Get the strategies you need for successful CAD management in this one-of-a-kind resource. You’ll learn basics such as how to assign tasks, set budgets, and formulate ROI-and gradually delve into more complex issues such as managing intellectual property, selling ideas to management and end users, and configuring for specific engineering environments. This indispensable resource is packed with savvy insights, practical techniques, and real-world advice to broaden your technical, business, and management skills.

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Take your Maya skills to new levels with the sophisticated coverage you'll find in this authoritative Autodesk Maya Press reference and tutorial. From key basics through advanced techniques, our Maya experts provide the very latest professional-level instruction on Maya Complete and Maya Unlimited. Early chapters offer a practical overview of Maya's interface. A "Quick Start" exercise lets novices create an animation the first day and covers the basics of node structure, keyframes, and basic lighting. Advanced users will broaden their skills with pertinent coverage for nCloth, mental ray integration, volume Fur rendering, advanced texturing tools, and enhanced MEL scripting. Practical tutorials reinforce learning with hands-on practice.

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n the new edition of this practical guide, master photographer Ellen Anon and digital-imaging expert Tim Grey show you how to capture the beauty of nature by shooting the best possible photos from the start—and then getting the most out of your images at your desktop. You'll fing eye-opening techniques, workflow ideas, and terrific Photoshop tools, plis a host of valuable tips and stunning examples from some of the most esteemed professional nature photographers working today, including Michael Reichmann, John Shaw, Darrel Gulin, and Joe McDonald.

Starting with the basics, the book builds from the ground up, combining straightforward text with practical examples that make it fun and easy to learn Maya's core features while introducing new Maya 8 elements such as improved polygon tools and enhanced rendering with mental ray. Clear-cut, engaging lessons let you experiment using the wealth of files provided on the CD-ROM. You'll also find an abundance of instructional and inspirational Maya creations in the full-color insert.

Game animation is a demanding art. Not only do you have to deliver realistic, beautiful animations, but you have to do so under strict real-time, video-game constraints. The Game Animator's Guide to Maya is your focused resource for using Maya to create professional-level game animations for console and PC games. Written by a game industry veteran and featuring interviews with professional animators and artists from around the country, this focused book features specific, detailed, real-world game animation techniques. It's the perfect reference and tutorial for those looking to develop or refine their game animation skills.

Taking the reader step-by-step through the features of AutoCAD, Alf Yarwood provides a practical, structured course of work matched to the latest release of this software. After introducing first principles and the creation of 2D technical drawings, he goes on to demonstrate the construction of 3D solid and surface model drawings and rendering in the second part. All the new features of the 2008 software release are taken into account, in particular the new workspace for 2D drafting, faster rendering, new rendering methods, more materials, and improved lighting methods. The 2D chapters are also suitable for those learning how to use AutoCAD LT 2008.

Pack pizzazz into your Web sites with Flash!
Start with simple animation, or create whole pages in Flash
The newest version of Flash offers all sorts of cool options for designing Web sites that stand out from the crowd, and this handy guide makes it easy. Enhance your site with animated graphics, boxes, or buttons; morph shapes; create text with exotically changing colors; add sound or video; and watch visitors flock to your site!

Learn how to think before you animate. Thinking Animation is a one-of-a-kind book that emphasizes how artists can use traditional animation techniques and principles with the computer generated animation technology of today.

This book offers guided access to a collection of algorithms for the digital manipulation and analysis of images. Written in classic "cookbook" style, it reflects the authors' long experience as users and developers of image analysis algorithms and software.