Stuart Mealing

A mixture of visual poetry and mathematics, computer animation is a discipline which can be approached from the directions of science, art and simple curiosity. This text seeks to bridge the gap between the designer/animator and the scientific programmer.

There is both theoretical discussion and a consideration of good practice, including case studies for any reader new to this area. This established user of the programme can gain a better understanding of the underlying principles while experienced modellers can see this as a primer for the use of 3D Studio.

This text looks at the uses of 3D computer modelling in product design, visualization and architecture, and introduces the basic theory and practice of the medium. Subjects range from co-ordinates to radiosity, from bump mapping to splines and from data compression to teleology. The work covers the underlying principles of different model-building methods, surface treatments and lighting methods, as well as material specific to the Macintosh: relevant hardware, file types, data compression, networking and expense. A large section considers in detail the software available, assessing the strengths, weaknesses and applications. Case studies test out different products on real projects and further chapters cover design methodology, principles and the future of modelling.