Amazon.com
What many digital animators fail to realize is that someone needs to make the software that's used to bring images to life. Without the tools, the ideas can never be materialized. In Computer Animation: Algorithms and Techniques, the concepts and formulas used behind the scenes and under the hood of contemporary animation software are clearly explained for the programmer and the technical director.
Hardbound, liberally illustrated, and with an eight-page color gallery, there are six chapters and three appendices. The book starts with an overview of animation and works through some technical background information, and then delves into interpolation and basic techniques for representing 3-D motion and space on a 2-D display. Later chapters walk through advanced algorithms (kinematics, rigid body simulation, constraints) and then a discussion of ways to represent natural phenomena. There's also a focus on modeling and animating articulated figures. It's important to note that these chapters are not about which buttons to push in a given software package, but rather about the use and explanation of formulas for representing a specific simulation.
Perhaps the best feature of the book is the information and samples available on a companion Web site. Rather than include a CD-ROM, which raises the cost of the book and whose information can grow stale, the reader can find sample animations and ready-to-use code snippets, as well as links to other relevant Web sites.
There are any number of books available on computer animation software packages, but precious few on how they do what they do. Computer Animation: Algorithms and Techniques is an invaluable resource, a textbook for anyone interested in computer animation programming or for anyone who simply wants to get under the hood of their favorite animation application. --Mike Caputo
From Book News, Inc.
Written for graphics programmers and animators, this textbook and guide covers techniques at various levels of complexity and includes background information on the underlying mathematics and physics concepts. It outlines the history of animation, and introduces key concepts like rendering, transformation, and orientation representation. Advanced techniques are illustrated with detailed working examples. Parent teaches computer graphics and animation at Ohio State University.Copyright © 2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
Review
"This is hands-down my recommendation on computer animation techniques." Larry Gritz, Exluna/Nvidia
Review
"This is hands-down my recommendation on computer animation techniques." —Larry Gritz, Exluna/Nvidia
Book Description
Whether you're a programmer developing new animation functionality or an animator trying to get the most out of your current animation software, Computer Animation: Algorithms and Techniques will help work more efficiently and achieve better results. For programmers, this book provides a solid theoretical orientation and extensive practical instruction-information you can put to work in any development or customization project. For animators, it provides crystal-clear guidance on determining which of your concepts can be realized using commercially available products, which demand custom programming, and what development strategies are likely to bring you the greatest success.
* Expert instruction from a pace-setting computer graphics researcher.
* Provides in-depth coverage of established and emerging animation algorithms.
* For readers who lack a strong scientific background, introduces the necessary concepts from mathematics and physics.
* Illustrates advanced programming techniques with highly detailed working examples.
* Via the companion Web site, provides lecture notes from the author's course for professors, example animations based on the programs covered in the book, Java applets, and links to relevant Web sites.
* Special contributions from Dave S. Ebert on Natural Phenomena in Chapter 5
* Special contributions from Scott King, Meg Geroch, Doug Roble, and Matt Lewis on Articulated Figures in Chapter 6.
Book Info
Text design to help graphics programmers and animators achieve high levels of efficiency in scene and character creation techniques. Features detailed examples, step-by-step instructions, full-color illustrations, and covers of model-specific applications.
From the Back Cover
"This book is hands-down my recommendation on the technical aspects of computer animation techniques. It's both a broad overview of the field, as well as a handy reference. I expect it to be a common sight on the bookshelves of students, teachers, graphics researchers, and practitioners in the field." Larry Gritz, Exluna/Nvidia
Whether you're a programmer developing new animation functionality or an animator trying to get the most out of your current animation software, Computer Animation: Algorithms and Techniques will help work more efficiently and achieve better results. For programmers, this book provides a solid theoretical orientation and extensive practical instruction-information you can put to work in any development or customization project. For animators, it provides crystal-clear guidance on determining which of your concepts can be realized using commercially available products, which demand custom programming, and what development strategies are likely to bring you the greatest success.
Features:
*Expert instruction from a pace-setting computer graphics researcher
*Provides in-depth coverage of established and emerging animation algorithms
*For readers who lack a strong scientific background, introduces the necessary concepts from mathematics and physics
*Illustrates advanced programming techniques with highly detailed working examples
*Companion website provides lecture notes from the author's course for professors, example animations based on the programs covered in the book, Java applets, and links to relevant websites
*Special contributions from Dave S. Ebert on Natural Phenomena in Chapter 5
*Special contributions from Scott King, Meg Geroch, Doug Roble, and Matt Lewis on Articulated Figures in Chapter 6
About the Author
Rick Parent is an Associate Professor at Ohio State University, where he teaches computer graphics and computer animation. His research in computer animation focuses on its relation to modeling and animating the human figure, with special emphasis on geometric modeling and implicit surfaces. Rick earned a Ph.D. in computer science from Ohio State University and a Bachelor's degree in computer science from the University of Dayton. In 1977, he was awarded "Outstanding Ph.D. Thesis Award" (one of four given nationally) by the NCC. He has served on numerous SIGGRAPH committees, in addition to the Computer Graphics International 2000 Program Committee and the Computer Animation '99 Program Committee and is on the editorial board of the Visual Computer Journal.
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