5 comments about Color Confidence: The Digital Photographer's Guide to Color Management (Tim Grey Guides).

1. Digital photographers don't pay enough attention to color management. This book is exactly what is needed to remedy that lack. You'll find all the basics here, and enough in-depth information to start you on the road to calibrating and fine-tuning your digital equipment to accurately reproduce the colors you see.



2. I was really disapointed by the book. I wanted something that would have been closer to the theories and technicals aspects of color profiles. This is mainly a step by step book to follow with specific software (or even hardware) to reach some goal. It is very software and hardware specific - not generic. I learned more about "how color profiles works together" on websites than in the book.



3. A really very useful book that explains a complex subject about as clearly as you could hope for. Covers a great range of topics beyond color management. I highly recommend this book.



4. This is the best book that I have used on this subject. Clear explanations, illustrations, etc.



5. Color Confidence
   Strengths: Screen shots are ok ample size and very reabable. They tie into the tutorials. Good glossary and index are very helpful for searching and finding targeted information.
   
   Weaknesses: Wish there were circles, pointers or some visuals to indicate within the screenshots targeted information.
   
   Intermediate/Advanced
   Introduction
   
   Working with color is the "heart and soul" for creating photos and then making them better.The focus is to get the best color results and this book's emphasis is getting the best color results. Since I have read the author's book previously, I was interested in finding more tips and tricks about color management and it if this book has more ideas then I know. Color Confidence does just that, giving you better insights to working with color for your photos.
   
   The author, Tim Grey, is a renown Photoshop and digital photographer . He is Microsoft's Chief ambassador to professional photographers and presents workshops on digital imaging. This book is the latest version of this book.
   
   The book has 8 chapters, index and glossary. There are not many brilliant photographs because most of the "action" involves working with the software tools and the amply sized screenshots provide the visuals to drive across the main points of the author. . Notes are also "peppered" throughout the fourteen chapters.
   Hands- on guides provide; choosing , calibrating your monitor and scanner; configuring Photoshop color settings, evaluating images and making accurate color adjustments; managing digital camera color with presets and custom profiles; working with color-adjusted and black-and-white images; learning how to build custom printer profiles or generic ones; preparing/adjusting images for print; evaluating prints against standard targets; problem solving out when prints don't match; producing accurate color images for the web, e-mail or digital slideshows, becoming familiar with process-specific workflows: (scan to print, digital capture to print, CMYK output etc.) The Glossary is well done and the and the index has very specific oriented to target, search and fine targeted discussion, hands-on work and more.
   
   Appendix has a sample workflow checklist which makes sense. I like that the chapters for target objectives are included here (but I would have been even better if the pages were listed). Finally the index is well done.
   
   Conclusions
   
   This book is not for beginners. It is a fine one for intermediate and advanced photographers. Beginners may find it however useful once they upgrade their skills, learning about photoshop and with other graphic editors and and practicing the working with photos.
   
   I would have liked to have seen arrows or pointer to the parts of the histogram that the instructions "talk about." With some other of the author's books ,there has been too much " verbiage" and all the words make your "head swim". However in this book, while there are a lot of words, the information is tightly focused regarding the tasks and tutorials so it is an easier reading. Screenshots tie into the tutorials and make for a good reading regarding color management. I'd recommend

5 comments about Practical C# Charts and Graphics.

1. Pratical C# Charts and Graphics is an excellent book for those who are interested in learning and using graphic plotting and charting skills. The various problems (examples)introduced require a fair level of mental dexterity and previously learned C# programming skills. Some examples require a good understanding of Trigonometry and Geometry.
   
   I would recommend that it be used both as a learning and reference tool.



2. This is a book very suitable for a c# beginner and it provides a set of code that can be applied in real life. I really learned a lot from it.



3. Hi,
   
   I am learning lot from this book. This is really helpful.
   
   Thank you
   
   Sri



4. This is a great resource. Like other have said, it fills in a blank space in NOT JUST the C# world, but programming in general. 3-D Charts are usually just sold by those who know how to make them - very little exists for those who want to know the best algorithms for making them. This book (and accompanying code) is a fairly comprehensive resource on efficient algorithms in that area.
   
   The accompanying code (Chart3d / 2d lib) is very nice. There are a few dohs! in the Chart3Dlib that I've noticed, that are easily fixed (modifying the original data while performing graphing computations). Comments are present, and the code is well written and understandable.



5. The title says it all: this book is about teaching you how to do charting in C# and it does it very well. From 2D to 3D, most typical charts are covered. The math transforms and data-structures are gradually introduced to give you a fully working charting library that you'll know in and out. Very valuable.
   
   Note: I initially had trouble finding the code for download. An email to the author quickly resolved the issue. Thanks for the support.

3 comments about Advanced 3D Game Programming with DirectX 10.0 (Wordware Game and Graphics Library).

1. So, the title of this book is "Advanced 3D Game Programming With DirectX 10.0", which seems to imply that the text is designed for intermediate/experienced programmers who want to up their skills to the next level. This book isn't really "advanced" at all -- it's an introductory DirectX/game programming book. So, keep that in mind if you're looking to buy this.
   
   However, if you're an experienced C++ programmer, but you're a newbie to DirectX game programming, then this book is absolutely perfect. It covers DirectInput -- teaching you the fundamentals for programming input in your game in a very straightforward non-pretentious manner. Direct3D, typically daunting to newbies, is given a very lucid, clear, and succinct treatment. Walsh also covers more advanced topics like scene management (in truth, he glosses over it, so you'll need to do additional reading elsewhere, but it's a good start...), pixel/vertex shaders, and several cool graphics techniques (pre-computed radiosity was especially cool).
   Walsh also covers the rudiments of network and sound programming, so your game will be "complete".
   
   I guess what I like most about this book is that while it's not too in-depth with regard to any topic, it goes over the basics of all necessary game programming topics, so that you can start writing basic games immediately (full games, mind you...not just a flyby through a room of cubes). It's a great fundamentals book that, if you read and understand fully, will allow you to transition relatively painlessly to more advanced books/techniques.
   
   While I was tempted to give this book 4 stars for the misleading title, I simply cannot find it within myself to give a book that is so good at what it does lesser than a 5.
   
   Oh, and for those of you wondering, "where do I go next after this book?", here's a list of what I'm using as a hobbyist graphics/game programmer...I hope it helps:
   
   - The ShaderX series (advanced real-time graphics topics)
   - GPU Gems series (more advanced, scientific real-time graphics topics)
   - "3D Game Engine Design" by David Eberly (great book that teaches you how to design a professional quality game engine)
   - Real-Time Rendering, 2nd edition (all the real-time graphics considerations and algorithmic fundamentals are here)
   - Game Programming Gems (these are like the ShaderX/GPU Gems, only for general game programming, including math, sound, input, graphics, scene management, etc.)
   
   I hope this review helps anybody interested in becoming a game programmer!



2. I have read Peter Walsh's other book about Direct X 9.0 called "The Zen of Direct X Programming" (or something like that) Anyway, that was way better. Actually the previous book mentioned was awesome, that is why I bought the "Advanced version" except the "Advanced version" is by a different publisher who probably said to Peter... "Don't be funny in your book, be boring, don't explain things, anything you do explain, explain it poorly and don't give any good examples." And that is the book for you.



3. This book explains every part of directX10 and even helps you make a small game engine. Great code encapsulation using classes and catching errors.
   One needs to know pretty well C++ to understand all the things explained and used.

4 comments about Half Life 2 Mods For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech)).

1. Half Life 2 Mods for Dummies is a great beginners guide for modding the Half Life 2 game. While the book focuses mainly on mapping, you learn how to create maps, make custom textures for your map and how to finish and pack up your map to show the world. I bought this book to expand my knowledge of Half Life 2 modding and I did learn some new stuff. Half Life 2's Source is a very powerful engine: you can get started modding it using this book.



2. Half-Life 2 Mods for Dummies is a bit of a mixed bag. Much of the information contained within the book is available on the web for free, but there is something to be said for containing a solid amount of beginning information in one volume. It's also one of the few HL2 modding resources in print, and Guilfoyle has some genuinely solid tips and tricks for level building quickly. Still- I can't wholeheartedly recommend it to the entirely new modder as there are a number of critical typos and incorrect file paths. Buyer beware- make sure you know your general way around Valve's file trees before plunging into this book thinking it will guide you flawlessly.
   
   Guilfoyle does an admirable job of writing in a clear and concise manner. The book will tell you exactly what to do to build a basic level and give it some more advanced spit and polish, but that's also about all it does. "HL2 Mods for Dummies" rarely gets into the nuts and bolts of why certain functions do what they do. "Do this, then this, then this, and you'll end up with this..." is the modus operandi. A bit more information on why Valve's powerful editors do what they do would have been helpful.
   
   I don't mean to be too hard on what is a good beginning guide. If you don't want to spend days wading through the fragmented tutorials on the web, this is a fine place to start. The price is right and I'm tempted to give it four stars because of the cost and the singular place it occupies in print, but...



3. I just love this book. It explained things clearly and was just what I needed to start modding. I never made any mod before, so I was a complete noob to this subject. And if you want to benefit from this book, you better be a noob too. The book explains the very basics of modding, you will not learn modelling, programing nor you will work with 3rd party (yours) models and props. You will learn simple map creation and texturing (using half life 2 native textures). So, if you need to know how to start modding - this book will deliver. If you can make your own basic rooms but need to optimize them, this book is for you too. However, if you can make your own basic optimized room, there's not much for you in this book.



4. I want to warn anyone who wants to buy this book that it only covers mapping levels and has no advanced material other than using the compiling console for error detection. If you want complete coverage of the basics you can download the 3DBuzz.com video tutorials for HL2 mapping for free which will start you out with better quality examples and lead to some more advanced material. I was hoping this book would give a better overview of the advanced material you find in the 3DBuzz videos as well as other HL2 mapping video tutorials on the net, but it doesnt. As the other reviewers have said, it is an easy to understand book, but its simply redundant to all the online material that is freely available and doesnt go into the detail it should.

4 comments about Game Programming All in One, Third Edition.

1. I will never know if this book is worth squat.
   You see, it relies on the open-source Allegro game programming library.
   The problem is, it's nearly impossible to get it installed and working!
   The catch-22 is, I can't return the book because I opened the seal on the packaged CD that supposedly includes all the stuff you need for the book.
   
   the book looks promising, but for now it's a big paper-weight made of paper.



2. I had to figure out by my self how to compile the codes under linux. The book doesn't go over compiling under Linux, other than using kdevelop.
   
   
   
   1 star: Readability. It was easy to read. While I found some typos, it wasn't such a big deal.
   
   2 star: There aren't many books out there on Allegro Library, and that deserves some recognition.
   
   2 star: I own another book written by Jonathan S. Harbor, which was also a good read. Beginning JAVA ... I forget the title but it was a JAVA book. Anyways, the 2 stars are for the author, and his experience in game programming.
   
   It's a nice book to have.



3. This book is intended for the ABSOLUTE BEGINNER. It assumes the reader has a very basic knowledge of C, and understands the basics of pointers, arrays and structs. No experience with other multimedia library/GUI toolkit/etc required, although it helps.
   
   From that point on, it will get you up and running really fast; in quite a few chapters this book will cover simple 2D game programming, teaching all the basics neededed for programming more complex games. Trough the use of Allegro library, the topics of handling input (keyboard, mice, joystick) and output (sound, graphics, sprites) are covered effectively.
   
   The later chapters, however, did not appeal to me at all; they deal with horizontal scrolling (classic mario-like games) and vertical scrolling (1942-like shoot'em up's), AI, multithreading... which is very cool stuff, but I don't think the approach chosen is very effective.
   
   It is read REALLY fast however, with very big fonts, and clear and neat writing. It dissapointed me a bit because although it seemed very nicely edited, one of the examples was misplaced.
   
   If you plan to work under linux, the code will work (most of the time), but compiling can become somewhat cumbersome. Under windows, it works fine.
   
   To wrap up, I quite liked what the author says about gaming and game design in general, and teaches very effectively what he intends, having the "All In One" covered; but examples are overall too simplistic or superficial.
   
   I'm rating four out of five because I expect a book on the subject to be a little more high-end; however, if you are new to programming in general, this book will prove quite helpful. And, Allegro can take you really far (it even has the bonus of being open source!).
   
   P.S.: as a side note, reading other reviews, the second edition looks better than third.



4. I tend to shy away from game programming books with the phrase "All in One." And not without good reason. Most of them are utter garbage. They simply try to do too much. Take the 1st edition of GPAIO for example--it was just awful. It had diagrams on the wrong page, tons of errors, etc. And it wastes way too much time going through the technical stuff. Very little on game programming.
   
   Not so with this book.
   
   While there is some technical stuff, the author utilizes it almost instantaneously to form a simple tank game along the way. Towards the end of the book, he covers horizontal scrolling (i.e., Super Mario Bros.) and vertical scrolling (i.e., 1942). While neither example is a complete game, both really explain the mechanics well enough that making a game of either type should be fairly easy.
   
   I was a bit reluctant to buy the book because it uses Allegro, rather than the more mainstream options of DirectX and OpenGL. But I really think Allegro was a great choice. It allows him to focus on the meaty stuff, you know, actual game programming stuff. I have way too many books that waste upwards of 150 pages on setting up a window with DirectX.
   
   My only criticism is that the book is more for hobbyists than professionals, but then again I have never seen nor heard of any such book. Anyone who wants to program games, albeit simple games should definitely check this book out.
   
   As for the reviewer who gave GPAIO one star, I'm really doubtful that s/he is serious. But if so, my advice to you is this: If you can't get Allegro up and running, then you shouldn't be programming games. It's that simple. Really. It's not any harder or easier to set up than DX, OpenGL or even SDL.

No comments about Special Edition Using Microsoft Office Visio 2007 (Special Edition Using).

5 comments about Foundation Flash 8 (Foundation).

1. I just finishing reading Foundation Flash 8, co-authored by Sham Bhangal and Kristian Besley. The technical reviewer was Todd Yard, a role that he has played in 11 other Friends of ED books. I was checking out Todd's company website, and was very impressed. He works for Jeremy Allaire, former CTO of Macromedia. You might recognize him as the creator of the product that made Dreamweaver so great - Allaire Homesite. I digress, back to the book review.
   
   First of all, let me specify who this book is for: Those looking to get a handle on Flash, starting from square one. One fellow gave it a really harsh review, probably expecting it to be something along the lines of Flash 8 Essentials. That being said, Foundation Flash 8 is a very good book in its own right. Sure, the first few chapters are elementary, but considering that this text is supposed to take you from beginner to intermediate in your skill-level, it's right on target. It takes you step by step through each part of the interface, and then builds from there. By the end, you're making simple video games.
   
   Even seasoned veterans could benefit from reading through the introductory chapters, because of some of the significant changes to the way Flash works. For instance, object drawing used to cut out shapes that overlapped each other, which was an annoyance those who were used to a different graphics program.
   
   This was always confusing to me, being a big fan of Macromedia Adobe Fireworks, the interface of which looks very similar to Flash. Now that this has been tweaked, the two cousin programs behave more similarly. This book does a good job of pointing out things like this, that while simple, could possibly prove confusing for those already used to the previous behavior. You could say that before, Flash was in "quirks" mode, and now it's more streamlined.
   
   One of my favorite section of the book was chapter 12, which covers sound and video optimization. Flash 8 goes leaps and bounds beyond where its MX 2004 predecessor had been. I like that fact that the authors emphasize that you should tweak, listen to, and watch your projects as you work on them. While Flash has some heavy-duty compression by default, you would do well to choose specific settings for each media file you use, as this will help you get the best sound / picture clarity, while keeping your file size as low as possible. As is the case with most things in digital / physical art, practice makes perfect.
   
   Another thing I appreciate about this book is its emphasis on learning real code. Some of the Flash books I've read in the past tend to gloss over this as too difficult for newer users. This may be true, but it does them a disservice not to teach it. Thankfully, these guys encourage the reader to delve in further, and draw the line between beginner or expert at the point of ActionScript...
   
   "You can use a drag-and-drop behavior. It's fast and efficient, but at the expense of reducing your understanding of the problem, and it offers a solution that addresses problems that may not be part of your particular task. It's also a 'one size fits all' solution - and how many times have you bought a one-size-fits all shirt and thought 'Mmm, fits perfectly, almost as if it was tailor-made for me?' Me neither." - Page 302
   
   The above quote pretty much sums up the jist of all web-based design. I can't tell you how many times I've got an email or been asked in person, even by experienced visual designers: "What program do you use to make your CSS websites?" What they mean is: How can I point-and-click my way through it? The short answer is: You can't, not of you intend on learning anything. Most people are disappointed to find out I use Araneae for all of my hand-coding.
   
   Likewise, if you want to really harness the power of dynamic animations in Flash, you need to get comfortable with ActionScript. For those of you who are familiar with JavaScript already, it shouldn't be too hard to pick up because AS syntax is modeled after JS. If you're new to both, fear not, because Flash comes in with a built-in code assistant, similar to that in Dreamweaver.
   
   The authors start out the ActionScript chapters using the code assistant, and then gradually steer the reader towards typing out code by hand. You could think of it this way: at the beginning of the book, you're riding a tricycle, but by the end you're handling a Harley Davidson.
   
   My advice is this: as you're reading this book, take it all with a small grain of salt. They tend to hail Flash as the final point in web evolution, and sort of treat HTML as a necessary step for embedding your SWF file. I would swing the pendelum back towards the center, treating Flash as part of a wholistic solution to the web, using the most logical solutions where appropriate. Sometimes we over-complicate things, and lose the beauty of simplicity. As long as you maintain a larger perspective, you will learn much from this book.



2. Being a novice designer, I learn most effectively when I have experts telling me the ins and outs of how things work in a program, explaining the logic behind a certain sequence of actions, and sharing the tips and tricks from their wealth of experiences using the program. And this is how I exactly felt embarking on the exciting exploration of the Flash world using the Foundation Flash 8 book by Sham Bhangal and Kristian Besley.
   
   The book covers Flash 8 from its basic tools and techniques in dealing with shapes, text, colors and animations to the more advanced action/interactions and ActionScript. Rather than just prescribing step by step procedures to use the many tools and functions in Flash 8, the authors reveal what is behind the scene - from simply how terms such as "Tweening", "Onion Skins" and "Masking" came about to the underlying mechanisms of ActionScript. In addition, I found also most useful the many "rules of thumb" of using Flash that the authors share throughout the book.
   
   The book proved to be very helpful for me as a novice Flash user to gain some solid foundational skills and a well-formed beginning understanding of how things work in Flash. The authors achieved this through their well-written explanations and illustrations, plus hands-on practices for the users, which consist of numerous mini exercises in each chapter of the book and a larger project that the users continuously build on throughout the chapters. The final few chapters also provide some nice additions including how Flash works with the Internet, principles of good design, and so on. These help put learning Flash in context and making it fit nicely in the large picture of Web design.
   
   In the end, the five hundred plus pages of the book were fairly easy to go through, (also thanks to the light humors intermittently found in the writing). I felt more confident working with the powerful program, and I just cannot wait to roll up the sleeves and get started with some real work using Flash!



3. This book covers a lot of ground and does so in a detailed and friendly way. It's organized and laid out logically enough, getting you started with the interface, tool types and basic animation, and then working its way through more and more complex topics. The book's working examples are appropriate for each level the book advances through,and the writing style is approachable enough that a wide range of users should find it worth their while.
   
   I gave this book four stars and not five because it wasn't proofed well in some areas. For example, the chapter on Flash video notes incorrectly, that Mac users -even prior to the days of OS X- could download a free version of iMovie to start making movie content. The actual situation is that iMovie has only been available since OS X arrived, and only to those who have purchased a new Mac with a super-drive, or purchased the iLife suite. It is not and has never been available as a free download.
   
   Another flaw this book has is that many of the screenshots are scaled down so much, that you cannot read the dialog text without squinting or looking very closely. (I don't wear glasses btw : ) Not all the screenshots suffer from this problem, but enough do to make it frustrating at points. A better idea for the next edition is cropping out the empty space or unimportant parts of a given dialog box, rather than scaling the whole dialog box -even the parts with important text- down.
   
   Overall still a good book, and worth owning if you only have time or resources for one Flash Book. I prefer this book's learning style to that of the Lynda.com type books, which seeminly are all made from the same cookie cutter. When an author becomes and industry unto themselves, look out. : )



4. I am an animation student at Brooks College and Flash is part of the curriculum. One of the challenges of these intensive courses is that we cover so much material, so fast, that it is hard to get any depth before we are off to the next tool. I looked around the net for tutorials and other resources to supplement class materials and having had previous good experiences with this publisher I picked up Foundation Flash 8 as a beginner book (and ActionScript for Flash 8 as my next step up).
   
   I found this to be a very solid book. The early chapters are, in effect, the manual that didn't come with my Education Version product. All the basics that we zoomed through in class were right there when I needed them and I found myself enhancing my homework assignments by doing what was required, looking up topics when I was stuck and adding extras to the projects that helped me nail an A in the class.
   
   I reviewed many programming books a few years back, and my first impression was that these books felt a bit different. I think some of the complaints one or two have voiced may be related to this. But upon review of the material and test projects I find this book friendly and well laid out. The material covered served both as a ready reference and as a good foundation for more advanced material. It starts at raw beginner and moves into some meatier intermediate stuff that I am still using to get ready for the more advanced ActionScript I am interested in.
   
   About the only complaint I can register is that my personal interests lie more towards producing games and animated cartoons so I would have found an emphasis on that more `fun' - but that isn't a reflection on the book, just my childish nature. ;)
   
   I recommend this book for beginners as a good reference and foundation for more advanced Flash topics.



5. "Foundation Flash 8" by Sham Bhangal and Kristian Besley is, overall, an excellent introduction for all new Flash users, be they right-brained artists who think a line is something you draw in a picture or left-brained techies who think a line is something you write in a program.
   
   Right-brained readers will be enthralled by the first half of the book's focuses on Flash's drawing and animating features, with exhaustive treatment of symbols, colors, tweening, and masks. There's even an excellent section on text and text animation. Left-brained readers will drool over the second half of the book, which runs from simple behaviors to intelligent actions to "intermediate" ActionScript. Somewhere in the middle, there is lots of talk about buttons -- and artists will be thrilled with all the things they learn to do to make them look pretty and programmers will be equally thrilled with all the things they learn to do to make them do neat things when pushed.
   
   Of course, if artists didn't learn some ActionScript (or at least some basic Flash behaviors), or if programmers didn't learn animation, then there would be no point to learning Flash. Bhangal and Besley manage, in "Foundation Flash 8," to teach the full range of foundation Flash functionality to the full range of novice Flash users. While programmers might yawn a bit during the first few, graphics-intensive chapters (and, I imagine, while artists' eyes might spin somewhat during the last couple of ActionScript chapters), there's plenty in this book to keep everybody happy. Conveniently, the authors have structured the ongoing case study -- and have provided intermediate project files -- so that skipping sections or chapters is possible.
   
   The authors make no assumptions about the level of knowledge of readers, other than that experienced Flash users are not their target audience. Everything is taught from square one (or, sometimes a bit frustratingly, from square zero). Straightforward and moderately complex topics are explained well throughout, and the more advanced scripting topics are equally well presented. One shortcoming is the less-than-stellar handling of complex, abstract graphics topics, such as advanced gradients and Bézier curves; as the authors put it on page 63, "It's easier to do than to explain!"
   
   Friends of ED publishes what are probably the best design-oriented books in the business, and "Foundation Flash 8" certainly fits their usual high standards. The paper is thick and bright, the typography is pleasant, and the writing style is friendly -- at times bordering on plucky (page 132: "Colors, fills, and gradients are the extra paprika on the already tongue-tingling dish that is Flash"). This particular volume does suffer a bit from its two-column layout, which results in figures -- particularly screenshots -- being a bit too small for comfort, and from its one-color printing, which is not so much a problem in a book on, say, Dreamweaver or PHP but which is a significant disadvantage in a book dealing with a drawing and animation tool. (As the authors themselves acknowledge on page 132, "It's never going to be entirely satisfactory to discuss color in a book printed in black and white...")
   
   Pluckiness and monochromicity notwithstanding, "Foundation Flash 8" does exactly what its name suggests -- it gives the reader a solid foundation in Flash 8 -- and it does it well. The book is comprehensive, accurate, clear, and well organized, and most importantly, it bears the "Friends of ED" cachet and is backed up by the best support in the business: the Friends of ED readers' forum, a lively and helpful online community frequented by authors and other experts always willing to answer question and to help solve problems. "Foundation Flash 8" is a fine choice for anyone eager to get his hands wet with Flash. I strongly recommend this book.

5 comments about Producing Animation (Focal Press Visual Effects and Animation) (Focal Press Visual Effects and Animation).

1. Okay, you bought every book out there on how to create animation and you have a project you're trying to produce. Well, up until now you would have to track down [costly] freelance producers to put together your budgets and schedules and lose a big percentage of your creation to people who don't hand out trade secrets for free.

   Not anymore! This book is packed with charts and diagrams of animation production that can be fit to whatever type of project you are planning on pitching. To the purist this book would seem to be the end of the world. Just because the book describes top heavy management doesn't mean we are obligated to follow [along]. "Producing Animation" lists every job out there, so we can pick and choose which ones are redundant and need to be streamlined.
   
   This book has no place in a purists library. If all you want to do is have your work viewed at experimental film festivals keep working with your small group of volunteers. But those of us who need a resource to take our ideas to TV or the theater need look no further, because as of yet there is nothing else.

   Thanks to Catherine and Zahra, you've probably taken much flack for putting this info out there for animators to buy.




2. I was so disappointed with this book. As an animator I bought this book hoping that it would give me some idea about how to start producing my own short films and becoming an independant animator, but I soon discovered that the book had nothing to offer and the authors had no clue at all what problems animators faced in producing their own films.



3. Both industry experienced ladies have done a good drafting
   of the content. It looks more theoretical and fails to explain the practical aspects. I work in animation industry, but
   it doesn't mean that I have to undervalue artists.
   In a animation production both creative and management team
   play equal role. But here the artists have been undervalued a lot.
   it doesn't cover core production management aspects. Whole
   production process has been explained in mechanical procedure.
   The animation production company is not a product manufacturing
   company.



4. This book is an excellent book for producers ONLY. If you are a director, animator, designer, etc. then this book is not for you at all. For example ,it doesn't mention the aspects of lighting, camera movements, artistic style and the list go on.
   Adding to that, the authors seems to have low knowledge of 3D graphic and animation software and hardware. The authors didn't mention and software package at all. Both of the authors seems old in the animation industry, and ,unfortunately, they didn't improve their knowledge to match the new era of 3D animation.
   
   Why three stars then? As I said, if you are producer, this book for you, but still not enough source. Also, if you are a planing in investing in animation business and don't want to go into the details of producing animation, this book is a good source for that purpose.



5. A friend of mine who is a production manager recommended this book to me. I think that any person working in production will find it very useful. This is a book that you can always refer to. Even if you are working in the CG industry, most things apply the same. This is a very unique book!

2 comments about Producing Flash CS3 Video: A Guide for Interactive Developers and Video Pros.

1. This is an AMAZING resource for Flash CS3. I was really impressed with how concise and well-organized this book is. A must have resource for any developer!!



2. Making web video involves a cross section of products and skills and "Producing Flash CS3 Video" puts it all together in one book both suitable a a good read and as a reference. While reading through this you'll also pick up on interesting facts about different video formats, After Effects tips and tricks and ways to tame Flash. All in all, this was a great buy for me.

5 comments about Computer Animation, Second Edition: Algorithms and Techniques (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Computer Graphics) (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Computer Graphics).

1. I am using this textbook in a Computer Animation course I am taking. During the course of most of the assignments, I found myself asking "is equation X correct?" It turned out that I was making a subtle mistake, but having to wonder about whether or not there is a mistake in the book is the problem. For example, if the book had made some attempt to explain the equation or where it came from, I might have asked, "What did I do wrong, because it's obvious the equation is correct."

   This book isn't all bad, though. It does contain lots of useful information. It is perhaps a decent reference book, but I didn't find it very useful for learning the concepts.




2. This book serves as an excellent guide to the technical and aesthetic challenges within the large field of computer animation. The greatest strength is the author's ability to compress an extensive amount of information into core equations and knowledge. Each chapter imparts a mastery of basic concepts and an introduction to more advanced areas of study. Also of note are the extensive, quality references listed at the conclusion of each chapter. The author's experience in the field of computer graphics (dating back to the birth of the field in the late 1960's) shines through in the high quality and candid nature of his exposition. Although I'm a little biased because of being taught by the author, I have no hesitation in recommending this text to students and professionals who desire a broad and technical look at the field of computer animation.



3. I'll tip my hand--I'm also a student of the author.
   
   That said, there are some objectively excellent qualities to this book. For starters, the book is undeniably thorough. It includes a brief history of the genre of computer animation (a welcome touch) and a chapter on background information usually covered in any introductory graphics course.
   
   The math used in the book is considerable, and some students will probably find themselves overwhelmed with calculus and linear algebra. (If so, graphics may not be the field for you!) As a courtesy, Dr Parent included appendices with background mathematics and physics which will help fill in the gaps and calm some of the more distraught readers. Code is also provided inline as an assist to the student, which may clarify some of the math involved. (A trifling complaint is that the code is not object-oriented.)
   
   Readers who do not have a math background needn't worry if they are not planning on implementing any of the algorithms described in the book. The math is provided as necessary for implementation purposes. Students who do plan on implementing the algorithms would do well to have taken a numerical methods course; some knowledge of linear algebra and calculus is necessary as well.
   
   On the whole, this book is an excellent introduction to many animation techniques and algorithms. Many of them are complex and will require a lot of effort to understand and implement, so students should be prepared to spend a bit of time going through it. They'll be happy to find that the book is laid out well and very readable.
   
   And references are provided at the end of every chapter--there's plenty of material for students who are looking for more detailed information about any of the topics.



4. 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.



5. The book was absolutely excellent! I got this book as a recommended reference book for my course in digital games and animation, and was bowled over by the book. The concepts in the book are very well-defined, and it really helped me a lot in an animation I am putting together now.