[Digital] Modeling

by William Vaughan

Professional modeling is the foundation of every aspect of the 3D production pipeline and is essential to the success of any 3D computer graphics project. [digital] Modeling is unlike any other modeling book you’ve seen—it gets to the core of what it takes to create efficient production-ready models and demystifies the process of producing realistic and jaw-dropping graphics. Taking a software-neutral approach, it teaches you the essential skills and concepts that you can apply to modeling in any industry 3D software, such as 3ds Max, LightWave 3D, Maya, Modo, Silo, XSI, ZBrush and other leading programs. Modelers, animators, texture artists, and technical directors can all benefit from the valuable information covered in this jam-packed guide containing years of industry knowledge. Simply put, if you work in 3D, you must have this book.

In this inspiring and informative guide to modeling, industry veteran William Vaughan teaches you how to:

Master modeling techniques to produce professional results in any 3D application

Use the tools of a professional digital modeler

Control your models polygon-count as well as polygon-flow

Create both organic and hard surface models

Understand a modeler’s role in a production environment

Gain the knowledge to land a job in the industry as a digital modeler

Model using specific tools such as LightWave and 3ds Max in over 6 hours of video training on the accompanying DVD

And much more!

Genres: Art

411 pages, Paperback

First published January 2, 2012

Reviews

[Monqeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for 3D modeling terminology. Better watch YouTube, or take a course from Gnomon Workshop, FlippedNormals, Artstation, and the likes.

[Nikolaj Simić · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid if not a bit outdated introduction to 3D modeling. I would recommend reading the first half and skimming through the latter part of the book. Mr. Vaughan explains the concepts of digital modeling masterfully however his project examples are hard to follow at times. This book will not make you a better artist however it will help you to get more organized and has meaningful industry insights. If you plan on reading this book do it before you open 3d modeling software for the first time.

[William Cameron · Rating 5 out of 5]

this could be the one book I've been waiting for forever (well atleaet until I started playing around with 3D software.)
It's a clear and concise straight forward manual on just about everything you need to know on how to be a good modeler, sprinkled through out with tutorials and workthroughs that are applicable to ALL Softwares (although primarily Luxology's Modo and Newtek's Lightwave
are used for the images, the information presented can be applied to everything from maya, blender, c4d, softimage, rhino, etc etc. its just a question of knowing the functionality of the program your using...)

The book begins with Background information on the industry, with ways to approach issues one might face as a modeler/asset creator. An overview of terminology, and some basic conventions such as what polygons are, what vertex' are, what a subdivision surface is, etc. Then moves quickly into the 'meat' of the matter: Making Cool Stuff.

One of the main projects in the book is actually creating a photo-realistic head model. THAT alone was a huge help top me personally, as I have always had trouble modeling 'organics' from scratch.

Theres also a few .. what to call them, guest articles I guess? on tings like Digital Sculpting (Zbrush. but applicable in Mudbox, 3d-coat, modo, etc) and next-gen Game Modeling with Glen Southern.

There is also a nice section on modeling for 3D printing if you plan on using one of the services like Shapeways.

all in all WELL worth the money. and its something I'll be looking back at occasionally for quite awhile.

Presently on sale at Amazon, in both Physical and Kindle versions.
Comes with a DVD with even more stuff on it!

[Shawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is THE BOOK to get to learn 3D modeling from top to bottom. It's platform agnostic so you can use 3DS Max or Blender or Maya or whatever. Top to bottom lessons in not just the techniques but also best practices and lots of industry tips to help you get and keep a job. Amazing book and should be on every digital sculptors bookshelf.

[Phutch]

insightful and educational, even for an old pro like me :)

[Doaa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know,, it's not that good, but not that bad too 0_o
I was looking for details about how to model more than details about the industry :)