Game Design Books

Even if I never make my own journal, I love looking at this book! It takes you through the whole process or suggests how you can transform an already existing book. The examples show creative and beautiful ideas. It focuses more on the use of paint than other materials. I bought it with The Decorated Page which elaborates on page ideas and love owning both. It is a great addition to my art reference material.

I was very pleased with this book! It has lots of great ideas for journaling or other mediums.

I loved Gwen Diehn's first book and this one is very, very good. The journal pages by the artists and the suggestions from the author are inspiring and thought provoking.
The design of this book is uninspired and boring. It is UNDERdecorated. It looks like a text book, which is a shame.

This book helped me get to the next stage in my beginning art journaling. I learned why paper behaves the way it does when liquid is applied, how different adhesives work and what they're good for--tons of practical stuff for a neophyte to art journaling. I go back to it again and again. It's got great information, and it's a beautiful book to spend time with. I'll grow into it for a long time.

I devoured this book! It is by far the most inspiring and informational book on journal making I have ever read. Wonderfully written and illustrated so it is easy to understand and put to use. I can't wait to try everything including making my own pigments! I guess I'll have to buy her first one!

I am so thankful for the insightfulness of Mr. Aronson. I have done more conceptual video work in the past when I was a graduate student in photography. I am looking a doing another educational project and wanted to brush up on my skills. The book provides me with the knowledge I can use to feel much more confident in the upcoming project as well as exploring my own fine art projects. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in digital video.

este es un libro que explica de manera didáctica ,todos los procesos que tiene una producción audiovisual.
Muy bien ilustrado, con ejemplos que ayudan al nuevo realizador audiovisual a enfrentar sus primeras producciones de una forma segura, buscando que éste no cometa errores que luego pueden demeritar su trabajo.
La única crítica que tengo para hacer de esta obra, es que los ejemplos de montaje los realizan en programa específicos , como Final Cut, algo que de alguna manera deja sin posibilidades a aquellos que manejamos plataformas de edición diferentes.

The first half of the book is very thorough in going over the basics of film and digital video. There's also some description on some basic equipment you'll need to get off the ground.

The second half talks about basic editing in Final Cut, which I mostly skipped since I don't plan on using Final Cut. Honestly, for filmmakers who plan on using Final Cut, this would've probably made 5 stars.

Have fun and good luck on your film!

"DV Filmaking from Start to Finish" is a !!MASTERPIECE!!. It is a book I
recommend to anyone interested in Digital Video. Reading the book was like having Mr. Ian David Aronson in your room sharing with you all of his knowledge.

This book it's not a 18 chapter tutorial on learning Final Cut Pro or After Effects. It's more like traveling back in time and learning from the history of Digital Video to the present day. Aronson show's everything, from film to video, the way you should treat your camera, what you should be
prepared with; lighting, greenscreen, Hardware, white balance, DVD
authoring,
aspect ratios, you name it, including some basic tutorials on doing
edits.
He even gives you an internet address to look and confirm what he is showing
you.

If you are an advanced editor, this book is for you. This book is for to
read,
learn and keep it forever just in case you forget a detail, so you can
review it again and again. I was amazed with the things I have learned from
Mr.
Aronson. Thank you and I'll hope to read another book from him.

Jorge Raphael Valenzuela Hernández
Graphic Artist / Videographer

DV Filmmaking From Start To Finish by Ian David Aronson's will reach both amateur and professional digital video users with a basic primer on differences between digital and print mediums. Familiarity with Final Cut Pro or Adobe After Effects, the two programs used here, will aid in understanding DV applications in either PC or Mac formats, while the author's background as a teacher of digital media lends a logical progression to his tips and practical applied examples.

Short: I am writing this review from the perspective of a high school student who started with Blitz, went on to a more advanced language, and is now revisiting Blitz again.

Long: When I first picked up the book, I was a high school student with no prior programming experience. I had written code before, but it was HTML so I didn't actually write programs.

I abandoned Blitz for a while when I finally got the chance to take a programming class(C++) in school and have recently returned and thus revisited the book to brush up. I took this oppertunity to write a review here.

C++ is a more advanced, powerful, and widely used language but I still use Blitz to make simple games because it's hard to get good graphics in a C++ compiler without costly graphics pacakges to go with it.

Opinion

Short: The book is very intuitive and well written. The author does a very good job at explaining things and the book is very well paced. When going to a more advanced language I was helped significantly by the concepts I learned when using Blitz. I would highly recommend this book.

Long: When I first got this book, I thought programming would be a daunting task. This book goes through it very well and has a nice pace that keeps you from getting overwhelmed. The author writes very clearly and is very good at explaining concepts. This is a great book to get started with programming.

When I dropped this because I started programming in C++, I found transfering languages easier than I had hoped. I learned a lot of basic concepts in Blitz and was able to take many of them over into C++.

For a short time, the only real changes that I experienced were different syntax between the two languages and some other basic priciples (such as library functions) not used in Blitz. By the time I got to a point where most of the material I was learning had no equivalent in BLitz, I had been using C++ long enough not have any problems.

Conclusion

Short: It's a great, well written introductory book for those looking to program for fun or those who want to go further but need a good starting point.

Long: When I got this book, my purpose was to get something to introduce me into programming in a simple, easy to understand manner. I am happy to say that it works very well for this purpose. The Blitz language will not carry you especially far but if you are in it for fun or are just looking for a starting point, this will work very well. I still program with it myself a bit even after learning a more advanced language.

I really didn't like this book. It was written oddly, and doesn't teach you that much (which may have more to do with the fact that the programming language taught is really simplistic). The programs included are limited demos, and the final project (Invaderz!!!-what a wonderful name >_>) is not even explained in the book.

This was my very first game programming book. Eversince I have read 2 other books about programming, and am working on two more.

Not only does this book give you a very good head start in game programming, it also gives you a sense of pride in programming. I don't know why, but it's just how the author explained everything.

Overall, the book is very well put together, and it gives you a basic head start in programming in genaral.

But be warned. If you want to do some 3D programming, this is not the book for you. It will only teach you the basics in both programming, and a little in graphics. Don't get me wrong, it teaches enough graphics to make a fine game. But you it doesn't teach you anything about maps, side scrolling, or other gene's. The only genre it really teaches would be like a space shooter.

Use this book for a beggining in programming. Don't stop here though. Find another source that can teach you other programming techniques and languages.

5 stars, all the way.

Being that I am 25 years old, I have learned a lot for game programming from this book. Also, I own Blitz 3D, which is perhaps Blitz's best language. However, all of the code from this book is geared more towards 2D, which is good. However, I was hoping that Maneesh would have covered more with the 3D aspect, as most good games these days do involve the third dimension.

Needless to say, this is perhaps the best game programming book for the beginner/hobbyist. You can create SNES/Genesis-quality games right out of the box with no problem. If you are a great artist, you can even make games comparable to today's console games, if only Maneesh would've covered more detail towards Game Programming in Blitz 3D. Great start to starting a hobby in making your own games, and it really has me sold on this book. I'm hoping that more books can come with this simplicity, and it's perhaps the most defined code I've used.

Bottom line, good job Maneesh, great book, but just include some game code for the 3D version of Blitz in your Third Edition.

The reviews for the first edition of this book, and its software, were very positive. I bought it for my kids shortly after the second edition came out. This edition of the book is useful, but the software--supposedly the key to making the book work, since it is supposed to allow you to actually design games as you go along--is advertised on the back of the book as being unlimited, and it's not unlimited. It's a demo that expires after several uses. Supposedly there's an unlimited version on the author's web site; good luck finding it.

Followup: I'm told the URL for the software is at www.maneeshsethi.com/BlitzPlusDemo.exe but I haven't used it yet to see if it's completely unlimited, or just has more uses.

The Art of Floral Design

I am curently a student of floral design and i have to say that this book is my bible. It has helped me so much i love it and so do all of my friends even thoughs whom dont attend my class. They have learned so much from it i have a cupple friends that purchesed the book and next year are going to attened the class. the book is simple enough for everyone and yet difficult enough so you dont get bored if it. i love this book, if you want to learn more about floral design i strongly suggest you bye it. thanks for your time and you have my best wishes.

The content of the book was in good condition, but the cover of the book was split in half and not in A1 condition. I was disappointed in that.

I teach floral design and use this book in my classroom. It's great. The students like it and it is very helpful for them

Used this book for a college class I was taking. I found this book to very easy to understand and helpful in making floral designs. The illustrations pictured, captured exactly what was being taught. A great book for beginners.

this was a required book for a class I took in floral design. The book covers most aspects of floral design from arranging to marketing. If you are looking to learn how to design arrange flowers this is a good reference book.

I have been looking for quite some time for an artist who can explain his works in words that are understandable. This is harder than it seems. After researching Don Seegmiller's art work from his website I decided to give this book a go. I have to say this is a must buy for anyone who is serious about digital painting. The first half of the book goes over all the basics you learn in your first year of art school, as well as some very interesting ideas to help you with character design. After learning the basic the book takes a turn for the better, and offers numerous walkthrough tutorials on how to create texture as well as convincing painting techniques. I cannot explain how helpful this book has been. BUY IT NOW!!! www.seegmillerart.com

This book is not bad but, The lessons seem to have a lot of steps left out of almost every lesson. I found it hard to follow a long. One minute the page has a sort of ugly sketch to follow a long with. Tun the page and that sketch has been turned into a very realistic painting with no real explanation as to how it got that way. I think this book is better if you already know what your doing when it comes to painting realistic characters and designing them, but then one could argue whats the point in getting this book also seeing as it cost a bit munch.

This book is totally out of this world on the topic of character design. Very detailed and well thought out. I will definatly recommend it to designers and artists.

Not only is this book excellent because of what you will learn from a master, but the physical book itself is of the highest quality, which of course is very important because you will no doubt turn to it repeatedly for guidance and inspiration. A beautifuly crafted book. The cd is most helpful. Enjoy!

Dear Mr. Seegmiller:

I've long been an admirer of your fantastic creations. You kinda became who I wanted to grow up to be ;-), so when I found you had published a book, I ran to get a copy.

Just wanted to let you know that this is the first of hundreds of art books in my library that is everything I'd hoped, and much more. I've had some
art training (mostly with folks who were better artists than teachers) and have learned a lot from books, as well as lots of drawing and painting on my own. I've participated in numerous exhibitions and group shows. Never have I had the pleasure of "sitting" in the company of such a fine, generous, exacting and specific educator, who is also one of my most admired artists.

The quicktime movies, so unselfishly revealing of your methods and creative processes, would have been worth twice the cost of the book. I'm studying them on a frame-by-frame basis, and gaining so much insight into what was heretofore theory alone. A weekend seminar could easily be developed from any one of these.

So thanks mightily from a very enthusiastic student at a distance.

Regards,
Bob Goldberg

www.bobbogoldberg.com

Whether your new to writing or producing interactive programs or a seasoned pro, into fiction or non-fiction, this book is the best there is in explaining this new craft.

This book brings clarity to a complex and often confusing subject. After co-writing several CD-ROM games, I thought I knew what I needed to know about interactive entertainment. This book made me realize how much more there is to this world and the vast potential that's there for creating new forms of entertainment and education. Instead of making you feel overwhelmed by the possibilities, Ms. Miller lays it all out for you in ways that are not only informative but actually inspirational. The chapters are well organized and the real-world examples are plentiful. On the one hand, it's an indespensible reference for anyone who writes (or wants to write) interactive material. On the other, it works as a muse, helping you to see things in a new light and often sparking ideas. It's a must for those who want to work in this field.

An extremeley informative, clear, focused book by a pioneer in the field who covers all the bases. It's a useful tool for writers interested in new forms of storytelling. With Miller's lively writing style and illustrations, it's a great read as well!

Dr. Linda Seger, Script Consultant
Author of MAKING A GOOD SCRIPT GREAT
and seven other books

Not a very playful book. In fact... it seems to follow the old playbook of how things are done. The same playbook that men/boys have written when it comes to gaming. Shoot first and ... questions? what questions? story? What's that? I already knew the material that was in this book. Didn't offer anything new for me. With this book... just a play an online game or grab a game off your shelf, read about the history of "interactive" media and computers and .. voila... you've read the book. For what I needed... this book just did not cover it. Time to lay some new ground in the gaming arena.

DIGITAL STORYTELLING
Carolyn Handler Miller

From sitting in front of the camp fire to sitting in front of a computer, story-telling has always been rewarding, yet often frustrating. The challenges of telling a story using different media, particularly a new one, can be intimidating, especially to someone who wasn't born with a mouse in their mouth.

Not to worry, though, for in the first chapter of Carolyn Miller's book, she lays those concerns to rest by noting that interactive stories are similar to myths, rituals, and games. I immediately felt better and dove right into this comprehensive book.

DIGITAL STORYTELLING is valuable on a number of levels.
It's a scholarly revue and investigation of interactive media and thus an excellent resource for researchers.
It explains the terminology and theories.
It offers specific tools for digital storytelling development of plot, structure, and characters.
It has guidelines for specific uses of digital storytelling such as information, education, and advertising.
Children's projects have their own helpful chapter.

As a story consultant moving more into games design work, and as a writer desiring to keep up with the latest techniques and technologies, I know I'll be reaching for DIGITAL STORYTELLING a lot. And I know I'll always find it a rich resource of information and inspiration.

This is a very very good book for any vinyl lover or collector, It's got so many examples shown. Only thing I would have liked better is more detail on many of the vinyls listed. This book is mostly pictures with only just a lil info on each. It would have been nice to have more info on many of them but still overall a wonderful book.

I was hoping this book would give me a little insight into the world of the designer toy. Instead, I got a pictorial, not a book...not a word of explanation, just pictures of the various toys. Too bad - it would have been more enlightening if the author included even bullet descriptions of the provenance of such toys: why are they called designer toys, when did this phenomenon start, where is it a craze, will it continue to be a craze and what makes one toy a hit and one not. This short review has more words than you'll ever read in the book.

one of the best toy art books around, lots of designs, this book is a must have

This is one of those books that simply has to be seen to be believed - who would have thought that toys (yes, toys) could become a new artistic medium? Within "I Am Plastic" you'll find a wild and wonderful selection of toys from creators from across the globe, everything from evil cartoon characters and superdeformed abstractions to fantastically detailed and realized robots, gorillas, and others. Browsing through this volume I was reminded of the art in the book "The Art of Modern Rock: The Poster Explosion" - the artists and their art in each of these books seem to have the same feel, the same vibe and life to them: definitely non-conformist, and definitely imaginative, as though pop culture was put in a blender and the results painted on canvas or molded into plastic toys. Anyone interested in modern art would do well to give this book a look.

This book has great images of toys from around the world. I bought it for a friend who is a graphic designer and she plans to use it as a visual reference for a childrens book she is illustrating.

Though this book series was written for After effects 6.5, I used it as a supplement to CS3. I am very glad that I did, the authors answered the question - Why do you use an effect or tool? The other "teach" books demonstrated what After Effects can do, but not how other than enter the number required in the exercise. A must read for anyone new to After Effects. I hope I can find such in depth books on the other Adobe Suite software. Kudos to the authors - thanks, thanks, thanks.

There are a billion ways you can go when you start up After Effects. It's wonderful to know that once I generate the ideas of what I want to do but don't know how to pull them off, all I have to do is find the tutorial for it and "Genius!" I've learned them and am able to modify them in any direction I want to go. Trish and Chris Meyer have a good handle on teaching, sometimes complex VFX maneuvers, in such easy to follow and understand terms. I highly recommend any of their books on this subject.

los Meyer ya saben como darnos la informacion, afortunadamente son libros muy faciles de leer aun si tu nivel de ingles es limitado.
Este libro en especial tiene una serie de ejercicios que refuerzan lo basico y nos expican lo avanzado.
Si ya has comprado libros de ellos, puede que te parezcan repetitivos, pero no te dejes llevar por eso. hay ajustes pequeños que te hacen ver diferente el proceso.
Adobe After effects es un programa en crecimiento, por ello, no subestimes en la informacion de estos libros.

This is another excellent After Effects guide that deserves to be in the library of any AE professional. However I was a little dissapointed with the contents. Being titled: Advanced Techniques, I expected to learn a lot of new techniques, but found most of the content was already well known by myself. I also found quite a lot of content was repeated in the other two After Effects books by the Meyers.

This is still an excellent book to have as a reference, and there are some great topics covered. It's very well written like the other books, and I don't regret the purchase at all. My complaints are probably mostly due to the fact I have learnt quite a bit since finishing the first book, for people who have finished the first book and want to learn more this would be perfect. But advanced users should perhaps look at After Effects 7 Studio Techniques which has more advanced content.

This book only to find out it's for version 5.5... Not a cheap book, as I already have purchased it.

I love this book! It has some great designs to work with. It opens up so many avenues for creative projects!

At the time I colored this book(a few years ago) I found the designs appealing...some designs are very simple but because of their big size after coloring them you might be surprized by their final impact...some designs are very complex and required a similar coloring approach...because of its combined design structures, simple and complex,I believe this book will satisfy the first timers in coloring.

I liked coloring these designs except it used up my magic markers too fast. Some of the areas were so large that my markers would run out before I could complete the area. For the most part, I thought this was an excellent coloring book and I would order it again.

I bought this coloring book for my Grandaughter's 8th birthday. Not only were all the little girls coloring in it but the teenagers and some adults were as well. Everyone loved it.

I purchased this book for my 7-year-old last year--a girl who loves art and math equally well. It has been 8 months and she STILL pulls out this book every week or so to work on a picture...and the results are really beautiful. It's detailed enough that she feels accomplished with her work and clean enough that it's not overwhelming. I highly recommend it!

3DS Max 4 In Depth is a book that I feel no serious artist working with 3DS Max should have -- even if they are working with a later version. While the tools shown in this book are refined and their locations moved, the descriptions of their use that you find within this book is priceless.

This is not a pleasure book, nor is it a "cookbook". You won't find the magic numbers that will create a low-poly character in here. What you will find is knowledge if you have the patience to read it. When I first learned 3D -- using 3DS Max 4 -- I began with this book, and I simply treated it as a textbook, reading measured amounts of it every day until I was done.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Even if you are an advanced user, it is likely that this book has something to tell you.

Im brand new to the 3d world. I had no clue how 3ds max 4 worked at all. I was clueless about what book to buy but for some reason i coose this one. I have only had it for a few weeks but it is so hard to follow its quite frustrating to use. Now it might just be a hard program to use but the book leads you though but you spend a lot of time looking for buttons, finding shapes and not really sure what the book wants you to do after you find it. I dont know if all the books are like this but i sure hope not. I just want to do fun stuff and it doesnt really look like the book even shows you how to. But im just in the begining so i have no ideas. Do you have an idea of a better book that wont take forever to lean? It looks quite exclusive in some of its progrmas. It needs to be shaped for the newbe in the beging of the book. I have spend hours with this book and got no were. You have to much dissifing to do.

If you're looking for specific tutorials to get the more out of specific tools in MAX this may not be the book for you. But if you are like me and just entering the 3D graphics field, this book is invaluable. In Depth has goes into the subtle nuance of 3DS MAX that you won't find in other books or tutorials. It explains the means to the end. Rather then teaching a specific goal, it gives you comprehensive knowledge of MAX that you can apply your 3d scenes. You may not end up with a nifty 'hey-look-at-what-can-be-made-in-max' scene, but you'll have an comprhensive understanding of the tools and how to apply it to any scene. Basically you learn what the hell all the features are and how the hell to use them. It gives you an 'in depth' comprehensive knowledge of said features to apply to a broad ranges of situations rather than a way to use whatever tool to apply to a situation you may never even encounter. I think it's my best peice of reference I have on my shelf, but if you already have a fairly good understanding of all the features of 3D with MAX it may not be worth the investment. I can almost gurantee you'll learn SOMETHING you didn't know, but if you're already very experienced it may not be worth the overhead. To sum it up, if you're new to 3D and to MAX this book will teach you all the skills you need to be cool, but people with a fairly extensive knowledge may want to look to more specialized book specific to your needs. However, if you've got the money to spare there's at least something in there for you.

I found this book tremendously useful when I first started out using 3ds max. Of course, that was in it's previous max 3 incarnation, but it's usefulness to me has not diminshed. I teach 3d modeling classes at a technical college and I recommend this text to students who are looking for something more extensive then thier provided textbook, 3ds max 4 Fundamental Coursewares. While that book is quite useful in the tutorial respect, this book gives a more textbook reference approach to the subject. The book begins with the basics, things such as primative modeling and transform modifiers and builds from there into polygonal modeling, patch modeling and NURBS. Sections are well planned out and useful to me as a reference and teaching aid. Also, I found the sections about materials and track animation superb. I recommend this book to anyone who is starting in 3ds max or even to those that have used it for a while as a reference.

If you're looking for specific tutorials to get the more out of specific tools in MAX this may not be the book for you. But if you are like me and just entering the 3D graphics field, this book is invaluable. In Depth has goes into the subtle nuance of 3DS MAX that you won't find in other books or tutorials. It explains the means to the end. Rather then teaching a specific goal, it gives you comprehensive knowledge of MAX that you can apply your 3d scenes. You may not end up with a nifty 'hey-look-at-what-can-be-made-in-max' scene, but you'll have an comprhensive understanding of the tools and how to apply it to any scene. Basically you learn what the hell all the features are and how the hell to use them. It gives you an 'in depth' comprehensive knowledge of said features to apply to a broad ranges of situations rather than a way to use whatever tool to apply to a situation you may never even encounter. I think it's my best peice of reference I have on my shelf, but if you already have a fairly good understanding of all the features of 3D with MAX it may not be worth the investment. I can almost gurantee you'll learn SOMETHING you didn't know, but if you're already very experienced it may not be worth the overhead. To sum it up, if you're new to 3D and to MAX this book will teach you all the skills you need to be cool, but people with a fairly extensive knowledge may want to look to more specialized book specific to your needs. However, if you've got the money to spare there's at least something in there for you.