Animation Books

The movie Princess Mononoke has impressed me a lot, I have had the opportunity to see the version original subtitled to the Spanish one and from then on, as animator, I have a concept very different from the animation. The characters capture to the audience for their personalities, only and completely believable, far from hero's / villainous typical stereotypes, in this film, it lines her that they separates it is narrowed until disappearing, giving place to an unique and personal experience. The animation of the film is simply delicious, and Hayao Miyazaki's master like storyteller are clearly patent. I have the Japanese Artbook of this movie and it is simply wonderful, and I wait my copy of this fantastic edition of Hyperion impatiently.

I have viewed the subtitled edition of the animated film Mononoke Hime and I must say it is absolutly magnificent!! ^_^ I was totaly absobed by it's great storyline. The storyline of this film is indeed very deep and carries with it many messages and thoughts on society and the nature of man as well as his relationship with Mother nature . Mononoke Hime, though it does contain violent scenes and much of it's plot involves battle, too portrays a beautiful love story. With this film scheduled to be released in the U S in October, I encourage all able to go see it. I belive that those who view Mononoke Hime in the theaters this fall will be just as impressed and touched as I was after viewing it. Those who view Mononoke Hime in theaters this October will also be able to view animation in a whole new prespective. Hopefully it will make some realize that though they are only "cartoons", animated pieces are very capable of portraying human ideas, thoughts and emotions in a very mature, adult fashion. So well are these emotions portrayed that they are made tangible. It is for this very reason that I have become a fan of japanese aniamted works (anime), for in the US, many people including animators, are under the impression that animation is truthfully only a field built for the amusement of children. I must thank Hayao Miyazaki, the creator of Mononoke Hime, for producing such a wonderful animated film which I am lucky to have been able to see. This film will always have a place in my heart.

I saw the movie "Princess Mononoke" subtitled and I must say it is fantastic! Not the best of Miyazaki's works (Nausicaa is my favorite) but still a good movie! Cant wait for it to come out!

As can be seen from looking at any list of movies there has been a dramatic increase in the number of annimated films. Of course this comes from the advailability of powerful software to assist in the production of such films rather than the manual drawing required in earlier days.

Originally only the highest performance computers were capable of producing computer generated graphics. The 1982 movie 'TRON' a mixture of live action and computer generation used a Cray supercomputer to do the graphics using custom written software. Now computers with several time the performance of the Cray are avaiable on the desktop.

To go with the powerful computers has come standard, commercially packaged software oriented to annimation. In this book Autodesk 3ds Max is used to produce short films that may be called for by industrial or advertising users.

The two authors have years of experience in computer annimation using 3ds Max. They bring a view from the front line of users needing a film rather than just a teacher going through the features of the program. In fact it presumes that you have the basics of the program understood and are now ready to do useful work.

I would suggest this book wether you are just starting out in 3D or getting ready to animate..I found it a good source of inspiration, Even tho I still have no time for my own projects! :-)

Well worth the $$

Chris Neuhahn and Josh Book's Professional Short Films With Autodesk 3DS Max teaches how to use the tools in 3ds Max to create short films, from devising a story and storyboards to rigging characters and animation, using different techniques in the process, and editing to produce a polished product. An actual film, Vacant Planet: a Curious Bit of Scrap, is used as a case study and files on the accompanying DVD-ROM help users develop their own stories for an animated tale. You have to have prior 3ds Max basics down to benefit: this is for the user who wants to move on to more professional pursuits in the short film format.

Michael and Dennis Cohen have done a great job in this book to help beginning to intermediate users with the iLife suite. I am often called upon to help friends with their Macs. When they have questions on the iLife programs, I find it much easier to refer them to this book than to try and talk them through the problem on the phone or via iChat. Thanks to the Cohens for making my iLife as a consultant a bit easier.

Apple has long said it makes computers for the rest of us, and now with its iLife suite of tools Apple appears to be making software for the rest of us as well. The Teach Yourself Visually series of computer books seems to follow the same philosophy, but where TYV's offerings for more complex programs like Photoshop serve as "scratch-the-surface" introductions, iLife '04 really does look deep under the surface of Apples' popular suite of tools. My favorite section, perhaps because I know the least about it, is on GarageBand, which is the most exciting piece of software I've seen in years.

The Teach Yourself Visually books all benefit from strong integration of explanatory text with detailed graphics, but the text portion of this particular book benefits from clear, thorough, and often quite humorous writing. The author obviously knows the programs-more important, he knows how to communicate that knowledge to his readers (I believe he's the same Michael Cohen who writes the multimedia section of the famed Macintosh Bible). I highly recommend this title-for twenty bucks, it's a bargain.

Teach Yourself Visually iLife 04 is the perfect book for someone who wants simple, easy to follow instructions for using each of Apple's iLife programs (iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, Garage Band). What makes this book different from all the other iLife books are the clear step-by-step instructions, all accompanied by full color screen shots and illustrations, for using almost every iLife feature. The tips that accompany each task save time and effort in using the iLife programs and point out special features that aren't generally known. This is the book to get if you want to learn how to use iLife 04 without having to become a computer scientist, or read pages and pages of text. Get this and start using the software right away while you read.

This is one of those spectacular books that comes along every few years. It's complete, well-written, doesn't take itself too seriously (after all, it IS about cartoons!), & offers an expert's personal point of view (the author's) in addition to presenting all the factual details. My only complaint is that I wish the author had included entries for movie cartoon characters as well. Some of the cartoon characters included here originated in the movies (for example, Popeye, Woody Woodpecker), but are included here for various reasons that the author explains. Other movie characters, such as my personal favorite (Betty Boop) are omitted because the don't meet the criterion for inclusion. Mr. Erickson, please follow-up on this great book by writing one about the movie cartoon characters that are omitted here!

It's a very good book. But if you want a book with all of today's cartoons you wouldn't find many here. A must-read if you have lived under a rock since 12/31/93(the book's cuttoff date).

I am 25 years old and I loved being a kid. I remember waking up at 6:00 on Saturday morning and leaving the TV set at noon. This book is a great release for everyone who remembers watching fun shows as a kid. The book is basically an encyclopedia of all alphabetized cartoons from 1949- 1993. The book gives precise times, character names, summaries, and even name of the actual voices.The book brings you to the world of Scooby, Fred & Barney, Yogi, Lion-O, He-man, & Optimus Prime. This book is definitely a nostalgic journey to your youth. Buy it!

This is an excellent and richly illustrated book on animation at Warner Brothers. It contains a lot of background information on e.g. Carl Stalling's music, the styles of the different directors, inside jokes, war cartoons, forgotten cartoon characters and so on. The joy of reading this book is only surpassed by watching the Warner Brothers cartoons themselves.

First, I have to confess that I am a card-carrying adult who still watches cartoons every Saturday morning. As an adult, however, I'm now interested it the history of the cartoons I watch. (It makes me feel more...sophisticated about my cartoon viewing.)

"That's All Folks" has incredible full-color pictures, chronicals the history of WB cartoons, provides specific information about the most popular characters and cartoons, AND includes a filmography of WB cartoon releases. If you like Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and the rest of the gang, you should have this book.

While writing an article for the Talaria Enterprises Museum Store's new release of Looney Tunes sculptures, I turned to this very informative book. It discusses the history and impact of the Looney Tunes characters from historical, technical, and theoretical perspectives. Very Good Sourcebook!

This book was really good! Disney movies are the best and this book brings out the magic! I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I did.

The book follows the plots outlined in the Disney animated classics. Animation is actual Disney animation from the film, so children can relate to it. It makes a great beadtime book with stories around 15 minutes each, and 25+ to choose from. Great deal for the $$$$$.

In the original version of the book (the one I have), there was a very well done "Song of the South" story, which had "The Laughing Place," and "The Wonderful Tar Baby," both told in dialect. Of course, Disney wouldn't want this little secret to get out, would they? Ha ha. Anyway, the book has pictures straight from the movies. There are classic stories like "Peter Pan," "The Jungle Book," and lots more. Buy this, and hope you get the "Song of the South" version.

My 2 year old loves the Wallace and Gromit movies and he was really surprised when he saw the calendar. He loves it. I will have to order him a book with more photos.

I've been a big fan of Wallace & Gromit for years,and I love this calender which features art from the short films of Wallace & Gromit. Guaranteed to bring a big smile each month! Now...to get some nice cheese and crackers!

I love this calendar because it has so many new images that I've never seen before. They're not from the movies, and they're not from any shorts. They look great, are colorful, and a must for any Wallace and Gromit Lover!

If you like to own some really cool prints of Bugs Bunny, Tweety, or just the old folks from the Warner Bros. Studio, this is the book! It goes through the history of the animation studio and its founders. Chuck Jones is similar to Walt Disney, he had his own crew of animation masters to create a whole new perspective of cartoon.
One disappointing about this book is that its published date is 1997. Sadly "The Iron Giant" (released 1999) and "Cats Don't Dance" (1997) did not make it to the book; two of the most successful WB animated feature film. However, it is still a book to own and look for inspiration.

It provides the information about different types of animation art such as production cel, sericel, limited edition. The reader can use this book to check the original prices and edition size of many WB limited edition cels.

This book was well done and very appealing to the eye and informational to read. It gives the reader some good history of Warner Bros. cartoons and the rarely credited artists. Through-out the book there are pointers on how to draw various characters, but unfortunatly they are not as complete as one might have it. However, the overall is terrific.

Transmedia storytelling is one of the big new buzzworthy concepts right now, as evidenced by the multiple-media narrative campaigns of HEROES, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, FIREFLY/SERENITY, TRANSFORMERS, THE MATRIX, and so on. Although she doesn't explicitly use the term 'transmedia', Christy Marx has written a sort of proto-primer for writers looking to tell stories across multiple media. Being able to understand the basics of writing for each media type goes a long way towards understanding how to tell a story using each of those multiple forms. That the book is both very well-written and an entertaining read are added bonuses. Highly recommended!

This is the best compilation of *practical* information for the business of writing that I've seen yet. It is very well organized and just about every piece of knowledge in there is indispensable. It helped connect a lot of dots for me that I had gleaned elsewhere but sometimes without the proper context. Most books touch on one or two things really well, but Ms. Marx's book is the best overall "primer" out there.

Although I already have a number of writing credits, I'm still really just starting out and I found the book very helpful. The information helped validate some of the things I'm doing and also give a little more direction for the future.

If you're interested in writing for any of the three fields, the book is worth buying. If you are interested in more than one, then you can't pass it up under any circumstances. Highly recommended.

More than a few years ago, I had the extremely good fortune to be mentored in the art of animation writing by Christy Marx, who told it like it was about the biz and taught me all about the basics in great detail. Now a professional myself with credits as an animation production coordinator and writer, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book. Not only does it cover all the ground she taught me about animation writing with the same depth and care, it takes on comics and videogames, two mediums which have become more and more intertwined with animation over the last two decades -- something which is taken into account throughout the book. Whether you're trying to figure out if any or all of this areas are for you, or just looking for a better understanding of the business, this is an excellent primer.

Volume II picks up where Volume I left off by concentrating on more current real time rendering and game engine topics. Where Volume I painted a broad sweeping overview of real time graphics topics, Vol. II extends this and ties in more closely with how many of those ideas affect the actual creation of games in a real 3d games engine called 'fly3d2' included on CD with the text (a more current and improved version of 'fly3dsdk' from Vol. I). All source code is included for the engine and can be kept current via the website through downloads as it is steadily updated. ... the complete source code for all engine modules and utilities requires purchase of the book.
Mr. Policarpo the coauthor maintains the site and regularly contributes to threads so support remains current (a real blessing in a rapidly advancing science such as this).

Some of the topic covered include: Gamespace (BSP, PVS...) management, LightMap creation and challenges, Camera control, Collision Detection and Response, Path Planning and AI, Shader and TexureMapping with various effects, Character Animation, Skeletal Mesh Animation and related issues as well as the fly3d2.0 environment and support and tutorials to play with and to make these ideas real...

The book covers most of the features include in the engine and anticipates extensions that may some day be added as well. The engine design is modular and lends itself to the creation of plugins that can leverage classes already included or that are completely new created by the user. Users can design levels, characters, objects, and control how they interact with the engine. Tutorials are included in the book as well as on the website with new ones being added by members of the community quite regularly. The modular design (in C++) and utilities that adapt Microsoft's Visual Studio and Discreet's 3dsmax (as well as Quake level conveter and a few others) allow seamless integration of these tools into the environment for a wealth of creative possibilities.

The text is clearly and concisely written and Mr. Watt demonstrates a commanding expertise in these topics without a lot of gimmicky embellishments or self-aggrandizement common in other more fly-by-night texts. This is a real hardcover edtion made to last by a quality computer technology publisher. Watt obviously maintains a close relationship with coauthor Policarpo the designer of the fly3d engine so writing ties in well with the fly3d platform but is not limited by or to it.

I cheerfully recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning the sometimes difficult and challenging topics of game creation, expansion and maintenance. It is a demanding subject not for the weak of heart that can be difficult and time consuming to master. I've found there are a lot of other books out there that promise to deliver by tempting the potential buyer with the ease and completeness their books will include; however, I have not come across any others as yet that come close to the coverage and approach this (and the previous) volume supplies.

Before I bought this book I already had tried other approaches to learning this material but found the all the books I'd bought offered poor to none of the support and potential that 3d Games Vol. II together with the fly3d platform delivers. To learn this material one needs to be able to play with the ideas and be excited about the possibilities and have the ability to play with real tools in a real games environment. 3d Games Vol. II is concise, helpful, well-written, and enjoys a small but dedicated community available through the website.

....
Mark Carleton Maguire
Boston MA

This book is a huge help to game developers. I found it a great read while writing my first game engine. It covers so much stuff it makes you want to try and add it all to your game! I am really happy with this book.