Softimage XSI 5 The Official Guide

Description

SOFTIMAGE XSI Revealed provides a thorough introduction to XSI for the serious 3D animation student. Softimage|XSI offers an awesome rendering system. This book shows readers how they can take advantage of it. It teaches beginning students everything they need to know to render out exceptional frames. It also provides comprehensive information about textures--how they are projected onto models, and how to use them to modulate bump, transparency, reflectivity and other surface properties. Readers will explore lighting and will use caustics, global illumination, and final gathering to add realism and subtle beauty to scenes. They will also learn how the pros use motion blur and field rendering to put the finished touches on animation for TV and film. From using the RenderTree to create a believable metal material, to complex effects using output shaders, this book is a must for all students serious about understanding the formidable rendering power of SOFTIMAGE XSI.

CONTENTS:

1. The XSI Interface and Basic Foundation Concepts
2. Basic Terminology & Modeling
3. Organization, Hierarchy, and Groups
4. Simple Polygon Modeling
5. Basic Animation and Keyframing
6. Materials, Lighting, and Rendering
7. Path Animation
8. Building Sets and Models
9. Working with Layers
10. Deformations, and the Generic Attribute Painter
11. The Animation Editor
12. Working With Images
13. Simulations and Dynamics