ISBN:024052022XBook Description
Lighting is the one thing that makes or breaks any CG environment. This inspirational book and DVD give you everything you need to create convincing CG lightin; from the concepts and theoretical aspects to the techniques and tricks that are essential in a production environment. The stunning color illustrations throughout the book illustrate just what can be done, while the tutorials show you exactly how to do it.
Every ounce of theory is backed up with practical tutorials, using the free trial versions of 3ds Max and Combustion supplied on the companion DVD. The tutorials take you from the fundamentals of lighting, right through to advanced techniques with many new sections, including ones that cover radiosity techniques, rendering with mental ray, and compositing.
Certified by Autodesk, Darren Brooker's new edition teaches the real methods behind real-world work. If you want a one-stop master class in CG lighting, or if you just want to brush up on your existing skills - then this book contains everything you need.
* Everything you need to learn the art of CG lighting in one easy-to-use volume
* Free trial software and detailed tutorials take you through every step of the CG lighting process
* Learn the art and science of lighting CG environments the Autodesk-certified way/p>
Reviews From AMAZON.COM
Just as the title says: great overview of essencial lighting techniques
I'm not a professional lighting artist, I've been learning 3ds max for a few years, part-time. I've read several books and tutorials about changing a GI photon value from 1 to 10 or ajusting the spotlight faloff to 150, but I needed a book which gave me an integrated and comparative look on the various lighting techniques and methodologies 3ds max has to offer. This book does just that. It doesn't set out to explain every single button or value, it gives you the essencials about the way the various techniques work,not just by explaining sequentially scanline render, advanced lighting or mental ray, but also by transmitting good insight on production methods and light theory..The book explains the main parameters you have to adjust in order to make each technique work, and the pros and cons of every one of those. Obviously, apart from the tutorials in this book, you'll have to play with the values and learn the finer details for yourself. For me it was a great sistematization of all 3ds max lighting techniques, and I'm no longer baffled by the variety of ways I can use to light a scene, because I understood which techique works better in which situation.
Disappointed
Not exactly what I was looking for. I was looking for a book that would guide me through the pit falls but what I received was a mish mash of vague ideas and then comments like, "I hope you see that this stuff is great." It was like reading molases. Please learn to create outlines and procedural steps. Everything in this book can be learned from online tutorials and the 3DS Max help and tutorial system.
If you like prety pictures you might buy this as a coffee book but don't expect to get any real tips as to how to get up to speed making those images.