SOFTIMAGE XSI 5: The Official Guide (Revealed Series)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1592005810 ISBN 13: 9781592005819

Publisher: Cengage Learning PTR, 2005

SOFTIMAGE XSI Revealed provides a thorough introduction to XSI for the serious 3D animation student. Softimage|XSI offers an awesome rendering system. This book shows readers how they can take advantage of it. It teaches beginning students everything they need to know to render out exceptional frames. It also provides comprehensive information about textures--how they are projected onto models, and how to use them to modulate bump, transparency, reflectivity and other surface properties. Readers will explore lighting and will use caustics, global illumination, and final gathering to add realism and subtle beauty to scenes. They will also learn how the pros use motion blur and field rendering to put the finished touches on animation for TV and film. From using the RenderTree to create a believable metal material, to complex effects using output shaders, this book is a must for all students serious about understanding the formidable rendering power of SOFTIMAGE XSI.

About the Author:

Anthony Rossano is an author, teacher, lecturer, and producer who has been developing the art of multimedia and animation for more than fifteen years. Rossano was the founder of Mesmer fx and is the author or contributing author on several technical books. He has contributed to Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, Sharkslayer, and the upcoming film The Barnyard and has trained teams from Microsoft Games, Entertainment Arts, Valve, the FBI, and the CIA. Rossano is currently the Lead Technical Director at Omation studios in Southern California, working on the CG animated feature The Barnyard. He is a member of the Acacia Advisory Board, and sits on the board of directors of IOActive Inc., an Internet security firm.

Review:

1. The XSI Interface and Basic Foundation Concepts 2. Basic Terminology & Modeling 3. Organization, Hierarchy, and Groups 4. Simple Polygon Modeling 5. Basic Animation and Keyframing 6. Materials, Lighting, and Rendering 7. Path Animation 8. Building Sets and Models 9. Working with Layers 10. Deformations, and the Generic Attribute Painter 11. The Animation Editor 12. Working With Images 13. Simulations and Dynamics