Video Books

Excellent addition to Harryhausen's "An Animated Life".
Drawings,sketches,pictures...Recommended!!

If you're a fan of Ray and his films, or even just a fan of great movies in general, this is a must-have book. There are plenty of other reviewers here who give details about the book, so I'll skip that and just say that it really does live up to the hype you're seeing here. Ray is a master (and a really nice guy too), and he speaks candidly and in detail about his life and films so it's an enjoyable and informative read. Plus the pictures are phenomenal. I don't know that I'd say this is better than the first book, because they're really both great.

I grew up with Harryhausen movies. This book captures my imagination like his animation did when I was a kid. I love it. It is almost as much fun to read as it is to look at the awesome pictures of Harryhausen's drawings and sculptures! If I had to reduce my animation library down to 5 books, this would be one of them.

I don't feel qualified reviewing my purchase as it was a gift for a dear friend who has been a Harryhausen fan since he was twelve. By his reaction upon receiving the book I felt I must have given him the greatist gift in the world. It was before I wrapped the book that I had a chance to skim through it and I found it to be very impressive in its wealth of photos, illustrations and information. I was very glad to see it was printed on quality paper and the illustrations were large and clear. I have seen other books of this type and get very annoyed when they print a picture of a film no larger then 2"x 2 1/2". I would say this book is a great tribute to Mr. Harryhausen's career.

Much better than the first book. The first while good was to technical. We all love Ray Harryhausen for his visual work and this book shows it off beautifully. I highly reccommend it.
Phil

This book is based on Avid Express Pro as of 2004 and will serve you well as a reference text. It is well-indexed and has useful cross-references in the text.

This book is very helpful for new beginners learning AXP. It is very detailed and to the point. A must have.

figata ci vediamo al solito posto alle 12.00. porta la corazzata
pinuccio

I wish I just had the manual that came with the program. Often times you find the book more so telling you what it can do rather than how to actually do it. All in all, with it's help and a little time spent with the editing system you can figure this program out. It doesn't stray too far from the other major non-linear editing systems.

I am a beginner with Avid and was daunted by all the different and options available to me. Monohan's book was just what I needed. I am currently giong through the book from A to Z, which gives me an overview of all the options and work-methods the program has. Even though I allready had set up my workspace, this book gave me some interesting tips. Even though I had allready developed a workflow for my previous projects, I learned some new options by reading this book.

Interestingly, serving as a guide from a to Z is not where Monohan excells. It should be used as an index to all the available options from this program. Want to know how to find those audio-peaklevels? How to get rid of that nested alpha-channel? Or you want to remember that trick in lassoing to trim mode? Use the index or the table of contents and you'll find what you're looking for in no time.

Great value for its price!

Some background on me:
I have a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science. I'm also a professional software engineer in the video game industry.
In my education, I had a few classes on electronics/digital circuits and I loved it. I started doing my own circuits outside of class and buying digital ICs to add to my toolkit. Over the years, I'd lost touch with that side of myself and the joy that it gave me. Then I found this book, "The Black Art of Video Game Console Design".

This book is basically an abridged EE (Electrical Engineering) degree with a focus on video game consoles! And the kicker is that you're being instructed by one of the most "readable" authors around. By "readable", I mean that the author has a way of teaching you things as if it was your friend, sitting next to you, turning complicated subjects into an easy-to-understand, entertaining, data stream. The information is clear and the tone is upbeat and occasionally humourous.

As I read through the book, I was hitting everything that I learned in months and months in the classroom, but without all the fuss and only the relevant information. Resistors, capacitors, diodes, truth tables, timing diagrams, etc, it's all there. Then, the author jumped into complicated areas such as joysticks, sound, microprocessors, assembly language, the NTSC (standard TV) video signal (just to name a few). Finally, there we were at the pinnacle of the mountain, the culmination of all our learning, and here's where the real "Black Art" of the book kicks in, the full process of designing a video game console.

In today's hardware driven world, this book should be on every game programmer's shelf, whether they're a hobbyist or a seasoned veteran.

Andre LaMothe is an amazing guy, no question about it. He tends to write huge books, and the amount of material he fits into them is superlative. He's obviously got a passion for what he does, and that passion is certainly revealed in his writing style. He's a guy who never lost that simple love of video games.

Perhaps it's his sheer enthusiasm that makes him seem to sometimes write too quickly. A few minutes spent with The Black Art Of Video Game Console Design brings this tendency to light: I don't know how long it took to write this book, but I imagine the author was under some pressure to get it finished before some kind of deadline, because there are the typical signs of a book that didn't get properly edited. There are occasional typos and punctuation glitches, but more worrisome is the potential for factual errors. For example, an early and very glaring inaccuracy is the claim on page 66 that most electronics solder is 60% tin and 40% flux. In reality, typical solder is 60% tin and 40% *LEAD*, not flux; the flux burns and evaporates away from the solder once the solder has been melted. Yeah, it's a small detail, but any technical editor should have caught that one a mile away.

On a larger scale, however, LaMothe's enthusiasm propels the book forward at a speed not typically seen in how-to books. Comprising almost a thousand pages, this is already a pretty massive book, but the amount of material LaMothe crams into that space is remarkable. The first few chapters are something you have to see to believe, each chapter condensing basically an entire college electronics class' worth of material into around 50 pages. While this means that, in a sense, the book is a good value because it provides a lot of material, this compression obviously comes at a price: Some concepts were just not meant to be explained in a single paragraph, and the book falters multiple times trying to explain something as quickly as possible when the concept would really have benefited from some elaboration.

The result is a book that often makes me wonder what audience would most benefit from it. The first few chapters are all about electronics, and are written on a level that would benefit someone with literally no background in electronics at all. However, the focus of the book is on console design, not EE, and there are better books out there for the person who just wants to learn electronics. This, combined with the fact that you really can't (and probably shouldn't try) to learn the entire field of electronics in one night, leads me to believe that anyone approaching this book should probably have some thorough grounding in electronics technology before you actually start reading the book. Once you get past the first half and into the really game-focused material, the book comes into its own, but a majority of the material here would be better read elsewhere.

So ultimately, this is a book with a HUGE amount of material that you can learn a lot from, and if you really want to buy just one book, it's hard to find a better value than this. But if you want a truly broad-based education in electronics, you'll need to do some heavy supplementing with other books before you can get the most benefit out of this one.

I am always amazed how one person can know so much, learn new things and write <<2 000>> page book--and still produce accurate information that any hobbiest can pickup, without burning out! I wonder if Lamothe's next book is going to top his last? This one, just like Tricks 3D, is not for the faintheart but for the passionate individual that wants to learn how things are done in this world.

I'm in school for Electronics and I am shocked at how much information is packed into a single chapter. I think I learned more reading half of this book than in a year of schooling (as far as practical matters go). I have much to say but I should ramble no more... just buy it man! You won't be disapointed.

At least a book about the most obscure aspect of game programming: hardware designed to play.
This book gives a unique glimpse to the stuff needed to build your own game machine, the decissions you need to made, why to take certain paths in your designs and so on... even it gives you a very good primer on electronics and semiconductors.
Given the great number of Atari homebrewers out there, this book arrives just in time to create a whole new scene... a scene in which not only you will make your own games.. but the very machine they run on!
Definitely, a must have.

I am not going to give a quick rundown of this book, many others have already done that in the reviews. I want to tell you what the book can enable you to do. I was a hardware hacker back in the day when WOZ was hackin the Apple II. I hacked my way into being a programmer and sold my soul to business software.

I wanted to return to my roots and be able to do what the WOZ did with the Apple 1. After surfing the net I came across this book and the XGameStation. With it I have learnt the basic electronics needed to produce a gaming system. I have in fact built my very own video game console and am now programming PacMan for it.

This was all made possible by the information in this book. If the book didn't have it, it told me what to look up with regards to other IC's timings speed etc. Thus providing the Keys for me to unlock those doors that remained hidden until now.

Simply put this book is truly the 'Keys to the Kingdom' of video Game Console Design. I can say that because I have made my own Game Console and I know it to be true.I completely taught myself and I am not an EE student but just a hacker/hobbiest. I highly recomend this book for any beginner or EE student/hacker interested in designing their own Video Game Console.

If your new to electronics Andre' gives you crystal clear basic teaching for you in this book so don't be afraid and have some fun.

Mike

The book covers the physical layer aspects of modern cable networks, in comparatively greater details than the MAC and transport layers.

The author has done an excellent job in choosing relevant details of each technology presented in the book and laying them out in an easy-to-understand manner.


Overall, it is a good reference book to have within one's reach and is a better starting point in one's understanding of cable networks, instead of searching for terms or concepts using internet search engines.

Dr. Ovadia has written a thorough and carefully researched dissertation on the end-to-end Cable TV network architecture. The book is excellent for both a high level overview of the Hybrid Fiber/Coax network as well as for an in-depth review of the various network components, including laser transmitters and optical fiber amplifiers, plant noise characterization, head-end and subscriber modems, media formats and more. There is also an overview of the Docsis protocol. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about the Cable Operator network architecture. The contents should be required knowledge for anyone involved in developing any of the components of a cable TV network.

As a non-expert in the field, "Broadband Cable TV Access Networks" is a very complete book that is well-organized and full of information. The introduction sections are very clear and setup up the rest of the book very well. It is clear that Shlomo is an expert in the field and also a very good writer that integrates difficult concepts into a readable story. On areas that Shlomo is not an expert in, the descriptions are not so complete. Sometimes, the book moves too quickly through the details, but the amount of material in the book is impressive for its size. Overall this is a very good book that holds the reader's interest.

The book "Broadband Cable TV Access Networks" by Dr. Ovadia presents both a high level overview and low level details of CATV technology. It is a well organized system engineering handbook for cable TV network. It gives an excellent introduction to the overall CATV architecture. The introduction is very descriptive and easy to understand. And then extends to rigorous technical details in transmission technologies (over both fiber and coax cable), RF and digital transceiver design, cable modem protocols, software architecture and applications. The book can be a good tutorial for people interested in CATV technology and a good reference for engineers working in the area.

I am working in MRV Communications in the field of FFTx Receivers Transceivers design, focusing in the analog side of the system video transport.

I had purchased the book and enjoyed reading it. Indeed, it is a great system engineering book covering a broad spectrum of technical subjects which I have a lot of interest. It broadened my knowledge on the arena of CATV which was new to me.
(I came from Israel from the Satellite Communications field).

It is a recommended book to any communications engineer, component engineer and system engineer dealing with fiber optics data communications and video transport.
It covers all design aspects in all perspectives, system wise and component wise.
It provides a broad review, showing the affects of RF chains and , optical links imperfections on a QAM signal in most scientific analytic and professional way.

The book is structured as a zoom-in, taking the reader from a broad picture of definitions, system architectures and topologies such as HFC, PON, zooming into each building block requirements and constrains such as optics CWDM WDM optical none linearity, pre-distortions, CATV receivers topologies , specs and optimized solution. Additionally it covers the aspects of protocols such as DOCSIS and CATV standards showing how to approach to system design, understanding its requirements in order to reach the proper design.

The books provides block diagrams, schemes plots and conclusion to each chapter subject.

Indeed Dr. Shlomo Ovadia did here a huge effort and a great job.
This book is must have in any technical library.

Avi Brillant
Senior Design Engineer
Luninent-Inc
20550 Nordhoff Street
Chatsworth
CA-91311

Cell 818-266-7330

tremendous text for classic bugs bunny enthusiasts. brings a new found appreciation for the masterminds behind the character development and the environment they "grew up" in.

Simply put, this is the best book ever written about Looney Tunes, and what it took to make them. Chuck shares entertaining behind the scenes info about the Termite Terrace and the people who worked there. Chuck say's that it was quite normal to see the animators look like they were going to wack each other with a mallet. Chuck also tells stories about those notorious poducers, Leon Schlesinger (whos lisp was used in Daffy voice) and Eddie Selzer. When Eddie said "I don't want any gags about bullfights, bullfights aren't funny!", Jones and Mike Maltise had something. Result: Bully For Bugs. When he said the same thing about camels to director Fritz Freleng, the result: Sahara Hare. Though Eddie is quoted as saying about Pepe Le Pew, "Nobody'd laugh at that s**t!", he happily accepted the Oscar for "For Scent-imental Reasons", a Pepe Le Pew cartoon. That (and many more) hilarous titbits are spread throughout this superb book, including high-quality backgrounds and scenes for "Duck Dodgers in the 24th and 1/2 Century" and many others. Also included are many drawings and many photos of the directors, animators and producers. The most illistruated and well thought out book about cartoons ever made.

The world lost an animation genius recently with the death of Chuck Jones. Luckily, there is a book like this that celebrates the animation genius he was. Arguably, Jones was the father of some of the best Warner Brothers cartoons ever made, including "Duck Amuck," "Duck Dogers in the 24th and 1/2 Century," and my personal favorite "What's Opera Doc?" He also is responsible for giving us such great pieces of pop culture as the original "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."

Part autobiography, part instruction, part tribute, this book shows us the man behind the screen, or should I say behind the pencil? We often wonder where a genius comes from - Chuck seems to say from anywhere. His mark on the development of the cartoon is undeniable, and monumental. But just as you cannot appreciate art fully until you know about the painter, so it is with Chuck's cartoons. I have a greater appreciation for the work that goes into developing these 8 minute masterpieces. Yes, it's true that Jones gave us some of the clunkers in the 60's as the Warner Brothers studio (and the MGM studio) animation division gasped what seemed to be its last breath. But it's all the more amazing that Chuck could produce such works given what little he had to work with. The world would be poorer were it not for the gives Chuck has given us, including Wile E. Coyote (super genius!),and the Road Runner, Pepe Le Pew, Marvin the Martian and many others. His style was distinctive, his contributions monumental and behind it all, he was a fascinating and talented man. This book stands as a tribute to this genius now that he's no longer with us.

Rather than an autobiography, this book is more a collection of musing from one of America's greatest storytellers (he just happened to tell his stories with pictures shown in rapid succession!) From his love of Mark Twain to his contempt at studio management, we see not how his life unfolded, but rather how Mr. Jones created his vision. Though there is no drawing instruction, I have to agree with the plethora of lists that this should be on the shelves of every animator, professional or aspiring, as it illuminates what goes into a great cartoon before penicl ever touches paper.

Chuck Jones is one of the best known people in the animation business. He's been in the animation business for over 65 of his 88 years(as I write this review, he'll be 88 on the 12th of this month!).

This book lists all of the cartoons he's been involved with (Warner Bros, MGM, Dr. Suess specials, and many others). Also, he talks about growing up, how real life inspired his cartoons, what it was like working in Warner Bros studio, pays tribute to partners Tex Avery, Friz Freleng, Mike Malthese, and Abe Levitow, and talks about other projects he's done (like his How to Draw From the Fun Side of Your Brain). And as the other reviewers have pointed out, there's an animated cartoon of the Roadrunner and the Coyote on the pages of this book.

Since this book was originally published, he's produced one video in the 1990's (Chariots of Fur) and the historical and whimsical book Daffy for President (available through the US Postal Service).

I downloaded the pilot from unbox to check it out given its high user ratings since I don't have cable. But the series is just not for me judging from the pilot. The inner workings of the psychopathic mind is a fascinating topic up to a point and is revealed through the lead character's perspective in his every day interactions. However, the images of chopped up bodies made this a show that I will have to pass on and deleted from my unbox player to make sure young children don't see it accidently. I like shows that are story-driven and about characters interacting. In this show you get some of that, but the body part props and blood are a turn-off as it detracts from the story for me to the point where I just don't want to watch. I'm also not a fan of those CSI type of shows so that may be another reason why this type of drama (violent crime and bodies) like Dexter is not for me and does not appeal to me.

Dexter is one of the best series ever! watched all of 1st season and now ready two watch the 2nd season but cant find it.

The first 12 episodes are fantastic. The acting and story line are phenominal. I could not stop watching once I started. I watched all 12 episodes in 2 days.

Who likes the cable companies? NO ONE. They over charge and under deliver all the time. And yet many people, myself included pay extra for Showtime, because of shows like Dexter. Now that you can get the show on iTunes or unbox, you can ditch the cable or at least reduce the damage each month.
Oh yeah, this show. Why would anyone like a show about a killer of killers? I can't explain it. BUT I can't stop watching it. I want to meet and be friends with this guy, although knowing his charactor he wouldn't let that happen. You have to see this. Try just one and you will be hooked.

Absolutely the most twisted plot line I've ever seen. The unique psychological and emotional suspense makes this show very fun to watch. Many of the situations and conflicts are unlike anything I've seen before. If you can handle some blood and don't mind sympathizing with a serial killer then it's definitely worth your time.

I ordered this book about Johnny Depp and when I first opened the book to pg.1 I got really interested and i said to myself "What a good book I picked out".I love Johnny Depp.He is my favorite actor and i think he is so hot!This book is a gotta- get cuz everything about johnny depp is hot,baby!!

This book talks a lot more about his movies and whatr he did in them/for them then hid personal life. But, it does talk about his relationships and has a whole chapter (named 1410) on his hotel trashing arrest.

I liked that it talked about his childhood. Also, it potrayed him not as a "Bad Boy" but as a really nice guy who has been a target of the tabloids. Seriously people, get this book! I laughed quite hard in a few places. Also, this book came out before POTC so its not one of those type of books (the kind that go on about how he is such a rebel and if asked about Ed Wood or Chocolat they would go "What? Johnny Depp was in that??").

This is by far the best book about Johnny Depp. You can tell that Christopher Heard truly respects Johnny. If you can only buy one book about Johnny make it this one. I hope he will continue to update this as Johnny continues to amaze us with his uncompromising performances as one of, if not the best, actors of his generation.

This biography is outstanding. It is about the life of the great actor Johnny Depp, who has been in such movies as Edward Scissorhands, Don Juan de Marco, Donnie Brasco, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. If you would like to know the absolute truth about Johnny Depp, what kind of person he really is, and what makes him such a remarkable actor, you must read this book. I already loved and admired him, but after reading this book, my respect for him grew tremendously.

The main focus of this book is his career, and it goes into great detail about all of his movies up until 2001. (Pirates of the Caribbean, Secret Window, and Charlie & the Chocolate Factory are not included in this book) You will not only find out why he chose to do these movies, but you will also discover who chose him for these parts, what he did to come up with his characters, his relationships with co-stars and directors, and much more. There are tons and tons of quotes from co-stars about Johnny; what it was like working with him, what they think about him as an actor...I found this to be very interesting. You can absolutely tell that Christopher Heard went through a great deal of research for this book. Very impressive. It also covers Johnny's personal life, from his romantic interests, to his family life, his struggles, and his not-so-proud moments. This book sets the record straight. Additionally, it does include several small pictures, mostly in black and white, but there is also an 8 page section with full-page colored photos of Johnny as well.

Please read this biography so you can give Johnny Depp the respect that he deserves. This book will give you proof that he is not only a talented actor, but a completely brilliant, creative, and sensitive man.

Christopher Heard states clearly that he's not telling the story from the press' point of view or from a pro Johnny point of view. He's simply giving the facts and the explanations that the media conveniantly missed. His somewhat mocking of the media's dreamt up persona of Johnny is entertaining, and also informative. It's what you need to know about Johnny, and makes you realize how much you respect him rather than just obsess over him.

Initially I started this book and learned some things right away that I hadn't realized. Then the direction of the book seemed to jump around a bit and in the process I found sections that weren't formatted properly and in one section (pgs.60-61) the author refers to an project file that doesn't exist. In other parts you wonder what one thing has to do with the exercise just given. On page 67 it jumps from finding a particular clip within a sequence to placing markers for DVD Studio Pro.
If the book is used in a process where you check for something in the index then jump to that page, it should work out fine, but as a linear read, it really is scattered.

The author of this book really hits the nail on the head by showing you how to do the cool stuff and backing it up with page after page of tips, tricks and troubleshooting knowledge. The Questions and Answers section at the end of each chapter are priceless. This is one of the few Final Cut Pro books that I have read that successfully mixes basic, intermediate and advanced topics and for that I have to give much credit to this author. I have been using Final Cut Pro for one year and my colleagues are seasoned Final Cut Pro professionals, and we all learned something from this book. This book gave me a solid learning experience and made me like Final Cut Pro even more.

Like one of the previous reviews, I too have several books on this subject and this is no doubt the best of the bunch. Lonzell Watson takes a different approach to his teaching by making you think about what you're editing and how you might frame the edit. There's only one trivial thing in the book that takes some getting used to and that is the (play head) being referred to as the (position indicator) I find myself constantly thinking what's he talking about position indicator?...Oh you mean the PLAY HEAD! This isn't your typical cookie cutter instructional book, well worth your attention.

This book is extremely helpful. I obtained Final Cut Pro 6 with only limited working knowledge of the software, but through this book I have quickly excelled and I can edit quickly and with the best of them. I would recommend this book to anyone who any questions about the program. The question and answer section at the end of each chapter gives a little bit of extra insight that is also incredible useful.

GENIUS - an over used word...but not when talking about these guys.

Several years ago I took John Lynn's FCP class at GeniusDV in Florida. I'd been a video editor for well over 20 years and thought I would never be able to make the transition from the good 'ole tape editing to digital editing. Without the talented John Lynn and GeniusDV I never would have been able to evolve from one format to the other. GeniusDV helped me become more proficient in FCP than I ever imagined.

However, I realized that I got stuck doing the same things...same effects...same dissolves...same graphics same, same, same. Then I got my hands on FINAL CUT PRO 6 for Digital Video Editors Only by Lonzell Watson.

To begin with, the large type of the book itself is a huge help. The paper it's printed on is of such quality my constant contact will never rip a page.

Quite simply, the content and the written structure of Lonzell's book made me want to sit in the editing bay. Lonzell's spot-on "hit the deck running" instructions and tips showed me new ways to work.

His chapter on "Accelerating the Editing process" (Chapter 3) is superior. Many times during my constant reading of this book I find myself actually shaking my head and mumbling something like "I didn't know that!" His crystal clear breakdown of tasks showed me how to tell my story in a way I had imagined; yet wasn't sure how to best produce. Even with all my editing experience, I found that the exercises gave me new inspiration and ideas.

FINAL CUT PRO 6 For Digital Video Editors Only by Lonzell Watson is the first thing I reach for when I begin editing. Before I even turn on the computer the book is on the left side of my keyboard...notes and colored paper clips extending abundantly.

FINAL CUT PRO 6 for Digital Video Editors Only is complete in itself. This book is the perfect link to the class I took at GeniusDV. If you are a video editor, or want to be a video editor get to one of their classes. I plan on taking another class with GENIUSDV, but until I do this book will be more than sufficient. I didn't think anything could be as helpful, instructional and enjoyable as the actual class taught by the consummate John Lynn and GeniusDV. However, Lonzell Watson's book is a masterful substitute.

Lonzell Watson, John Lynn and Genius DV are worthy of the word genius.

Well it covers everything you need in the game, and not just the basic walkthrough of each mission. It gives some really good tips on jobs and skills, some combinations I haven't used before that are really good.
Also it covers all the secret missions and how to beat them and also how to get all the secret characters, and it's no big secret Balthier from FF XII is one of the guys you get.

The book gives an in depth chart on all the missions, all the maps, all the items/weapons/armour you can get. And also guide for the Deep Dungeon (one for the hardcore with time to spare) to tackle.

Aside from it being a great guide... you will be happy to know the artwork is great too. Not like some guidebooks that are so fnctional I may as well read it from gamefaqs.com... this one is lovely. As you can see from the cover, you get a few bits of eye candy. And on a small note, the pages aren't fragile thin as they are plastic coated/filmed.

I played this game quite a while ago, and when it came out again on PSP, I decided to grab this strategy guide for the second time around. With in-depth how-to and covering all the side quests and jobs, I clocked in 70+ hours of game play, as compared to my original 40 hours when I played without the game. This guide gives out no spoilers, but shows you how to get the most out of FFT. This really helped me get all side characters & showed how to get my characters up to speed with "job placement". Bradygames never lets me down, and in this instance it really improved the game. I'm passing this on to my other gamer friends and would recommend these strategy guides to any Final Fantasy fan.

I recently purchased FFT: the war of the lions for my PSP, and decided to get the guide to have the set.

The guide has everything you need to get going, and keeps it up to the end, even helping you out on the new Ad Hoc additions to the game. I'd like to point out that i do own the original PS1 version, and it's guide, also, and there is no doubt the SE and Bradygames have decided to keep up the top notch work for this title and guide.

The ONLY glaring difference is the PS1 guide had a star method of suggesting the best job abilities. The PSP guide only suggest what works best for each job. Not a big difference, imho, because after playing a while, you should be able to discern which abilities help the most.

All in all, an enjoyable guide to have if you need a nudge in the right direction.

I really like this book, because it contains all of the details, of course, not only the walkthrough. But, more importantly, it also tells us the invisible factors in the calculation of achieving something, for example, to achieve rare item after the melee mode. Other than that, it's standard; details walkthrough, nice printed, easily-to-look format, and great paper quality (if this counts,lol).

Only one thing is bad, after my great great experiences purchasing items at Amazon, I received this book in a defective condition. It's torn (I don't want to return it since i couldn't wait to receive and use this book right away, yet another book). I don't know if it's because UPS or from Amazon. But, it's no big deal. The shipment is a very lightning fast shipment (This is what i like from Amazon). Anyway, great book.

It has everything from pictures to guidelines. Everything a "strategy guide" needs. Well organized and easy to follow.

I have to say, this book is awesome. It taught me how to build models and understand why I am doing what I am doing. I use it all the time and hopefully he will release a new version for us folks who will outgrow this one. Covers all bases and it's worth 2x what I paid for it...

this is very good because it teaches step by step and it makes sense too.

The book is a very clear, step-by-step of all the processes involved in making a game character leading up to the animation. The animation is covered but not in as much detail. Everything else is though, including the awesome rigging machine which comes with the book.

Its refreshing to see that someone wasnt limited by a publisher to keep the book size down, and he obviously was able to take his time really illusrating every step.

Its a great book.

This is my first time to write this kind of review, therefore, I don't know how to do a good one. But what I can say for this book is it is easy to follow and the method of modeling that I have learned from it is very useful. If you can follow the tutorials patiently, you can gradually build a very good foundation of your modeling skill. ^-^.. I am looking forward for the next edition.

1)This book highlights some important issues in modeling & rigging that no other books bother to emphasis.

2)The accompanying CD contains very insightful scripts (that acutally works) - goodies other books only PRETEND to give.

3)It guides beginners and ease them through relatively advanced topics in character animation.

4)If you really need to achieve something in a hurry in Maya. Yes, this is the book to get.