Review of Inspired 3D Character Animation (Paperback)

I'm a bit surprised at the bad rap this book has gotten in earlier user reviews.Suggesting to "just read the manual that came with the software" is preposterous -- these comments are often made by people who think that knowing how to set keyframes in a piece of software makes them GOOD animators, and nothing could be further from the truth.A thorough understanding of how the body moves, how the mind thinks, how external forces affect the body, and other sometimes slippery subjects are critical aspects of the good animator's toolset.

While there are no earth-shattering revelations in this book (how many could there be when the animation industry is over 90 years old), the topics discussed in these pages, often illustrated with short exercises, make a good launching pad for people wanting to go from someone who knows how to make a character move, to someone who knows how to make a character come alive.

The book does a good job of relating traditional animation concepts to the 3D medium, and several of the interviews are enlightening.As a college animation instructor and professional computer animator, I find satisfaction in opening this book in my classroom to point out that artists from celebrated studios such as Industrial Light & Magic and Sony Pictures Imageworks are saying the same things that I am telling my students.My Advanced 3D Animation students spend several weeks reading chapters from this book and applying the information through mini-assignments, which I hope lead them to realize all that they must consider in bringing a character to life.This book is not designed to teach something new to the computer animation veteran -- instead, it fulfills its purpose of showing intermediate to advanced level students of animation a path that they need to take in becoming successful character animators.

While the price of this book is a bit steep, there are several pieces of advice that should be in any character animator's mantra.The information can lead to a big payoff if you really absorb it.

Product Description
The art of creating animation is the ability to generate believable characters that have emotion and life. Regardless of your medium good animation comes from the application of solid fundamentals and an extensive body of knowledge. Inspired 3D Character Animation provides you with a comprehensive set of processes and procedures to animating characters in the digital environment. By taking a close look at the day to day activities and practices of veteran film, commercial, and game animators, readers are provided with a look into the processes necessary to implement these ideas into the world of 3D computer graphics software.

About the Author
Kyle Clark earned his Master's Degree in Animation at USC School of Cinema-Television.While at USC, he produced an animation short that earned him a student Academy Award.He has worked at Cinestine, Sony, Imageworks, and Industrial Light and Magic.He is a lecturer at San Francisco State University and has taught at the Academy of Art-San Francisco, Texas A&M, and USC.His film credits include Space Jam, Mortal Kombat II, Star Wars Episode One, Deep Blue Sea, and Sleepy Hollow.

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