The Polycount Book Review Thread
Hey everyone, I was just searching the boards to see if anyone had mentioned a book I've just seen on Amazon as I was wondering if anyone knew anything about it. For the record the book is this:
[ame]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Battle-Milk-Tangents-Transitions-Concept/dp/1933492538/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1280954143&sr=8-1[/ame]
This gave me the idea of starting a 'Book Review' thread where you can post personal opinions and a little review on books you own, Art Books, 'How-To Books', Tutorial Books etc etc because I'm sure you've all bought books from the Internet which look great, but turn out to be crap, the idea is to help stop this happening, and of course post some great books that some may not be aware of.
I know reviews exist on Amazon, other sites etc but I thought it would be useful to get direct opinions from game artists and the books relevance to a game artists workflow.
I'll start with:
ZBrush Digital Sculpting Human Anatomy by Scott Spencer
[ame]http://www.amazon.co.uk/ZBrush-Digital-Sculpting-Human-Anatomy/dp/0470450266[/ame]
I bought this book with the sole intention of learning 3D Anatomy rather than a tool for learning ZBrush and it is absolutely incredible.
The book itself goes into great detail about all aspects of human (male) anatomy and explains the different muscles and their origin/insertion, and how they all make up the various parts of the body.
It shows you how to sculpt a heroic human character from start to finish, starting with the initial basemesh, through the entire sculpt, to retopology and adding clothing detail.
As a 'ZBrush learning guide' it kinda covers how you would use ZBrush in a character workflow, the ideal tools etc but it's not really a guide to ZBrush. It assumes you have some knowledge of digital sculpting already.
It's not specifically targeted at game artists, but obviously all of the skills learned will be relevant, in fact the only real difference for a game workflow would be the polycount of the retopologized model. He explains the importance of topology so considerations can be made for animation etc.
It is also accompanied by an awesome DVD which is worth the price in itself. It shows Scott sculpt the same character used in the book and he narrates the whole thing to explain key points to think about when working with anatomy sculpting.
Overall it is one of the best instructional style books I've bought by a long way. It serves as a great companion when learning how to approach anatomy in 3D and should form a solid base for any aspiring character artists.
[ame]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Battle-Milk-Tangents-Transitions-Concept/dp/1933492538/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1280954143&sr=8-1[/ame]
This gave me the idea of starting a 'Book Review' thread where you can post personal opinions and a little review on books you own, Art Books, 'How-To Books', Tutorial Books etc etc because I'm sure you've all bought books from the Internet which look great, but turn out to be crap, the idea is to help stop this happening, and of course post some great books that some may not be aware of.
I know reviews exist on Amazon, other sites etc but I thought it would be useful to get direct opinions from game artists and the books relevance to a game artists workflow.
I'll start with:
ZBrush Digital Sculpting Human Anatomy by Scott Spencer
[ame]http://www.amazon.co.uk/ZBrush-Digital-Sculpting-Human-Anatomy/dp/0470450266[/ame]
I bought this book with the sole intention of learning 3D Anatomy rather than a tool for learning ZBrush and it is absolutely incredible.
The book itself goes into great detail about all aspects of human (male) anatomy and explains the different muscles and their origin/insertion, and how they all make up the various parts of the body.
It shows you how to sculpt a heroic human character from start to finish, starting with the initial basemesh, through the entire sculpt, to retopology and adding clothing detail.
As a 'ZBrush learning guide' it kinda covers how you would use ZBrush in a character workflow, the ideal tools etc but it's not really a guide to ZBrush. It assumes you have some knowledge of digital sculpting already.
It's not specifically targeted at game artists, but obviously all of the skills learned will be relevant, in fact the only real difference for a game workflow would be the polycount of the retopologized model. He explains the importance of topology so considerations can be made for animation etc.
It is also accompanied by an awesome DVD which is worth the price in itself. It shows Scott sculpt the same character used in the book and he narrates the whole thing to explain key points to think about when working with anatomy sculpting.
Overall it is one of the best instructional style books I've bought by a long way. It serves as a great companion when learning how to approach anatomy in 3D and should form a solid base for any aspiring character artists.
Replies
Heh, well that's one less sale for Scott Spencer then ;p
Seriously though, I'm hoping the majority of this thread will be art books and visually inspirational books rather than instructional books.
http://parkablogs.com/node/1923
I'm always recommending books of human muscle anatomy, lighting in the architecture, the theory of color, nature, etc.
There are some blogs that reviews artbooks. I love the anime ones.
ZBrush Character creation, by the same author, is great too. It's for 3.1 but still very detailed, easy to follow. Great for learning ZBrush quickly.
Internets is the best resource!:)
+1!
Largely focuses on how to train your eye to recognize the subtleties of surface properties and differentiate color than specifics of software techniques (though there is a project-based tutorial section in the later chapters).
Forget the project tutorials and check out the rest of the book - highly recommended.
[ame]http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Texturing-Painting-Owen-Demers/dp/0735709181[/ame]
I recently bought the classic Anatomy For The Artist and haven't really used it much, but while there seems to be lots of interesting stuff to read, the pictures themselves are a bit lacking. I don't exepect it to cover every possible angle but I couldn't get a clear idea of some shapes by the pictures alone, maybe the accompanying text will clear things up. In the end there are breakdowns of famous paintings with live models posing exactly like the painting subjects which is awesome.
Unfortunately it's sold out in North America but Europeans can still pick one up!
Here's two more I picked up in the last few months:
Megaman Complete Works / Megaman X Complete Works
[ame]http://www.amazon.com/Mega-Man-Official-Complete-Works/dp/1897376790/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1281040001&sr=8-1[/ame]
[ame]http://www.amazon.com/Mega-Man-Official-Complete-Works/dp/1897376804/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1281040001&sr=8-4[/ame]
Both books are visually awesome, even if you're not a fan of the series, some great inspiration for mechs and machines of a very stylized nature. Obviously you're not gonna find hyper detailed tech drawings of mechs and robots, but it's still a great looking book to flick through.
It goes into some detail about each character, the iterations that MegaMan has gone through and all of the many bosses in the games. If you are a fan of the games, both books have some good writeups and interviews with the developers who explain their processes and some of the problems they ran into when creating the game. Some interesting insights into how things were done back when they were making games for the NES etc.
I think both books were available combined in a single volume originally in Japanese, but were split for the English print. Overall, a very nice couple of books!
[ame]http://www.amazon.com/Megaman-Zero-Official-Complete-Works/dp/1897376014/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1281063285&sr=8-1-spell[/ame]
(post cover pics folks, please!)
Massive Black - Volume One (http://www.ballisticpublishing.com/books/massiveblack)
Exodyssey (http://www.exodyssey.com/)
Structura - The Art of Sparth (http://www.designstudiopress.com/new_site/book_pages/pics_structura/book_structura.html)
[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Art-Masters-5-3DTotal-com/dp/0240522109/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1281552548&sr=8-1]Digital Art Master 5[/ame] - A great collection of artwork of both 2d and 3d and both characters and environments. The whole series is well worth picking up.
[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Beauty-Decay-Art-Urban-Exploration/dp/1584234202/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1281552629&sr=8-1]Beauty in Decay[/ame] - This was advertised in the local paper, my copy hasn't arrived yet, but from the preview it look so have some amazing photographs of ruined environments.
[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Zones-Exclusion-Chernobyl-Robert-Polidori/dp/3882439211/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1281553061&sr=1-1]Zones of Exclusion[/ame] - Had this one awhile. A great book filled with pictures of Chernobyl and Pripyat following the aftermath of the NPP explosion in 1986. A great book for any STALKER fan.
[ame]http://www.amazon.com/BATTLE-MiLK-Tangents-Transitions-Concept/dp/1933492538/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1281554036&sr=8-1[/ame]
Looks amazing, there's a preview of it here.
I think the first one was a pretty short run and it's not easy to get hold of but this ones bigger and looks equally awesome.
Strongly recommended for people who want to dig deeper and know why some things are the way they are (e.g. why do hard edges take up more space, how do shadows work in an engine, how does AA work, etc, etc.). Even if you don't want to follow all the math in the book, it offers great insights in the way current engines work and what it means for the art you create. For those who want to dig even deeper, well there's math in it too...
It's very technical though - it won't make you a better artist, but will give you a better understanding for which target you create art and how it limits (or helps) you. Highly recommended.
It contains both specific and very general hints and nuggets of information from the field of acrhitecture, with very pleasing low key presentation. I find that many of the topics might be of value to environment artists specifically and game artists/designers as a whole.. a couple of excerpts:
#6 We move through negative spaces and dwell in positive spaces.
We inhabit the spaces of our built environment and not the solid walls, roofs, and columns that shape it. Positive spaces are almost always preferred by people for lingering and social interaction. Negative spaces tend to promote movement rather than dwelling in place.
#10 Our experience of an architectural space is strongly influenced by how we arrive in it.
A tall, bright space will feel taller and brighter if counterpointed by a low-ceilinged, softly lit space. A monumental or sacred space will feel more significant at the end of a sequence of lesser spaces. A room with south-facing windows will be more strongly experienced after one passes through a series of north-facing spaces.
#11 Use "denial and reward" to enrich passage through the built environment.
Denial and reward can encourage the formulation of a rich experience. In designing paths of travel, try presenting users a view of their target - a staircase, building entrance, monument, or other element - then momentarily screen it from view as they continue their approach. Reveal the target a second time from a different angle or with an interesting new detail. Divert users onto an unexpected path to create additional intrigue or even momentary lostness; then reward them with other interesting experiences or other views of their target. This additional "work" will make the journey more interesting, the arrival more rewarding.
#64 If you rotate or skew a floor plan, column grid, or other aspect of a building, make it mean something.
Placing columns, spaces, walls, or other architectural elements off-geometry because
you have seen it done in fashionable architecture magazines is a poor design justification. Doing so to create a gathering place, direct a circulation path, focus an entry,
open a vista, acknowledge a monument, accommodate a street geometry, address
the sun, or point the way to Mecca are better reasons.
#99 Just do something.
When a design problem is so overwhelming as to be nearly paralyzing, don't wait for clarity to arrive before beginning to draw. Drawing is not simply a way of depicting a design solution; it is itself a way of learning about the problem you are trying to solve.
..and so on. And it's cheap too!
http://parkablogs.com/picture/book-preview-abakan-2288-kallamitys-world-of-mecha-design-part-one
http://parkablogs.com/content/book-review-mecha-zone-2-art-of-david-white
[ame="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mechanika-How-Create-Science-Fiction/dp/1600610234/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329757762&sr=8-1"]Mechanika: How to Create Science Fiction Art: Amazon.co.uk: Doug Chiang: 9781600610233: Books[/ame]