5 comments about The Art and Science of Digital Compositing (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Computer Graphics).

1. This book is a in depth study of the techniques and technologies involved in the art of compositing. Not sooo technical that no one will understand it, but technical enough that it even explains in detail the algorithms and math used for antialiasing, blurs, the transfer operators like multiply, screen overlay., etc... I am a professional cg artist and highly recommend this book.



2. That can I say about Mr Brinkman. Well he's one of the God's of compositing and VFX. Mad about the math behind Node based compositing software, which incidentally is a good thing. This is not meant to be a 'Shake' bible as it is supposed to be non software specific. However it uses 'Shake' language and node naming. This is not a criticism as 'Shake' is the meccano kit of compositing. Understand the mode and the math behind it and you can do anything. I would also assume that this will still be relevant when shake is 'reborn'.
   
   This is also essential for other composing software where the math is hidden. If you've ever considered what happens inside that 'magic button' after you've clicked.
   
   I also think that Steve Wright's 'Digital Compositing for Film and Video, Second Edition' is a must too. Another great book from a great man of VFX.
   
   Having not been personally taught by Mr. Brinkman and Mr Wright these books prove to be the next best thing.



3. This book is exceptional and a must for anyone pursuing this area of interest. The only disappointment I had in purchasing this item is that it is supposed to come with a CD, and the CD was never shipped to me. What's up, Amazon?



4. Ron goes over the very concepts of compositing that are essential to know in the computer graphics feild. I have bought several copies of this book as the disappear from my desk (no longer kept in public view)



5. Even if I'm not working in vfx, so I haven't a great experience, I think this book should be in every comps shelf: very simple, well written, it deals with the math under every (even the simplest) operation you can do in your compositing package (it's quite software-indipendent). It explains several wonderful tricks too.
   Globally, very useful in my opinion.

3 comments about Drawing and Detailing with SolidWorks 2008.

1. This book saved my butt. We had a downsizing at my company, and I needed to learn more on creating SolidWorks drawings fast. With no money for training, I needed a source of knowledge. I found it.
   
   My company switched over from 2007 to 2008 this year and my experience with drawings is limited. I've been using SolidWorks for approximately two years; focusing on 3D parts and assemblies. The book provides great sections on document properties, drawing templates, addressing ASME Y14 standards, custom properties, link to properties, notes, driven dimensions, centermarks, arc conditions, centerlines, sheet formats, view palette, DimXpert and so on. DimXpert is a great tool to go directly for part - to - drawing with embedded feature dimensions, feature control frames, datums, geometric tolerancing, etc. Note: DimXpert is new, be careful on using it for complex surface parts. I had some issues.
   
   The book addresses: Standard views, Isometric view, Section view, Detail view, Crop view, Projected view, Exploded view will balloons, Broken view, with BOMs, editing BOMs, revision tables, adding revisions etc.
   
   It also covers in manual detail: surface finishes, weld symbols, geometric tolerancing, feature control frames, etc. Indeed, an in-depth book on SolidWorks drawings.



2. This excellent text will be useful to any user who is concern or needs a book targeted on drawing and detailing information using SolidWorks. It covers many of the relevant commands, features, tools and does it in a clear and methodical fashion for parts and simple and complex assemblies.
   
   The breadth and depth of the author's information in this book is outstanding. The book covers: surface finishes, weld symbols, control frames, geometric tolerancing, all of the available drawings views, revisions and BOMs along with blocks, notes, importing AutoCad files, system and custom properties, document properties, etc. This is the best book on SolidWorks for drawing and detailing that I've even seen or used in my last six years.



3. I was hoping for a reference that had quite a bit more detail than this book included. Not much help for the experienced, but definitely good for those starting out.

3 comments about S is for Sunshine: A Florida Alphabet.

1. S is for Sunshine is not an ordinary alphabet book. It's a unique alphabet book of the Sunshine State...Florida. What makes it unique are not the beautiful, pastel-colored illustrations by Michael Glenn Monroe, but the combination of narrative and expository passages for each letter of the alphabet. The simple, rhyming lines depict a particular characteristic of Florida, for example, A is for alligator. Along the sides of the page is a well-written descriptive passage explaining about the alligator and its habitat. The rhymes and illustrations are especially appealing to the younger child, however, the accompanying passages provide a rich history and facts about Florida for the intermediate reader. What a wonderful book for children!



2. This is my new favorite alphabet book to read to my 3 year old daughter. We both love looking at all of the pictures of the places we have been to and the items and animals as the relate to the state of Florida. Each page features a letter, a rhyme even small children can follow, and a beautiful picture. There are also sidebars where more in depth information on the pictures is provided for more advanced readers. Our favorites are N for Nasa, S for St Augustine, and of course W for Walt Disney World. I foud the sidebar information okay in content. The letter U is for underwater Aquarium and I thought that maybe some info on the state aquarium in Tampa would have been nice if it was provided but it was not. On the other hand the page for the letter Z for Zebra Longwing butterfly mentioned Butterfly World an attraction that is located just down the street from us. I think the book would have benefited from some more in depth informnation on places you could specifically visit. That said I think the author did an amazing job of matching letters with Florida concepts. X is always a tricky one. I would recommend this book to any child who wants to learn more about the state of Florida and especially to children learning the alphabet who live in Florida. This book is a wonderful way to learn about our state.



3. I bought this for my grandchildren, and really enjoyed reading it myself. Each page is in two parts -- the inside 2/3 of each page has words unique to Florida with beautiful illustrations for each letter of the alphabet, written in larger print and in language children can understand. The outside 1/3 of each page has smaller print and goes into detail about the words and pictures, expanding knowledge for curious children and adults. I highly recommend this book!

5 comments about Foundation ActionScript for Flash 8 (Foundation).

1. I am a current animation student in California and Flash is one of the tools we are using. While I have developed some proficiency animating in Flash, the scripting tends to turn my brain to mush after a while.
   
   I picked up Foundation Flash 8 to learn some of the basics and have been using Foundation Actionscript for Flash 8 to gradually explore scripting. I am not a programmer but got through the first few chapters easy enough. The second half of the book is somewhat tougher but but filled with interesting chapters -especially the game chapter (chapter 10).
   
   I haven't quite cleared the hurdle of the later chapters, find them more challenging, but I keep the book on my desk to pick at stuff. It is well written and comprehensive. From my perspective as a non-programming 'art head' I'd say it covers beginner to advanced level topics by the end of the book; that's pretty cool because many books seem to be simple rehashings of the product manuals designed to part you from $40-$50 while giving you no new info.



2. I was completely foreign to ActionScript before picking up this book. I had previously read one book on understanding the basic flash interface (i.e. using the drawing/tweening tools), but this was my first crack at ActionScript. Getting through this book was very easy. Each chapter is setup in a way that explains a specific topic, runs you through a few examples using what you just learned, and then continues on with an ongoing website project that you develop throughout the book.
   
   Strengths: Writing is clear and concise, and doesn't feel like a programmer wrote the book. The context is a nice mix of theory and hands on practice to keep you interested while your learning some of the more complex topics. The teaching method looks to provide you with skills that you can apply and expand upon quickly, as opposed to just learning some commands and then throwing you out into the wild. The book projects are very well constructed and explained.
   
   Weaknesses: Some of the later chapters advance quickly. I blew through the first 350 pages, but after that had to significantly slow down to fully understand each topic. I also noticed that one or two of the online downloads are missing files for the book project. These are not neccesary if you are writing everything from scratch (correctly), but it did sometimes get in the way of comparing my solutions to the books.
   
   Overall I have been extremely satisfied with this book, and will most likely buy another Foundation guide.



3. I am new to actionscript, have watched a few Total Training dvd's, but they don't really go into indepth actionscript. Unless you buy all the dvd's which are expensive.
   This book was great. And has given my mind more of an understanding, especially of the process, of programming.
   I'm more a graphic designer, who is getting into web design, so if I can go from first page through to the end in 3 weeks and juggle a screaming 2yr old at the same time.....well then anyone can.( I am a stay at home dad!....by the way)
   Good to keep for reference. Buy it.



4. This is a great book for the designer interested in getting deeper into Flash through ActionScript 2.0. Primarily centered around web-based projects, with the occasional game project, Sham et al. lead the reader through basic programming fundamentals from a designer perspective. The reader is assumed to be mildly frightened by looking at code, but still interested in learing it. I can sympathize that many designers could be in this boat.
   
   The language of the book is very non-technical and it's presented in a light-hearted manner to ease you into some difficult concepts. The authors do a great job of tricking you into getting excited about programming. So if you're a web designer who has always been impressed by what programmers can do, but were a little uncomfortable trying to just jump in on your own, this is THE book for you.
   
   I have two warnings and one critique.
   
   The first warning is that this is a Flash 8 book - hence ActionScript 2.0. The second warning is that almost all the projects in the book are web-based instead of game-based. Now it's Flash, so it kind of comes with the territory, and there is a full chapter devoted to making a game. However, the perfect book for me would be this exact same book, but centered almost completely around game-based projects. If you're strictly looking for that, this book isn't for you. I don't care as much, and there's still a lot to learn, so I don't regret purchasing the book.
   
   My critique is regarding the book-long project where you make a website that uses ActionScript (the Futuremedia site). It's a case study where you can apply some of what you've learned to a "real" project. My problem with it is that you don't seem to learn a whole lot about ActionScripting by going through it. The authors (or whichever individual wrote the project) seem to be really proud of this project - proud in the sense that they like themselves for it - and you can tell by going throug it. Plus, its more content-oriented. There's much more to learn from everything else, so I'm just skipping the project and skimming over it whenever it's time to work on it a little (which isn't a whole lot anyway).
   
   Overall, it's a great book so far (I'm about 1/3 done) and I'd recommend it to anyone who's new to programming and wants to learn it through ActionScript 2.0. Sham has an awesome ability to explain programming to a designer.



5. I am not too far into this book, but so far it is everything i had hoped for. I have been using Flash for 6 years but never ventured into ActionScript.
   This book explains things well for the no-ActionScript-knowledge user.
   
   Great book and at $9 (80% off) when i got it, i would have to have been raving mad not to buy it.
   
   Good One Amazon :))

5 comments about After Effects and Photoshop: Animation and Production Effects for DV and Film, Second Edition.

1. This book seemed to cover all the topics I wanted to get me in to being able to doing some of the things that I wanted to do right away with 3-D photo montages and working in 3-D space with AE and Photoshop but the book skips far too many steps and assumes you can read minds and know the "in-between" steps to get from one set of instructions to the next. I would not recommend this book to any one who does not have a very good grasp of AE. If you know AE very well then this may be the book for you. As for me I guess I'll just have to go back to my Total Training DVD's but I was hoping to get up and running a little quicker.



2. I have to say that you MUST need a solid undertanding or at least the basics of After Effects before getting this book. Also, there are not many figures to ilustrate the projects in an easy way.
   Get the book if you have good knoledge of After Effects.



3. have bought many books on after effect and photoshop.
   This is so far the best ever. Easy to use, easy to understand.



4. Tired of the usual "Blah, Blah, Blah" in computer books? FINALLY - somone is listening to the needs of graphics professionals and students wanting to learn tips and tricks for doing these effects and animations! Foster not only shows you HOW to do these techniques, but more importantly, WHY! I have found this book indespensible in my advancement way beyond the basic tools and functional training of other After Effects books. If you want to learn animation or do any kind of special effects on your own, then get this book NOW!



5. Cuando adquiri este libro pense en que solo me ayudaria en comprender mejor al Photoshop con el After Fx pero fue mejor que eso...
   En realidad entendi el como y el porque de hacer muchos procesos desde Photoshop pàra agilizar y darle mas realismo a las composiciones.
   Adventencia: No es un libro facil de leer para principiantes, es mejor leer cada capitulo y repetir ejercicios al menos 2 veces. Eso incrementa el tiempo de terminarlo de leer.
   Si yo fuera tu, si lo compraria.
   he dado asesoria de postproduccion por 3 años y es bastante didactico.
   Puede bajar cientos de tutoriales de internet, pero no podras entender el como realizar desde cero proyectos de mayor alcance sin la ayuda de libros como este.

2 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.

5 comments about Game Design Workshop: Designing, Prototyping, and Playtesting Games (Gama Network Series) (Gama Network Series).

1. Few people realize just how big a business digital gaming has become. Think of it this way: It's bigger than the domestic box office of the film industry. The amount of time spent playing games by young people now exceeds everything but television in time spent on entertainment. The main factor driving the development of the new extremely powerful computers is gaming, slower machines are capable of handling almost all office tasks.
   
   The authors of this book have a great deal of experience in both designing games and teaching how to design games. This has given them an understanding of how beginning designers grasp the structured elements of games, common traps they fall into, and certain developmental exercises that help the student learn to make better games.
   
   Note that this is not a programming manual, nor is it a graphics design manual. It is on game design. What are the characteristics that make a game, how can you prototype and play test the game without a horrendous programming expense, and finally some input on the game industry and how to decide on how you might like to be employeed in that industry.



2. This might be a good book for teachers looking for material in their classes gamedesign or gamedevelopment. It may also be a good book for selfstudy, if you have the discipline to do the exercises. You need to have played a lot of the classic videogames though, otherwise you might not be able to do the exercises, which are mostly about thinking about gamedesigns and making little designs or design alterations on existing games.



3. I consider this an excellent book on game design. As an amatuer board game and basic computer game designer, I found a lot of the material extremely useful in the *process* of coming up with a game from start to finish.
   
   The chapter on prototyping did a great job in showing how to go ahead and create a prototype from a game idea, while keeping it simple and concentrating on the "core gameplay mechanism."
   
   The chapter on "Playtesting" and "Functionality, Completeness, and Balance" builds on the prototype chapter by emphasizing the iterative nature of design where one go aheads and evaluates, tries new things, identify problems and keep evolving.
   
   The next chapter following is maybe the most important chapter that discusses whether you game is fun, goes in to some theory of what makes a game fun, and relates various techniques of improving player's choices so as to make the game fun.
   
   This is a great book that gives you the necessary tools to go ahead and be able to at the very least create a viable prototype of a game that is possibly fun and playable.



4. Although I personally disagree with some parts of what this book teaches, it this game design book is one of the most comprehensive I've seen. Well-recommended.



5. I like this book so much, I've purchased it 3 times! (My first copy was "borrowed" by one of my designer/producers, my second copy was left at Ubisoft SF, and this is my 3rd copy for myself.)
   
   Great mixture of theories, old-school practices, and new-school techniques.

5 comments about The Web Collection, Revealed: Macromedia Dreamweaver 8, Flash 8, and Fireworks 8, Deluxe Education Edition (Revealed).

1. I needed this book for a class i was taking. Got to me fast and was in perfect condition.



2. Very easy to understand and it guides you step by step. Great for intermediate users.



3. This book I have used in two courses so far and it has helped me quite a bit.It has also been easy to look back and find what to do if I have forgotten a process.



4. If you want to learn Dreamweaver do not buy this book. This is the required book for a college class I am taking on Dreamweaver- it is an awful book. No explanations, just lots of click here, do this, do that. They don't tell you why you are doing what you are doing. The instructions are unclear- I often cannot find what button or command they are referring to. Everyone in the class is having these problems. The instructor is having to walk us through all of the exercises that we should be able to do on our own with the book. I have learned nothing from this book.



5. As another reviewer had stated, this book just tells someone to do things without explanations as to WHY it is being done. The most critical component for any instructional writing in the technical realm must show the user what the purpose is for the actions. Screenshots are rare and instructions are not comprehensive. Find another book if you actually want to learn skills that you can remember and use later.

3 comments about K Is For Keystone: A Pennsylvania Alphabet Edition 1. (Discover America State By State. Alphabet Series).

1. We are in the process of moving from PA to CT. I friend bought my 5 year old son this book as a going away gift. My son loves it. The pictures are great and text is written in rhyme. It made a wonderful gift.



2. This review will cover all these books since I have bought for every state for each andchild and friend's children wherever they live. They are the greatest for all ages to know about the various states. The pictures are exceptional.



3. I bought the book about Pennsylvania for the grandchildren they enjoyed looking at the pictures, and as they get older the information will be helpful in teaching them about their state.

4 comments about Hands-On Guide to Flash Video: Web Video and Flash Media Server (Hands-On Guide Series) (Hands-On Guide Series).

1. The Hands-On Guide to Flash Video if full of good information for anyone interested in streaming video on the Web. For those interested in using streaming video for anything from professional level videos to those who just want to get something on YouTube, this book is a gem. Ranging from those who know absolutely nothing about Web video to those, like myself who need to learn more about taking videos and some of the technical characteristics of digital video, such as interlacing, you'll find this book invaluable.
   
   The 19 chapters are written in a friendly and accessible style covering 1) Creating video, 2) Preparing video for the Web, and 3) working with Flash, including a clear introduction to Flash Media Server. Having worked with Flash Media Server (FMS) since it's inception, I have found that one of the best tricks for saving on bandwidth is good lighting and good sound, both of which are covered in this book. Likewise, for those new to streaming video, you will find how to set up a progressive download that you can set up on your hosting server without having to use FMS if you choose.
   
   Among the many other topics I found revealing are the following:
   1. Chroma keying - removing parts of a background so that any background can be inserted. Best known for weather reports on TV.
   2. Cue points - adding triggers in the video that can be used as events. Cue points are very useful for adding information,
   3. Interlacing and Deinterlacing in video files
   4. Decision-making in setting video parameters
   5. Optimizing light and sound for streaming video
   
   An area that is in need of serious help is provided by the introduction to Flash Media Server. This will help in developing FMS2 applications for those who are new to open socket server technology. So for newbies to FMS, this will come as a welcome addition.
   
   One of the interesting (and I think correct) decisions the authors made was to use the Flash CS3 platform with ActionScript 2.0 instead of ActionScript 3.0. Here's why. It will be at least a year or so before a significant number of users will have the Flash 9 plug-in for their browsers. Yesterday I bought a new iMac, and the Safari browser that comes with the Flash plug-in is still using Flash 8. (I found that out when I tried to play one of my apps built with AS 3.0.) What's important is that On2's VP6 technology started in Flash 8. So, no one is missing a significant video element using ActionScript 2.0 as would be the case with Flash 7 or earlier. [...]



2. This is an excellently mastered book. The writing style is clear. The step by step examples are appropriately illustrated. There is source video and a plentiful supply of links for needs. The illustrations are appropriate and carefully selected for the key points.
   
   If you are a FMS (Flash Media Server) administrator or programmer, you will find answers to those user inquiries why their video looks poorly. You will have intelligent responses and tools to analyze the problems likely caused by the capture and prepartion of the video.
   
   For videographers, this is your bible on how to capture video for Flash.
   
   For video editors, this is your bible on how to prepare and compress the files.
   
   For newbies to Flash video, you have the soup to nuts book that breaks it down into nice chunks with examples.
   
   Very impressive part of the text is that many assertions are supported with research from many major video publishing entities.
   
   Finally there is a thread throughout the book that provides the market and industry information to help you assess your choice of Flash video as a web video platform.
   
   You will learn the specific steps in major digital video software packages such as Adobe Premier and Final Cut to fix issues.
   
   You can learn how to set-up a recording set with the correct lighting that will be best for Flash video format.
   
   You can learn to install the Flash Media Server (free) and use it and not be a programmer, but willing to download example files needed. Or if you are interested in programming FMS, this gets you started.



3. Do you ever published video online using Flash? Do you ever used Flash Media Server and don't know where to begin? Do you know how to make your videos look gorgeus online?
   
   The response to all this questions (and much more) are beautifully explained in this book.
   
   It covers from capturing video, creating a 3 point light studio for maximizing the quality and size of the compressed file, to the deployment of your solution using Flash Media Server. It's full of real world examples that you can use right out of the box.
   
   Really really good book for starters. And if you want more, look for others titles of Focal Press.



4. I went to school for video so a majority of the book was review. There were aspects I found useful. There are some differences in video production for the web. This book clearly identified them. Very useful tool to have beside the computer.