Advanced 3D Photorealism Techniques [With *]

Granted the term "photorealism" is perhaps a bit overused -- but characterizes well what Bill's artistic objectives are. This one of the books which I felt was most important in my moving solidly into the intermediate level of learning, and I still refer back to it from time to time.In my experience, there are actually very few books on the market which really concentrate on surfacing knowledge, srategies, and techniques. Bill obviously used LightWave at that time, but he tries hard to keep things general -- and for the most part succeeds. Although some very useful modeling approaches are presented, they are directed specifically at making primarily image-mapped surfacing easier or more effective. It is primarily a surfacing book.This book is, along with "Toolkit", a very useful addition to any serious 3D student's library and is my favorite among Bill's which I have read. I hope Bill reads this and is motivated to really dig into LightWave 6.x's excellent surfacing implementation and write a book on that, and there is really no good book out there at present on procedural surfacing -- probably because there you have to get program-specific.Per a previous writer's reference to Jeremy Birn's book -- yes, it is excellent -- a must have, but covers different ground than this book. Another example of a must have for relative beginners (though I wouldn't recommend it until you have reached some level of competency with a decent 3D program) that will if studied thoroughly and applied in practice take you well beyond beginner.

This book is great for intermedent 3d artists. I use lightwave3d and can say that if you have trouble building sences, this is the book for you. Bill not only explains how you do something, he explains why you need to do it. This makes for a better understanding, so that it can be applied to other projects easier.

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The organization is excellent as well as Bill guides you along the process with a few pleasant surprises along the way. The concepts are uncompromising. He emphasizes "realism." That can be attained with any 3D program if one heeds the lessons of this book. It is a launching pad for new ideas and ways to conceptualize to be as creative as the effort one puts in. I give this a thumbs up because nothing is hidden nor cryptic. It describes other 3D programs but the fundamentals are the same regardless of the 3D application used. This is a hidden gem and I suspect some seasoned 3D artists could benefit with a refreshing view. Bill hits a home run with this book. Clip maps, alpha maps, displacement maps are all discussed. I hope there will be a volume 2 to this.

Bill hits us once again with another fantastic 3D resource. Don't worry if you have the 3D Photorealistic Toolkit, this book follows on to show how to create natural environments and many other excellent tricks.Written in Bill's unique and friendly style this is more like reading a novel than a user manual. Personally, I like this - it remains light, yet totally informative.As a professional 3D guy, I am always amazed at how Bill manages to teach me something I didn't know.Very highly recommended.