Video Books

Technology affects art and the many changes in computer animation and effects means that the art world faces both new challenges and new innovations in 3D modeling. Surprisingly, Peter Ratner explains, the changes mean less technical challenges for artists with more ability to focus on creating art rather than deciphering computer systems - and the second edition of his Mastering 3D Animation is just the place to begin. Ratner is a professor of the topic at James Madison University - and the founder and head of the first computer animation program in Virginia, so his background lends particularly well to discussions. His paintings and computer graphics have received exhibition and acclaim - also a plus for artists seeking more than just a programmer's technical tips.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, from its technical standpoint of working between the program and the supporting 3D theory/thought process that Mr. Ratner provides.

Finding that balance of an artist and technologist from where to launch one's vision and future visions of creativity starts with good knowledge. Ratner gives many facets of where to see this vision and tutorials to follow through with your own creative projects.

I commonly work with many high-end graphics programs, Lightwave 7.0 being my newest program on my plate. Peter Ratner's 3d book getting me from a begining user from just reading the index to a 3D artist ready to start the new facets of my own portfolio. Mastering 3D Animation helped quite a bit everything from the Modeling and subdivides to the theory/progress.

Joseph Arthur
Information Architects, Principal

Peter J. Ratner's second authoring effort, Mastering 3D Animation, is a 333-page softcover text that is a comprehensive, detailed and practical tutorial guide addressing nearly every aspect and segment of the 3D graphics genre. The book's 14 chapters-and accompanying follow-along CD for PC and Mac-speak to modeling (beginning and advanced), animation, special effects, lighting, surfacing techniques, facial animation, elements of action, figure movements and composition and cinematography. It's an exceptionally capable complement to Ratner's first book, 3-D Human Modeling and Animation. (Ratner currently is updating the latter text with a wholesale rewrite.)

Make no mistake: This is no cursory guide to constructing simple geometry, slapping on some stock textures, animating basic movements along spline paths and rendering to AVI while you're sipping on a latte, watching the Discovery Channel. A full-time professor in the 3D Computer Animation department of James Madison University and the program's founder, Ratner relies on the broad and substantial digital and conventional art experience that has rewarded him with artistic entries in more than 80 national and international juried exhibitions. Ratner is well-versed in most aspects of 3D art creation, choreography and cinematography. The results of his industry experience are a splendid collection of detailed and refined insights and experiences assimilated into a thorough tutorial guide. I have no doubt-as many experts agree-that Mastering 3D Animation is equipped to serve as a collegiate-level textbook for 3D computer animation curricula.

Spanning the many processes related to generating 3D digital art, Ratner illustrates his critical techniques with 658 black-and-white line drawings and grayscale screen captures. The images vary from basic and sketchy but illustrative black-only perspectives, steps and graphs to grayscale representations depicting character renderings, particle systems, height fields, geometric displacements, facial close-ups, rendered environments and more. Of particular interest to those having cinematography or traditional art backgrounds are the commentary, instructions and grayscale reproductions of painted and sketched art dating back multiple centuries.

Those attending to a more technical emphasis and interest are accommodated in every respect, however-minus superficial references to hardware specifications. Early on, Ratner clarifies his intentions in composing this text: "[The book's] purpose is not to create button pushers who can boast about megahertz, abundant RAM, big monitors and software with all kinds of bells and whistles. It is hoped that aspiring 3D artists will learn some valuable lessons from the great art geniuses that have preceded them." (Foreward/vii) Yes, Ratner does wane philosophical, at times, but his contemplative tendencies bring a refreshing and purist perspective to a field frequently inundated by overly technical meanderings and functionally pointless rambling. Thus, Ratner blends an in-depth artistic and technical knowledge with a practicality and philosophy altogether forming a well-rounded perspective-one catering to persons of various inclinations and backgrounds.

The companion CD contains 200-plus 3D models in a variety of formats: LightWave 3D's .lwo and .lws; Wavefront's .obj; Maya's .ml and the generic .dxf. Tutorial project files are archived in QuickTime (.mov) and JPEG (.jpg) formats, and Ratner also includes a Photoshop brush file (.abr) for creating "grime" textures.

As for the text's informational composition, chapters one and two explore the basics of 3D modeling-polygonal and spline-based (NURBS). Chapter 3 addresses basic 3D animation, while the fourth delves further into animation by considering the role of deformation tools: skeletons ("bones"); kinematics; lattice flexors, etc. In Chapter 5, Ratner explains special effects, including the use of spheres, particles, collision detection, voxels, fragments, displacement mapping and more. Part II of the text, Advanced 3D Modeling, begins with commentary about the human head's structure and composition, including muscles and bone. Ratner explains both the NURBS- and polygon- based methods for modeling the head. Special attention is allotted to features, such as the eyes, eyelids, eye sockets and ears. There's no lack of detail, here, and NURBS fans will experience a rare sensation-a feeling of belongingness.

The next two chapters, six and seven, are devoted to modeling the human figure. The latter stresses finishing-hair, eyelashes and clothing. Chapters 9 and 10 comprise Part III: Preparing for Animation. Lighting is the focus of Chapter 9, and Chapter 10-another that may appeal particularly to conventional artists-deals with surfacing techniques. The author goes beyond the typical texture map types-cylindrical, planar, spherical, cubic, etc.-and the use of photos to address alternative surfacing methods, such as transparency (alpha) and displacement maps. In short, Ratner extends well beyond the conventional surfacing methods most highly publicized, deeply exploring what might be categorized more aptly as upper-echelon trade tips than as common genre knowledge: creating sophisticated bump maps; using grayscale gradients in displacement; and more.

Part IV of the book, Character Animation Fundamentals, includes chapters 11-14: Expressing Emotion with Facial Animation (11); The Elements of Action (12); Movements of the Figure (13); Composition and Cinematography (14). Once again, the author uses an expansive knowledge of choreography and anatomy to help quantify how human emotions are exhibited: body posturing; eye wideness; lip contour; eyebrow position; even directional muscular pull. Each of these considerations can be projected in a 3D figure, and Ratner shows the reader how. "A muscle is composed of a bundle of fibers that work in mutual association to perform common duties," Ratner writes on Page 248. "... It is this combination of movements that results in the complicated harmony of the facial muscles."

The Elements of Action chapter confronts those issues pertinent to a convincing human portrayal by a mere collection of polygons or surfaced curved lines: timing; sound syncing; weight and recoil ("squash and stretch"); walk cycles and more. Chapter 13 addresses concerns complementary to those in the previous one, including body mass motion, pace and impact, equilibrium, action lines, rhythm and still more. The final score of this harmonized tutorial prose pursues line composition, spatial arrangement, blocking (proxy geometry) and all manner of photographic issues and techniques. The reader will learn practical cinematography terminology-camera techniques and movements, transitions, more-and the fundamental tenets of motion depiction utilized by artists centuries earlier.

Mastering 3D Animation is a wonderful book, full of useful information that you will refer to again and again. It covers many complicated issues in an easy-to-understand way so that beginners and advanced users alike can grasp the information. Definately a title that will remain in your library for years to come.

Although a nice book that goes into depth in areas that other modeling books haven't, the generalized, not-to-mention-one-specific-application approach the author has taken left me, a beginner, bewildered and drooling. Also, I think some of what isn't explained in detail was not explained purposely as it was difficult to put into words and considered common sense, which seems to be the case with several tutorials and books that I've read on modeling. I want to know things like: Once I have my splines slapped down in a front perspective, how do I push and pull them properly from other perspectives so they'll take shape, or When defining detail with polygons, how many should I tesselate, how can I manipulate them to look like a gradual bump for a muscle and not a sharp cornered cliff? To sum it up, the book was written for the more experienced and those who are very well aquainted with their software packages-I was expecting step-by-step modeling for newbies.

Apr 5, 2008: Has all sorts of practical vocabulary for everyday situations: household vocabulary, garden care vocabulary, medical vocabulary and many other situations. Would be valuable to communicate with Spanish speaking employees who may have limited literacy, because it is a picture book aimed at adult immigrants. Has lots of words for tools, car repair and furniture that you don't get in high school textbooks.

I am an English as a Second Language Instructor. Every time we use the class set of Oxford Picture Dictionaries my students always want to purchase them. I get a lot of requests for these. I see the students using them all of the time. It increases their knowledge of English & their confidence. I highly recommend it for anyone learning English or Spanish!

I have found the Oxford Picture Dictionary to be a great help for teaching vocabulary words in my ESL classroom. The illustrations are very good and easy to understand. I would recommend it highly.

my daughter is learning Arabic and discovered the oxford Arabic picture dictionary, loved it and then requested the Spanish/English dictionary and loves it too!!With tools like these languages are a lot easier to learn-teachers should get discounts so that more young people can enjoy learning the different languages.

Wonderful English/Spanish Dictionary, my son really enjoys looking through the book and learning new words.

So much has already been said & written about this amazingly talented man that although his talents have always been savored like fine wine....talking about his painstaking incredible stop-motion animation abilities almost seems to be redundant. Suffice it to say that so many of us monster kids sat in awe of Ray's work as we watched " The 7th Voyage of Sinbad " circa 1958.Harryhausen has always accomplished more on the movie screen with his special effects techniques than computers will ever be able to do. This book lovingly details all of the richness of Ray Harryhausen----Thanks for a great book, Ray !

Computer generated effects are standard in movies now, and any big-budget action film can be expected to have plenty. We didn't always have computers, so the effects such as putting fantasy creatures on the screen, like King Kong, had to be done with meticulous stop-motion filming, whereby a movie frame picture would be made of a model Kong, then the model's arm would be slightly raised, one more frame of the movie shot, and the process repeated until a smooth arm movement could be seen when the entire strip of film ran. It was Willis O'Brien who animated Kong and many other creatures in early movies. It was Kong who inspired Ray Harryhausen to start making stop-motion films. In _Ray Harryhausen: An Animated Life_ (Billboard Books), Harryhausen and Timothy Dalton tell the story of Harryhausen's entire career, including his humble beginnings. He was crazy about dinosaurs as a kid, and at the age of thirteen, he was taken by his mother and aunt to see _King Kong_. He studied up on the movie's techniques afterwards, and started making his own movies, first using a home camera that he could merely hope took only one frame at a time when he tapped it, and then purchasing his own 16 mm camera with a one-frame shift. He was one of those lucky kids who knew early what he wanted to do in life, and was able to do it; Harryhausen was the special effects wizard behind _Earth vs. The Flying Saucers_, _Jason and the Argonauts_, and _Clash of the Titans_, among many more. This beautiful book, filled with photographs and drawings to show how the models and effects were made for each of Harryhausen's films (and pictures of the artist's work as a thirteen-year-old as well), is a fascinating record of a career that could only have taken place in a restricted window of time.

To start with a clearing of the record: Harryhausen's first model, a cave bear, was covered with fur cut from an old black fur coat hanging in his mother's closet, but despite reports to the contrary, his mother _did_ know all about it and _did_ give her permission beforehand. This reflects the support his parents gave him toward his youthful enthusiasm, and he is certainly grateful. Most of the book describes his work for the studios; it devotes pages and pictures to all his films, and he gives detailed descriptions of just how he managed particular shots. Harryhausen isn't boasting; throughout the book he lets us know what he thought worked and what didn't, what he is proud of and what he winces at. If stop-motion is no longer going to be an art form, it is good that we have this documentation of what he actually accomplished, for the complexity of his creations and the way they were shot is astonishing. For instance, the Hydra in _Jason_ not only had a serpentine body and a double tail requiring their own movements, but also seven heads. In every frame, the model's movements might be only a millimeter, but there were sometimes more than thirty movements to do. He would have to remember for each head whether it was in the process of going up, down, right, or left, if the mouth was opening or closing, if the neck was flexing, and so on. Astonishingly, he was so in tune with his creation that he did not keep notes on what each head was doing, except if he were taking a break at the end of a work period.

Harryhausen has real affection for his creations. He has used real animals in some films, like an iguana made to look like a giant lizard in _One Million Years BC_. The trainer in charge of the iguanas was ready to use an electric prod to rouse the usually torpid lizards, but Harryhausen would not allow any cruelty, so action could only be obtained by a little prodding. Nonetheless, it was a lot harder to get the iguanas to move in just the way he needed compared to his obedient stop-motion models; he says that using models would have been more cost-effective and more realistic, too. He refuses to call his creations monsters; they are mostly creatures who are simply out of place. Of the tyrannosaurus in _The Valley of Gwangi_, he writes that he felt sorry for him, "... because all he wanted to do was live his life and eat a few people along the way." When he had to dismantle one creature to use its armature for another in a succeeding feature, he confesses, "It always breaks my heart to have to cannibalize my models. It's like losing a close friend." Gentle, self-deprecating humor is a hallmark of all the chapters here, no matter how technical the descriptions become at times. This is a handsome, large format book suitable for the coffee table; however, along with the beautiful illustrations, the written record of work here to show how creature features were made before the computers took over will be enjoyed by any fantasy film fan.

This is a top-notch compilation of genius on the cutting edge of our cultural history.

Die-hard fans of special effects master Ray Harryhausen may recall Jeff Rovin's book "From the Land Beyond Beyond", which arrived in 1977. It was a welcome addition to the Harryhausen legacy, but was too subjective and fan-based for some tastes. Hard to believe it took almost thirty years for this definitive, color version of the Harryhausen story to arrive on the scene. Some will feel it is merely an extension of Ray's previous work, the Film Fantasy Scrapbook, and in many ways, it is, but there's so much detail here that this deluxe volume is worth picking up. Though of course modern special effects have become almost ridiculously complex, it's wonderful to hear Ray describe in great technical detail the processes and techniques he used to bring his animals and fantasy creatures to life in films like "7th Voyage of Sinbad" and "Jason and the Argonauts". He's also candid about which films worked for him (and audiences) and which somehow missed the mark. Even readers who prefer modern spectacles to Harryhausen's classical, stately epics should find something of value here, and there is plenty to inspire any animator, filmmaker, or budding cinematographer. This book isn't just a special effects guide, it's a valuable and integral part of the history of film: Harryhausen's career spanned five decades, and he worked with some of the greats in the industry--not only effects geniuses like Willis O'brien, but actors like Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, James Franciscus, Honor Blackman, Richard Carlson, Jane Seymour and Raquel Welch. A little pricey, but worth the cost. A must have for Harryhausen fans, naturally, but anyone interested in the movies will come away satisfied.

I just recently purchased Ray Harryhausen: An Animated Life.
Mr. Harryhausen was influenced by King Kong for his remarkable career. I was influenced by his first movie released in theaters
entitled BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS. Ever since I gazed at the
incredible effects when I was six, I wanted to know why and how
something could seem so life like. Unfortunately, all I did was manage amateur special effects with an 8mm camera, but enjoyed thrilling friends and relatives with what talent I had. Now I can appreciate all the patience and imagination that this
genius has somehow transmitted to the screen. All of his movies are showcased with the wonderful behind the scenes stories and photos that made such magic in my childhood. Anyone who has ambition to follow the FX trade, should definitely read this book. Granted the technology is greatly improved today, but that even made Mr. Harryhausen seem more adept at his work. How tedious it is to move a model just a fraction of an inch until it appears fluid on the film...how educational it is to realize what props were used and what artistry was projected to make everything REAL. This coffee table book will be a treasure
in my collection of literature.

Wonderful! Very insightful and informative. A great addition to anyone's bookshelf. I highly recommend it.

This is an excellent book to aid in the understanding of Shawshank Redemption, whether studying english or mass media.
I found the book to contain additional details on story boards and amended scenes, which indicate the way the script writer, Frank Darabont, adapted the story to film.
Thoroughly enjoyed the script, especially as I can read it in places I can't view the film, i.e. work.

As a rule, don't buy shooting scripts if you want to write a screenplay. Shooting scripts are finished products.

That said, screenwriters can learn from this exploration of the classic movie (yes, folks, it is a classic, it's been shown a billion times on TNT), by reading the deleted scenes (my personal favorite is one about the publicity of Warden Norton's prison-to-work scheme, in which Heywood, played in the movie by William Sadler, gets his best and sharpest lines for someone who's supposed to be the dunce of the movie), the storyboards, the explanations of which scenes were kept, etc.

And for people who just love the movie, it's a must-own.

This is a truly fantastic piece of work!!! If you really enjoyed the movie, and is fascinated by the art of filmaking, this book is for you. More than just the script of the film, the analysis by Frank Darabont takes to a totally different level and perspective. It actually makes you think like a Director. Other than this, just being in the production yourself... This is a true making-of The Shawshank Redemption, that is totally worth the price.

As Frank Darabont says in the introduction of the book, who else would buy the screenplay unless they really want to know more about the film? Sticking to that idea, Darabont has given the film student/buff, and those who simply love the movie, a real treat with this book. Not only does it contain the screenplay, it's the screenplay (I emphasize) AS IT WAS WRITTEN BEFORE FILMING. He's published it exactly as he wrote it when he adapted it from King's novella. I point this out because, as Darabont himself points out in the intro, so many screenplays that are thrown out by merchandise wizards are nothing but the finished movie transcribed. And really, what good is that to someone who wants a deeper knowledge of the film?
Not only does he give us the original screenplay, he gives us a scene-by-scene comparison of the screenplay vs. the finished film, and why things got changed/added/left out. This, in particular, says a lot about Darabont to me. This is a man who wants to use his work not only to be what it is (a GREAT film), but to educate as well. This book inspires. He includes storyboards, as well (including a storyboard for a deleted scene- oh, goody, goody!) and introductions by both himself and Stephen King, and a summarizing bit of advice to budding filmmakers and screenwriters. I devoured this book in short time (one night), lol, and found myself going back to the film to compare and analyze- if you don't do the same after reading it, I'll eat my foot.. okay, maybe not. But something drastic, I warrant you. If you are at all inclined to learn about filmmaking, writing, or even if you just love "The Shawshank Redemption" (which is what lead me to the book in the first place), this is a real must-have. It's worth the price alone just to read what he had to say about filming Freeman's scene walking through the field after discovering Andy's message. Trust me. By the way, fellow "Shawshank..." lovers are welcome to ...discuss it. Enjoy this book, everyone. It's a real find. And I'm SO glad I chose to buy it. The ONLY reason I give it four stars as opposed to five is because, personally, I would have liked to have seen more storyboards.

This was both informative and useful. Cynthia's use of examples are few, but powerful and relevant. I have read both this book and Michael Chase Walker's Power Screenwriting: The 12 Stages of Story Development, and if you have to choose one, buy this one.

I'd like to say more, but I'd be repeating myself. Highly recommended.

This book is practical, easy, and very encouraging. Cynthia knows you can do it, and she wants you to try. She gives really solid advice, along with some insightful anecdotes. I've read a lot of screenwriting books and I highly recommend this one. It'll get you going!

I'm writing my first screenplay and found this book to be invaluable. Worth its weight in gold.

I've read other screenplay books, watched videos and this book is the best! Not just telling you what to do but with real world suggestions. She rewrites movie endings for you so you can see how a good movie could have been a great movie. She shows you mediocre dialogue and rewrites it so it's great movie dialogue.
It's a great book for novelists too. Creating crisp believable dialogue, creating conflicted characters, pacing. It's all here.
She is direct and like a great movie, gets to the real issues fast.

Top of the line. Easy to read and pleasant-toned in layman's terms. Organized and simple. Demonstrates the usefulness of 3x5 index cards for story-plotting. Tells you how to make good characters, scenes, dialogue, plot, etc. by demonstrating good and bad examples in movies that we are very familiar with. Simplifies the Three Act Movie formula by telling you how many minutes in the movie you should be starting your act and the significance of each act.

Additionally, the book demonstrates correct formatting for a screenplay, explains screenwriting terminology, explains the "& vs and" in writing credits. Explains certain dos and dont's with your script when presenting to a agent/producer. Whitcomb also tells how she started off as a preacher's daughter who was not allowed to watch TV and ended up becoming a successful screenwriter. She's a prime example of starting from square zero and proves you don't need to know someone in hollywood in order to make it big.

For all beginners--read this book first!

A terrific book, full of spectacular photos and diagrams,
and including an entertaining and informative text. First class!

Very few movies of the late twentieth century stand up to the test of time in the way of 2001: A Space Odyssey. This book tells the inside story of how this ground breaking film was made, and how it changed the outlook of a generation.

Its large format, crisp color reproduction, and amazing depth of detail make this one of the best 2001 books available. In fact, I had to own just one, this would be it.

In this age of computer generated imagery, it's fascinating to read in detail how 2001 pulled off its brilliant and never-dated space visuals with entirely manual processes. Seeing the incredibly huge and complex film sets, the detailed models and animations, and innovative camera techniques used give me a new appreciation for the magnitude of the film's greatness.

What is largely missing from this book is insight into Kubrick's source ideas and meaning for 2001. It's probably too much to ask for that in addition to the books fantastic production story.

I found Piers Bizony's book fascinating and I'm continually amazed at the work this film achieved for its day (and today in many respects). It defined the genre. It's filled with great stills, diagrams, and behind-the-scenes photography of the filmmaking process.

However, if you're looking for a book that gives you an inside peek on the filmmaker and his decision making process for the story (or authentic insight on the story itself), you'll be disappointed. 2001 is a complex storyline with metaphore upon metaphore and the Bizony never seems to achieve a 'true' account by Kubrick on the film's meaning. It's more guessing, speculation, and hypothesis that add to the voices weighing in regarding this important film. I suppose in some respects, it adds the mystery and weight of story... and will remain that way with the passing of Kubrick in 2000.

This brilliant book's visuals alone make it worth adding to your collection of film books. Of course, Kubrick fans need it the most.

But what the book also speaks to, beyond Kubrick's compulsive fascination with technical accuracy in film, is how the effort in making this movie addressed our ambitions and fascinations in the 1960s. In a time where old social conventions were breaking down, right and left, 2001 spoke to a new optimism created by space exploration and its seemingly limitless potential.

"Capturing the imagination." Good movies achieve that goal, don't they? In this case, a fanatical dedication to research, and to placing on film the most accurate and, in a weird way, understated views of a human future in space, creating something really new in moviegoing experience.

In its time, that effort became quickly subsumed by two divergent audiences: people who wanted to enhance their drug experiences with visuals, and people who wanted to be in space. Of course, these audiences made the movie very, very successful.

Today, we have left this movie's technical accomplishments in the dust. We can depict space travel and its related phenomena (like weightlessness) in a relatively effortless way. Film special effects pour out, today, in ways not imagined in 1967. You could read this book as a quaint history tract in movemaking technics.

I read it beyond that, though. It spoke to the excitement and optimism with which many of us viewed our future. We ate this stuff up; we could sit through two reels of a spacecraft docking and think the time just flew by...

How do we feel about the future today? It is now highly unfashiomable to label yourself a "futurist" any more. It seems our future is all behind us now.

Thank God these things run in predictable cycles. Collective optimism about our future in space is just around the corner. I hope I live long enough to see and enjoy it...

Lovelace ends the stories of Betsy's childhood with a warmly written story about thr triumphs and misadventures of being a wife. The story continues to shows Betsy's faithfulness to her family, friends, and now her husband, while giving a glimpse of life in the World War I era.

This book is great for children and teens. They will learn about life in the early 1900s in a very readable and enjoyable way.

This is the best of the Betsy Tacy books. I read them out of sequence having read one earlier childish one and then picking up Betsy's Wedding in the school library because of the awesome cover. I later read the rest of the Betsy books and this one is definitely the best one. I think the author changed the level of maturity to match the age of the characters. I'm definitely a fan of Maud Hart Lovelace in the way that some readers are hardcore fans of the Anne of Green Gables writer (I'm not).

If you haven't gotten into the Betsy-Tacy series of girls' books, based on author Maud Hart Lovelace's childhood in turn-of-the-century Minnesota, treat yourself or a young lady you love. Starting with Betsy's Wedding (or any of the books) is fine; Lovelace began this series about the close friendship of 3 little girls at a reading level appropriate for their age in the first book ("Betsy-Tacy," about age 6), and masterfully upped the reading level to match her growing heroines' ages. Betsy's Wedding is a young adult book with charm, period grace and accuracy (Betsy is very concerned about learning to cook for her wonderful groom Joe) but also prescient in its concerns for her budding career as a writer (a la Jo in "Little Women").
A personal note: I was a close friend of Maud Hart Lovelace's daughter Merian, for whom these stories were originally told as bedtime tales. And Maud was apparently as lovely a person as you'd expect from reading the series--a great lady, capable of being very funny, but never never talking "down" to her young readers.

I love these stories. They are like escapes into the past. Very cute.

My book arrived 2 days earlier than expected.
That night I pretty much scanned it from cover to cover, stopping at the parts that caught my eye.
I bought two books, the other being "How To Build a Car PC". This book far exceeded the other one in knowledge, projects, etc.
My goal is to build the car PC, but I know nothing about car electronics, that's where this book came in, with tips on how to wire it, how to load balance the battery, so the PC doesn't crash on start up, etc.
If you are looking for info on Car PC's and OTHER hacks, this book will stear you in the right direction, if not give you all the info you need.
I loaned it to my neighbor who is a mechanic, and I still haven't gotten it back!!! (Little does he know, he's going to help me now)

This is not a book about how to hack the controllers in your car's engine to make it go fast, burn different fuel mixtures, etc. Just like the title says, it is about car computers-and this means everything from actual onboard computers, to audio and video configurations. Like the other books in the "Hack" series, this is not a long narrative about Car PCs, it is simply a book full of 75 projects arranged by topic. Some of the tamer projects include installing headrest video screens, listening to email on the road once you've rigged up your computer to receive free wi-fi, installing a back-up camera and screen, receiving satellite TV, and rigging a free GPS-based navi-system. Of course, since all this stuff is power-heavy, there's also a bunch of hacks on how to strengthen your car's electrical system. To give you an idea, one of the hacks shows how to install a heavier-duty alternator. Throughout the book there are plenty of instructive diagrams, cross references to other relevant hacks in the book, and lots of links to web addresses where further instruction and freeware can be found.
There are seven chapters in Car PC Hacks, each covering a different way to turn your car into a functioning computer with cupholders. Amazon does not show the complete list of hacks, so I do that here:
Chapter 1. Car Power Basics
1. Understand Car Electrical Systems
2. Prevent Electrical Fires
3. Gauge Your Wires
4. Connect Your Wires
5. Calculate Your Car's Battery Life
6. Upgrade Your Car Battery
7. Add New Power Connectors Throughout Your Car
8. Use a Huge Capacitor to Sustain Power
9. Upgrade Your Car's Alternator
10. Add a Second Car Battery
11. Put Home Power Outlets in Your Car
Chapter 2. Automotive Audio Entertainment
12. Get a Headful About Your Car Audio
13. Install a New Head Unit
14. Get Computer Audio into Your Head Unit
15. Amp Up Your Computer Audio
16. Make a Very Cheap AUX-in
17. Reduce Your Audio System's Noise
18. Control Your iPod with Your Car Stereo Knobs
19. Tune Your PC for Radio Reception
20. Record Radio Shows
21. Listen to Email, Weblogs, and RSS Feeds on the Road
22. Find Out What Was Playing on the Radio
Chapter 3. Automotive Video Entertainment
23. Understand Video Connectors
24. Choose Your Screens
25. Install a Headrest Screen
26. Install a VGA Touchscreen in Your Dashboard
27. Install a Sun Visor Screen
28. Install a Motorized Fold-out Screen
29. Install a Fold-Down Ceiling-Mounted Screen
30. Supersize Your Fold-Down LCD Screen
31. Turn Your Laptop into a Fold-Down or Dashboard Screen
32. Connect a Car PC to Your Factory Screen
33. Install a Rearview Mirror Screen and Camera
34. Boost Your Video Signal for Multiple Screens
35. Customize Each Passenger's Video
36. Tune in TV in the Car
37. Receive Satellite TV While Driving
38. Play DVDs with Your in-Car Computer
39. Put Multi-Channel DVD Surround Sound in Your Car
40. Install a Video Game Console Computer in Your Car
Chapter 4. In-Car Computers
41. Choose an in-Car PC Hardware Platform
42. Power Your Car PC
43. Start Up and Shut Down Your Car PC
44. Reduce the Boot Time of Your in-Car Computer
45. Keep Your Computer on During Engine Cranking
46. Turn On Your Car Computer Before You Start Your Car
47. Boot Your Car Computer on a Schedule
48. Choose an in-Car PC Software Platform
49. Install Windows on a CompactFlash Card
50. Power Your Portable Devices in the Car
51. Install USB Ports in Your Car
52. Build an in-Car PC
53. Build an in-Car Macintosh
54. Install a Mac Mini in Your Car
Chapter 5. Car PC Interface Options
55. Control Your Car PC with a Keyboard and Mouse
56. Control Your Car PC with a Handheld Remote
57. Control Your Car PC with a Touchscreen
58. Car-Enable Clunky Applications
59. Listen to What Your Car Computer Is Saying
60. Control Your Car PC with Voice Recognition
61. Find More Ways to Control Your in-Car Computer
Chapter 6. Wireless Connectivity and in-Car Internet
62. Get Online in Your Car
63. Make Your Mobile Phone Hands-Free with Your Car PC
64. Transfer Data to and from Your Car PC
65. View Real-Time Traffic Data on the Road
66. Videoconference from Your Car
67. Use GPS on Your Car PC
68. Find WiFi Hotspots on the Road
Chapter 7. In-Car Applications
69. Plug into Your Car's Built-in Computer
70. Put a Video Jukebox in Your Car Theater
71. Choose Your in-Car Navigation Software
72. Play Thousands of Games by Emulating Video Game Consoles
73. Use CENTRAFUSE as Your Car PC Frontend
74. Use Neocar Media Center as Your Car PC Frontend
75. Use FrodoPlayer as Your Car PC Frontend

This book gave a good introduction for CarPC newbie.
I'm coming from computer background but have no idea about car electricity, AC/DC, etc. The guide was comprehensive and very clear.

This book has almost everything you need to get started with hacking a car pc. Its great to have.

Car PC Hacks tells you how to install a computer and all sorts of cool tech in your car.

It includes 75 projects. Well, the first few are not really projects, but very helpful explanations of automotive electrical systems. I was most interested in the chapters on how to install LCD screens, how to integrate a computer in your car, and how to power everything from the car battery.

This book is obviously written by people who have installed a lot of computers in their own cars and used them for their own and their families' entertainment. It has just the information I needed to be able to do these projects. Excuse me, I'm going to geek my ride now.

I offered this book to a friend who is into film production. He seemed to be really satisfied with the book content...

Eve has done a great job of encapsulating the logistical process of making a film. One could call Eve's book a filmmaking bible. No other book says it better.

Matthew Giovannucci
Student / Rockport College, Maine

Really helpful. If you are making a film, you need this book

Now in an updated and expanded third edition, The Complete Film Production Handbook by film production expert Eve Light Honthaner is a comprehensive, resource packed instructional reference enhanced with essential the "need-to-know" ins and outs of the film business, including checklists, example schedules for pre-production and post-production, guidelines for insurance policies, talent management, immigration details applying to actors and other film industry workers crossing national borders, forms used for the Screen Actor's Guild (among others), basic production forms and deal memos, and a companion CD-ROM containing numerous useful documents in easily printable form. A "must-have" for anyone seriously considering producing a film for the first time, The Complete Film Production Handbook is a practical, accessible, and essential reference for novice filmmakers, and is highly recommended resource for even the more experienced movie producer, whether independent or studio contracted.

It is quite a great book! I learned so much, and i learned where to learn more, after reading this book i came up with new doubts, and im solving them now. If you are serious about making a movie, this is a must have, this and other more.

Not soemthing I would read cover to cover, but the individual "Hacks" that I have read are pretty good. I have lots of books along this line and this is one of the bet. I put it up there with Stu's "DV Rebels Guide" which is also incredible. If you like the Rebel guide, you will probably like this as well. Lots of good stuff. Enjoy!

Great book with great content I recommend it to anyone who want to take there film making a step forward and is to busy or lazy to download the information from the internet becaue it is all there. Spread around of course but you will find every piece of information even most of the pictures used in this book so. If you have time and dedication you can save yourself the money by looking it up on the internet.

This book covers many aspects of video. Labeling tapes, making excel spreadsheets for saving information, time code on tapes, how to achieve certain effects, lighting, and green screen effects just name a few. The book is general to most all video software and is a very usefull tool I'm glad I purchased. Don't let the term "HACKS' fool you it 's only refering to tips or tricks.

I found the book to be very practical and have the
kind of "nuts-and-bolts" pointers that I like. You
don't have to read it cover to cover (I didn't) but
can pick it up and go to the points that interest you
or where you are currently in need of help. It refers
to various "commerical products" that the author has
used to get the job done. I found this helpful. With so
many competing products to chose from it's nice to
hear, "If you get product X you'll be able to do Z,"
rather than buying and hoping (or not buying and
wondering). Kuddos to the author.

I learned so much from this book. In fact, I've already implemented several of the ideas and have had great results. If you're semi-professional (video has been added to your responsibilities but you have no experience with this medium) BUY THIS BOOK.

Who would have thought of parchment paper and clothes pins to diffuse light and create a softer, more natural light over the subject? That's just one of the great tips I've already started using.

I've bought several digital video books while trying to learn this medium, and this has been by far the most useful.