This book will show you how to create realistic architectural models in Blender. Blender is an open-source 3D animation program released as free software. It can be used for modeling, texturing, skinning, animating, and so on. It runs on all the important operating systems (including Windows, Mac, and Linux).

You can create natural scenery, landscapes, plants, various weather conditions, environmental factors, building materials such as wood, metal, brick, and more. You will also learn how to add people to different scenes as well as other objects to an already existing photograph or a video making it easier to increase its realism.

You will see how to use the final models to create simpler scenes for use in 3D games, where real-time rendering is necessary. You will also see how to use them to create the sets for animated movies.

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If you're involved in any way with the design and manufacturing industry, you've probably had to work with AutoCAD drawings. But not everyone needs to be an expert at AutoCAD - many users really need to know only a few of its vast array of tools. If you're someone who doesn't need to or want to be an AutoCAD power user but wants to be able to use AutoCAD proficiently, this book is for you. Introducing AutoCAD 2009 and AutoCAD LT 2009 covers the basic drawing and editing tools that most users will need to produce quality AutoCAD drawings. You won't find information about every last feature. Instead, this book presents AutoCAD's essential features through a combination of tutorials and reference material to give you a concise, easy-to-use companion for your work with AutoCAD. It's designed so that you can quickly learn the tools you need…when you need them.

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The Windows Presentation Foundation is a key component of .NET Framework 3.0, which is a part of Windows Vista and available for Windows XP. With the Windows Presentation Foundation, 3D images can be displayed regardless of the video-display hardware on the users machine. Focusing on developing user interface objects or simple animations, this book builds on a readers knowledge of Windows Presentation Foundation essentials to demonstrate how to effectively create 3D graphics for Windows. You get the fundamental information for using the Windows Presentation Foundation 3D application programming interface (API), as well as in-depth coverage of mesh geometries.

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If you need a high-end 3D graphics software package for 3D effects, animation, cinematics, or game graphics, check out Maya! Maya is widely used by visual effects and animation studios, and is growing increasingly popular with game developers. This Virtual Training Company tutorial introduces you to Maya's groundbreaking tools and features. Co-authors Chuck Grieb and Roger Dickes begin showing you the tool sets and helping you to understand the structure and organization of Maya. They will introduce you to the modeling, lighting, animation, and dynamic tools available in Maya. You will learn exciting features such as adding texture, digital sculpture, and much more. To get started, just click one of the movie topics below.

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Welcome to the exciting world of 3D graphics creation with DirectX 9! "Beginning DirectX® 9" is your introductory guide to creating realistic virtual worlds and characters for games. This true beginner's guide offers easy-to-follow instructions for getting your first DirectX program up and running. Then it's on to 3D concepts and Direct3D® as you use DirectX 9 to begin designing and building your own 3D worlds. Expand your DirectX knowledge with an introduction to sound processing with DirectSound® and user input with DirectInput®. Wrap things up as you complete a comprehensive project that shows you how to apply each new concept. Bring amazing fantasy worlds to life with the power of DirectX 9! (more…)

The most overlooked component in 3D animation is design. This is a cross-platform book that will show how to apply the techniques of pre-visualisation through sketching, colour, and photo reference to enhance your 3D. As a CGI producer/director, Geoffrey Kater communicates to 3D artists on a daily basis about the importance of using traditional design techniques to improve and fully realise animation projects. When faced with your next 3D project, this book will have you reaching for the pencil first, instead of your keyboard. (more…)

This book covers all the fundamentals of programming vectors using SIMD methodology in conjunction with the Direct3D 9 application interfaces. Text shows how to write assembly language for programming the vertex shader and pixel shader hardware using DirectX 9. Covers the fundamentals of programming vectors using SIMD methodology in conjunction with the Direct3D 9 application interfaces. For game developers. (more…)

Video game and feature-film artists have used 3ds Max to create Halo 2, King Kong, Myst V, and more. Now you can harness this popular animation software with the clear, step-by-step instruction in this easy-to-follow guide.

Introducing 3ds Max 9: 3D for Beginners breaks down the complexities of 3D modeling, texturing, animating, and visual effects. You'll jump right into the pipeline—from preproduction to production to postproduction—with clear-cut explanations, tutorials, and hands-on projects to build your skills. A special color insert includes real-world examples from talented 3ds Max beginners. From immediately creating your first animation to tackling poly modeling, rendering, and particles, you'll get a solid grounding in 3ds Max 9.

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Pro OGRE 3D Programming is your detailed guide to utilizing the OGRE 3D engine. You'll learn what OGRE is, and more importantly, what it is not. OGRE gives you an object-oriented interface to render 3D scenes independent of the implementation such as Direct3D or OpenGL. OGRE is available on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. It can be utilized to create a variety of 3D-based applications and is commonly used in game creation. If you are an aspiring game programmer with beginner/intermediate-level knowledge of game design practices and intermediate-level knowledge of the C++ language, this is the book for you. Familiarity with open source project management tools such as CVS and Subversion will also help you to digest the material. You'll want to pick up a copy of this book because it Includes a ready-to-use Utility Toolkit class library useful for jumpstarting OGRE-based programs Covers OGRE in its entirety, from obtaining the source to polishing the final product Is the most comprehensive volume on the best-in-breed 3D rendering library Includes a discussion of OGRE'S capability from the perspective of the content creator. (more…)

Advanced Linux 3D Graphics Programming builds upon the foundation set in Norman Lin's Linux 3D Graphics Programming. This second volume provides programmers who are experienced in both Linux and fundamental 3D graphics concepts with a well-rounded perspective on 3D theory and practice within the context of programming larger interactive 3D applications.

Lin's primary goal is to provide a solid understanding of the concepts involved in interactive 3D graphics programming in order to enable the reader to write 3D programs, libraries, and games, and to analyze and understand others' 3D code. By focusing on more than just hard-core 3D algorithms, and by providing detailed information on equally important issues such as 3D modeling, world editing, digital sound, and collision detection, Lin gives the reader sufficient information to program and populate complete 3D worlds under Linux. (more…)