent systems of programming where several solutions are available to the player." Is it? why?

   "Try to design levels for combat in all areas." Really? why? is the initial level of half life (VERY little combat) not a good level? Do the 'quiet' areas of levels not increase suspense.

   If you want to learn GMax, this book may be suitable - I use XSI, I never read the 'tutorials' on GMax.

   If you want to learn about level design, look elsewhere. I think I probably LOST a few IQ points reading the book. I feel dumber already.

No comments about Lives of Famous Romans.

5 comments about Beginning Direct3D Game Programming w/CD (Prima Tech's Game Development).

1. If you want to learn Direct3D programming. Use this book. It helps you step by step to learn the most important things first to be able understand the more experienced stuff later.
   This is the book for starters everyone has waiting for.



2. This books is one of the most worthless titles ever to be released by a publishing company! Prima Tech editors should have seen it coming and scrapped this book before it ever hit the shelves. The book "Multiplayer Game Prgramming" by Todd Barren, a book designed to help you understand how to make multiplayer capable games, does a better job explaining DirectXGraphics (Direct3D8) than this trashy book does... This is a terrible waist of time. This book was reviewed by Game Developer Magazine, and explains a ton of mistakes, and complete inaccuracies...like:

   This book neglects to cover the most "revolutionary" features introduced in the DirectX8 SDK, vertex shaders and pixel shaders, but covers something as advaced as anisotropic reflection. So the shaders weren't left out because they were too complicated, who knows why they were left out!

   This book is littered with grammatical, technical, and formatting errors. Example: The exponants are left out of almost every equation in the book. Page 475 has 42 missing exponants.
   The reviewer also noted that the description of 3d rotation is just plain WRONG!
   Also this book contains an introduction to C++, not like many 3D programmers are going to need that.
   The entire physics chapter is only 8 pages long, and the first 2 of those 8 focuse only on 3D math.

   The reviewer was obveously very unhappy with what he found in the book, just as I was. He gave it 1 out of 5 stars. Oh and by the way, the reviewer was Mark Deloura, a programmer who has worked with OpenGL and it's predecessors for more than 10 years now, and very well known / respected.

   Heed mine and Mark Deloura's warning, don't buy this book!




3. I bought this book with the intention of learning D3D only from this book. Wrong. I wasn't even able to get the projects to compile!
   
   There is simply no direction, no focus here. He jumps from topic to topic for no good reason, no fluidity at all.
   
   If you want a book that costs this much and will almost never be opened, buy this book.
   
   If you want a GOOD beginner's D3D book, get Frank Luna's D3D book, you can even talk to him via his website to ask questions(which he answers!).



4. The book is very good for the basics. But thats it. It gives fundamentals. It builds and doesnt jupm around and aLL THE CODE COMPILES. Its a good starter, not for games, but direct3d.
   
   Anyone who says different is not a programmer.



5. I just received this book, I've read about 50 pages, skimmed through it and it does not teach you any Direct3D like you think it would. It goes through how Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0 set's it up, what files it uses, what the files look like then it jumps right in to how to set up your program to look like Microsoft's style programming. It talks about COM (which I know nothing about), it tells you how you should set up your programs. Like I said, it doesn't teach you how to create a surface, create objects, etc. Here's a sample page from page 38:
   
   The d3dapp.cpp module contains the class CD3DApplications. This class publishes the interface for sample programs in the file D3Dapp.h. It provides seven functions:
   virtual HRESULT OneTimeSceneInit() { return S_OK; }
   virtual HRESULT InitDeviceObjects() { return S_OK; }
   virtual HRESULT RestoreDeviceObjects() { return S_OK; }
   virtual HRESULT DeleteDeviceObjects() { return S_OK; }
   virtual HRESULT Render() { return S_OK; }
   virtual HRESULT FrameMove( FLOAT ) { return S_OK; }
   virtual HRESULT FinalCleanup() { return S_OK; }
   
   These methods can be called the public interface for the Common files framework.
   ...image...
   Now, let's dive into the source of the first and simplest example of this chapter.
   
   BASIC EXAMPLE
   Here's the application class in basic.cpp:
   
   class CMyD3DApplication : public CD3DApplication
   {
   LPDIRECT3DVERTEXBUFFER8 m_pVB; // Buffer to hold verticies
   DWORD m_ m_dwSizeofVertices;
   HRESULT ConfirmDevice( D3DCAPS8*, DWORD, D3DFORMAT );
   protected:
   HRESULT OneTimeSceneInit();
   HRESULT InitDeviceObjects();
   HRESULT InvalidateDeviceObjects();
   HRESULT RestoreDeviceObjects();
   
   End of page
   
   It assumes you already know how to create Surface, quads, triangles, and everything else in Direct3D. It doesn't say, this is how you setup direct 3d from scratch or this is how you make quads. It says, here's how microsoft set's it up, this is how you write algorithms, this is how you should model your game. There is too much focus on how they want you to model your program. The OpenGL programming book did a better job at teaching me how to program games than this thing does. Its a very bad title.
   NOT RECOMMENDED FOR BEGINNERS OR ANYONE NEW AT Direct3D or DirectX for that matter.

No comments about Geography Teachers' Handbook.

5 comments about Creating a Web Site with Flash: Visual QuickProject Guide.

1. It got me started on using Flash in less than 3 days. I have a couple of Visual QuickProject books & they had been helpful. Yes, they lack in-depth details but that's what they are - quick intros...& very good at that. Part of learning a program is to find out yourself thru trial & error anyway. I had to refer to Flash' built-in help tool to understand some stuff further (like what's the difference btwn graphic, movie clip & button behaviours in Symbols).
   
   I have not encounter any errors in this book tt obstruct my learning. I like that it uses one single project (just like other books in this series). The project covers a lot - drawing, animation, buttons, effects, navigation etc. You can see how things connect by using a single project. Enough to get you interested to find out what else Flash is capable of.



2. I wanted to explore Flash from a site-building perspective, and since I've done some animation in the past -- meaning I'm already familiar with concepts like "key frames" and "tweening" -- I figured that this book would be a great way to explore the technology. I'm a great fan of the Visual Quickstart Guide series, and since "Creating a Web Site with Flash" is from a related imprint, it seemed likely that I'd be able to follow closely what they did in the book and then apply those techniques to a project I had in mind.
   
   Fat chance. I'd read some of the earlier reviews and although several of them were negative, I imagined that being reasonably intelligent and technically savvy, I wouldn't get stuck the way the book's other readers had. Nor did I: I got stuck in entirely different but equally frustrating ways. Often I'd find myself instructed by the authors to perform a particular action, but have no way of completing it because that menu choice wasn't available. (Often it would be visible but greyed out, meaning I'd have to do something else first -- but what?)
   
   I will admit I don't like the user interfaces that Macromedia comes up with (for Flash, Dreamweaver, Fireworks, etc.) but that's precisely why I wanted a step-by-step guide like this one. I figured all the full-color illustrations would make it fool-proof. Unfortunately, at least least twice in the first few chapters, this fool got to the point where he just couldn't make Flash do what the authors said it should be doing. I finally stopped about half-way through in frustration, without either the demo website or any understanding of what I did wrong.
   
   The publisher does provide chapter-by-chapter "snapshot" versions of the files you're supposed to be constructing (on its website), but I don't consider that a useful substitute for clear instruction. Sure, handholding someone through a complex application like Flash isn't an easy task, but I'm wondering whether Peachpit Press actually road-tested the book with a true novice, or just had people already familiar with Flash simply spot-check it for any obvious errors.



3. I got this book under the guise that I would be able to create a website in Flash. I didn't need a fancy website, only something to house my online portfolio and CV for work-related purposes. This book does not tell you anywhere in the text, but you need at least Flash MX 2004. Flash 5--which I already had--wouldn't open the source files (not included, but available from the publisher's website--another flaw; CDs are VERY inexpensive to manufacture and one containing source files SHOULD have been included with the book), and neither would Flash MX. Of course, how are you supposed to know if the author doesn't tell you? The author completely operated under the assumption that EVERYONE would have the lastest version of Flash installed. This was a BIG mistake, and it renders the book worthless to many people.



4. This book is only meant to be a brief introduction to Flash. Not really for the novice. A CD with source code should NOT be included for this price. If you want more than a brief into to Flash, buy a more advanced book. I think you people who give negative reviews are just a bunch of whiners.



5. All words are written in large, childlike print, to give an impression that this book is easy to read and thus also easy to execute. But the execution instructions are not very well described. Some steps have missing photos. The book is also way too short for the kind of book it is supposed to be: visual introduction to flash for beginners. It also has no troubleshooting. I do not recommend starting learning flash from this book, it is for more advanced learners.

No comments about SolidWorks Video Tutorial CD Rom, Volume 2 (Solidworks Video Tutorials, Volume 2).