Essential LightWave 7.5 [With Cdrm]

I received my book about a week ago and have been reading it. I want to model and only wish this was the first Lighwave book I purchased. I love this book.

Essential Lightwave 3d 7.5 is nothing short of fantastic. Being an enthusiastic newcomer to both 3D and Lightwave, I bought several Lightwave-related books in a burst of eagerness. They are all good -- I haven't read a bad Lightwave book yet. Finding this one, however, is like discovering a glowing diamond in the midst of a scattering of other, assorted gemstones. No pun intended, but this book really rocks.The author's knowledge of, and respect for, his subject matter is evident. He covers the basics clearly, in an entertaining style, but the real value of this book, for me, lies in the way he explains tools that are often avoided or glossed over in other works. Rail bevel and rail extrude, for instance. I fought to understand those tools for a month, but -- after reading Albee's book -- I can work 'em! Examining the illustrations was crucial, I admit, but at least Albee tackled an explanation and presented a demo for these challenging tools. He walks boldly into territory that even the writers of the Lightwave manual merely tiptoe through.If you are a beginner -- or even an intermediate user, looking to do more than "scratch the surface" of Lightwave -- I highly recommend this book. I would imagine that even seasoned Lightwave users could discover pearls of wisdom among the pages because, as Albee points out, one will never know everything about Lightwave. It's just too awesome. Two thumbs up! I am anxiously awaiting the publication of Essential Lightwave, V8.

I have over 20 books on 3D animation and modeling and most of it covering Lightwave specifically.... I have to say that Timothy Albee certainly spoke my language when it came to this book.... I, being more an artist by trade than a techincal person was able to follow his logic and flow than just about every other book on Lightwave I own...He certainly showed me some Lightwave stuff I didn't know. He also showed me some new ways of using some LW's tools that I had not concidered until now... it was good reading and the tutorials were clear... I did not miss a beat on a single one... this is the only LW book I have gotten, and not put down until I had gone through the whole thing start to finish...

As a seasoned Lightwave user, I wasn't expecting to learn much from "Essential Lightwave3D 7.5". Well, I was wrong! And what a great surprise: this book isn't just another "quickstart" guide to explain the interface and what all the buttons do. Rather, it's packed full of useful explanations and guides to using the program. You will find information that most pros will tell you took them months to discover on their own. And, there are several useful tutorials that explain good modeling and animation workflow, without bogging down the inexperienced user with too much detail. Top that off with a CD chocked full of plug-ins, scenes and objects to play with (it also includes a demo version of Lightwave3D) and you are well on your way! If you are a new user to Lightwave, this book is a must-have in your arsenal.