Femme Digitale: Perfecting the Female Form on Your Computer

As a budding digital artist myself, I've come to realize that you can actually learn a great deal from "prefab" material. That being said, this book is fantastic in it's handling of prefab female 3d form in this age. It has a few tutorials on creating the female form from scratch using Maya, Max and others, but the book is heavy in Poser and Bryce...and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. If I may harp a minute, a lot of so-called professional artists love to look down on programs like Poser, Daz Studio, Carrara Studio and Bryce because they come with predesigned models that one can manipulate. Seems to me that a true artist can draw inspiration from almost anything and if some of us need a kickstart in our imagination, then so be it. I've seen some truly fantastic things done with Poser, Bryce and the like and this book, along with the other books by Burns, showcases this. I would recommend this book to anyone open-minded enough to realize that Poser and Bryce are not the 3D software versions of "American Idol". But, then again, some American Idols have gone on to do great things with their opportunities to, and "true" musical artists still feel it's a cheat! This book demonstrates just what can be done with tools in the hand of someone skilled. And as a side note, there are many "professional" (side ways, make money off of) artists that use Poser and Bryce for most of their projects. I'm one of them.

I happened across this book by accident, took a chance and ordered it, and am experiencing sheer joy reading the variety of tutorials it contains. femme digitale covers so much...2D, 3D, Painter and Photoshop techniques...it's almost overwhelming, but reading it is tons of fun. If you like to paint beautiful women, you'd really enjoy this book. One drawback is -- Poser is relied on quite heavily by some of the contributing artists. However, since the book explains how to build your own 3D models (or even use a live model in place of the Poser figures), that's not a concrete limitation. I have Poser and Lightwave, so I can build my own models if I'd get off my lazy bum and do it -- which means the book is doubly valuable for me. I highly recommend femme digitale and gave it five stars for content. The binding could be a bit more sturdy, but the glorious artwork and the information it offers compensates for that flaw. Jan

I have been modeling for some time now and this book has definately helped me with the details of both modeling and texturing a female character. The texture refrences also transfer well when creating other characters. There are great techniquws that cover a wide array of major software used today. There are also great refrences for creating props, clothing, and hair which are three of the hardest details to finish on a model. I recommend this book to both beginners and masters as a great guide to creating great female 3D models.

I was amazed when I picked up this book and saw the easy to follow tut's for a number of software programs. The author did a wonderful job in introducing the lower end to the higher end softwares. The art is truely exceptional!

This has got to be the one best 3D graphics Art and Tutorials book I have seen yet! Michael burns has layed out this book so nicely with some of the best 3D graphics and tutorials for multiple 3D applications such as Bryce, Poser, Terragen, Vue d'Esprit & Mojo World. As well as High End software packages such as Alias Maya, 3D Studio Max & Lightwave. These tutorials are beautifully presented and easy to follow with in depth explanations and many clear and precise illustrations. I am not just writing this review because my work is in the book but, because I truly think this is a great book and priced way to low for the amount and quality of the content. The galley is filled with some of the best artists and their work. Artists such as Stephen Stahlberg, Ellie Morin, Daniel Scott Gabriel Murray, Will Kramer and myself... Ralph Manis. I highly recommend this book to anyone involved in or beginning a life in the 3D graphics art world.