Graphics & Multimedia

The Autodesk® 3ds Max® 2024: Fundamentals guide provides a thorough introduction to the Autodesk 3ds Max 2024 software that will help new users make the most of this sophisticated application, as well as broaden the horizons of existing, self-taught users. The guide instructs you on how to effectively use the software interface and navigate through the scenes. It explores the creation of 3D objects and how to bring in objects from other software such as Autodesk Revit, AutoCAD, and Civil 3D. Additionally, it teaches you to prepare the scenes for renderings by adding materials, lights, and cameras. Finally, the guide covers an understanding of various renderers included with the software, as well as image creation and animation techniques.

The practices in this guide are primarily geared towards real-world tasks encountered by users of the Autodesk 3ds Max software in the Architecture, Interior Design, and Civil Engineering industries. Advanced topics such as character modeling, character animation, and rigging are not covered in this guide.

Topics Covered

• Autodesk 3ds Max interface and workflow
• Assembling files by importing, linking, or merging
• 3D modeling with primitives and 2D objects
• Using modifiers to create and modify 3D objects
• Materials and maps
• Autodesk 3ds Max lighting
• Working with cameras and exposure control
• Rendering using various renderers, such as Scanline, ART, and Arnold
• Animation for visualization

  Prerequisites

  • Access to the 2024.0 version of the software, to ensure compatibility with this guide. Future software updates that are released by Autodesk may include changes that are not reflected in this guide. The practices and files included with this guide might not be compatible with prior versions (e.g., 2023).
  • Experience with 3D modeling is recommended.

Read more

To take full advantage of Building Information Modeling, the Autodesk® Revit® 2023: Fundamentals for Structure guide has been designed to teach the concepts and principles of creating 3D parametric models of structural buildings from engineering design through construction documentation.

This guide is intended to introduce you to the user interface and the basic building components of the software that makes Autodesk® Revit® a powerful and flexible structural modeling tool. The goal is to familiarize you with the tools required to create, modify, analyze, and document a parametric model. The examples and practices are designed to take you through the basics of a full structural project, from linking in an architectural model to construction documents.

Topics Covered

• Introduction to the Autodesk Revit software.
• Navigating the Revit workspace and interface.
• Working with the basic sketching and modifying tools.
• Creating levels and grids as datum elements for the model.
• Understanding Revit families and components.
• Understanding the project browser and working with views.
• Starting a structural project based on a linked architectural model.
• Creating a 3D building model.
• Adding structural columns and walls.
• Adding foundations and structural slabs.
• Structural reinforcement.
• Beams, trusses, and framing systems.
• Analytical models and placing loads.
• Project practices to reinforce learning.
• Setting up sheets for plotting with text, dimensions, details, tags, and schedules.
• Creating details.

  Prerequisites

  • Access to the 2023.0 version of the software, to ensure compatibility with this guide. Future software updates that are released by Autodesk may include changes that are not reflected in this guide. The practices and files included with this guide might not be compatible with prior versions (e.g., 2022).
  • This guide introduces the fundamental skills in learning how to use the Autodesk Revit software, with a focus on the structural tools. It is highly recommended that students have experience and knowledge in structural engineering and its terminology.

Read more

To take full advantage of Building Information Modeling, the Autodesk® Revit® 2024: Fundamentals for Structure guide has been designed to teach the concepts and principles of creating 3D parametric models of structural buildings from engineering design through construction documentation.

This guide is intended to introduce you to the user interface and the basic building components of the software that makes Autodesk® Revit® a powerful and flexible structural modeling tool. The goal is to familiarize you with the tools required to create, modify, analyze, and document a parametric model. The examples and practices are designed to take you through the basics of a full structural project, from linking in an architectural model to construction documents.

Topics Covered

• Introduction to the Autodesk Revit software, including navigating the Revit interface
• Starting a structural project based on a linked architectural model and creating levels and grids as datum elements for the model
• Understanding the project browser and working with views
• Understanding Revit families and components
• Working with the basic sketching and modifying tools
• Adding structural columns to a project and copying and monitoring elements from linked models
• Adding foundations and footings
• Creating structural framing, including beams, trusses, and framing systems
• Creating slabs for foundations, structural floors, and roofs
• Creating structural reinforcement, including placing rebar and adding fabric reinforcement
• Setting up sheets and placing and modifying views on sheets
• Working with dimensions, text, annotations, and legends
• Adding tags and working with schedules
• Setting up detail views and adding detail components

  Prerequisites

  • Access to the 2024.0 version of the software, to ensure compatibility with this guide. Future software updates that are released by Autodesk may include changes that are not reflected in this guide. The practices and files included with this guide might not be compatible with prior versions (e.g., 2023).
  • This guide introduces the fundamental skills in learning how to use the Autodesk Revit software, with a focus on the structural tools. It is highly recommended that students have experience and knowledge in structural engineering and its terminology.

Read more

The CATIA V5-6R2018: Advanced Surface Design learning guide expands on the knowledge learned in the CATIA V5-6R2018: Introduction to Surface Design learning guide by covering advanced curve and surface topics found in the Generative Shape Design Workbench. Topics include: advanced curve construction, advanced swept, blend and offset surface construction, complex fillet creation, and the use of laws. Curve and surface analysis are introduced to validate the student’s geometry. Tools and methods for rebuilding geometry are also discussed. As with the CATIA V5-6R2018: Introduction to Surface Design learning guide, meeting model specifications (such as continuity settings) remains forefront in introducing tools and methodologies.

Topics Covered

• Surface Design Overview
• Advanced Wireframe Elements
• Curve Analysis and Repair
• Swept Surfaces
• Blend Surfaces
• Adaptive Sweep
• Laws
• Advanced Surface Fillets
• Alternative Filleting Methods
• Duplication Tools
• Knowledge Templates
• Surface Analysis and Repair
• Offset Surfaces
• Project Exercises

  Prerequisites

  • Access to the V5-6R2018 version of the software, to ensure compatibility with this guide. Future software updates that are released by Dassault Systèmes may include changes that are not reflected in this guide. The practices and files included with this guide might not be compatible with prior versions (i.e., V5-6R2017).
  • Completion of the CATIA V5-6R2018: Introduction to Surface Design course is recommended.

Read more

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is an approach to the entire building life cycle. Autodesk® Revit® is a powerful BIM program for architecture, MEP, and structure that supports the ability to coordinate, update, and share design data with team members throughout the design construction and management phases of a building’s life. A key component in managing the BIM process is to establish a company foundation for different types of projects by creating standard templates and custom family elements. Having this in place makes the process of any new project flow smoothly and efficiently.

The objective of the Autodesk® Revit® 2024 BIM Management: Template and Family Creation guide is to enable users who have worked with the software to expand their knowledge in setting up office standards with templates that include annotation styles, preset views, sheets, and schedules, as well as creating custom system, in-place, and component families.

This guide contains practices that are specific to each discipline.

Topics Covered

• Create custom templates with annotation styles, title blocks, and custom element types.
• Create schedules, including material takeoff schedules with formulas.
• Create custom wall, roof, and floor types, as well as MEP system families.
• Set up a component family file with a parametric framework.
• Create family geometry.
• Create family types.
• Modify the visibility of components and incorporate additional family items such as controls, MEP connectors, and nested components.
• Create specific families, including in-place families, profiles, annotations, and parameters.

  This guide also contains discipline-specific practices for families, including doors, windows, railings, pipe fittings, light fixtures, gusset plates, and built-up columns.

  Prerequisites

  • Access to the 2024.0 version of the software, to ensure compatibility with this guide. Future software updates that are released by Autodesk may include changes that are not reflected in this guide. The practices and files included with this guide might not be compatible with prior versions (e.g., 2023).
  • You should be comfortable with the fundamentals of the Autodesk Revit software, as found in the Autodesk Revit 2024: Fundamentals for Architecture, Autodesk Revit 2024: Fundamentals for Structure, or Autodesk Revit 2024: Fundamentals for MEP guides. Knowledge of basic techniques is assumed, such as creating standard elements, copying and moving elements, and creating and working with views. Information on Collaboration Tools, Conceptual Design, and Site Planning and Design are covered in other guides.

Read more

Learn how to create compelling game storylines.

Four experienced narrative designers from different genres of game development have banded together to create this all-inclusive guide on what it’s like to work as a writer and narrative designer in the video game industry. From concept to final testing, The Game Narrative Toolbox walks readers through what role a narrative designer plays on a development team and what the requirements are at every stage of development. Drawing on real experiences, authors Tobias Heussner, Toiya Kristen Finley, PhD, Ann Lemay, and Jennifer Brandes Hepler provide invaluable advice for writing compelling player-centered stories and effective dialogue trees to help readers make the switch from writing prose or screenplay to interactive.

Thoroughly revised, the Second Edition includes updated content reflecting the industry’s latest developments. In addition to revised and updated chapters, this new edition features two additional chapters covering more advanced topics that are applicable to the lessons learned from the original chapters.

Accompanying every chapter are exercises that allow the reader to develop their own documentation, outlines, and game-dialogue samples for use in applying for industry jobs or developing independent projects.

Read more

Note: This book is continued in Autodesk® Revit® 2023: Fundamentals for MEP – Part 2. Both books are required to complete this guide.

To take full advantage of Building Information Modeling, the Autodesk® Revit® 2023: Fundamentals for MEP guide has been designed to teach the concepts and principles of creating 3D parametric models of MEP systems from engineering design through construction documentation.

This guide is intended to introduce users to the user interface and the basic HVAC, electrical, and piping/plumbing components that make Autodesk Revit a powerful and flexible engineering modeling tool. The guide will also familiarize users with the tools required to create, document, and print the parametric model. The examples and practices are designed to take users through the basics of a full MEP project from linking in an architectural model to construction documents.

Topics Covered in Part 1

• Introduction to the Autodesk Revit software.
• Navigating the Revit workspace and interface.
• Working with the basic sketching and modifying tools.
• Creating levels and grids as datum elements for the model.
• Understanding Revit families and components.
• Understanding the project browser and working with views.
• Starting an MEP project based on a linked architectural model.
• Creating spaces and zones so that you can analyze heating and cooling loads.
• Creating HVAC networks with air terminals, mechanical equipment, ducts, and pipes.
• Creating plumbing networks with plumbing fixtures and pipes.
• Creating electrical circuits with electrical equipment, devices, and light fixtures and adding cable trays and conduits.
• Creating HVAC and plumbing systems with automatic duct and piping layouts.
• Testing duct, piping and electrical systems.

Prerequisites

• Access to the 2023.0 version of the software, to ensure compatibility with this guide. Future software updates that are released by Autodesk may include changes that are not reflected in this guide. The practices and files included with this guide might not be compatible with prior versions (e.g., 2022).
• This guide introduces the fundamental skills you need to learn the Autodesk Revit MEP software. It is highly recommended that users have experience and knowledge in MEP engineering and its terminology.
• It is recommended that users have a standard three-button mouse to successfully complete the practices in this guide.

Read more

Note: This book is continued in Autodesk® Revit® 2024: Fundamentals for MEP – Part 2. Both books are required to complete this guide.

To take full advantage of Building Information Modeling, the Autodesk® Revit® 2024: Fundamentals for MEP guide (Part 1 and Part 2) has been designed to teach the concepts and principles of creating 3D parametric models of MEP systems from engineering design through construction documentation.

This guide is intended to introduce users to the user interface and the basic HVAC, electrical, and piping/plumbing components that make Autodesk Revit a powerful and flexible engineering modeling tool. The guide will also familiarize users with the tools required to create, document, and print the parametric model. The examples and practices are designed to take users through the basics of a full MEP project from linking in an architectural model to construction documents.

Topics Covered in Part 1

• Introduction to the Autodesk Revit software, including navigating the Revit interface.
• Starting an MEP project based on a linked architectural model and creating levels and grids as datum elements for the model.
• Understanding the project browser and working with views.
• Understanding Revit families and components.
• Working with the basic sketching and modifying tools.
• Copying and monitoring elements and coordinating linked models.
• Creating spaces so that you can analyze heating and cooling loads.
• Connecting and testing basic systems.
• Creating pipe systems with plumbing fixtures and pipes.
• Creating duct systems with air terminals, mechanical equipment, and ducts.
• Creating advanced HVAC and plumbing systems with automatic duct and piping layouts.
• Creating electrical circuits with electrical equipment, devices, and light fixtures and adding cable trays and conduits.

Prerequisites

• Access to the 2024.0 version of the software, to ensure compatibility with this guide. Future software updates that are released by Autodesk may include changes that are not reflected in this guide. The practices and files included with this guide might not be compatible with prior versions (e.g., 2023).
• This guide introduces the fundamental skills you need to learn the Autodesk Revit MEP software. It is highly recommended that users have experience and knowledge in MEP engineering and its terminology.
• It is recommended that users have a standard three-button mouse to successfully complete the practices in this guide.

Read more

What really makes a video game story interactive?
What’s the best way to create an interactive story?
How much control should players be given?
Do they really want that control in the first place?
Do they even know what they want-or are their stated desires at odds with the unconscious preferences?

All of these questions and more are examined in this definitive book on interactive storytelling for video games. You’ll get detailed descriptions of all major types of interactive stories, case studies of popular games (including Bioshock, Fallout 3, Final Fantasy XIII, Heavy Rain, and Metal Gear Solid), and how players interact with them, and an in-depth analysis of the results of a national survey on player storytelling preferences in games. You’ll get the expert advice you need to generate compelling and original game concepts and narratives.With Interactive Storytelling for Video Games, you’ll:

Read more

Now in its 4th edition, Manual of Engineering Drawing is a long-established guide for practicing and student engineers to producing engineering drawings and annotated 3D models that comply with the latest BSI and ISO standards of technical product specifications and documentation. This new edition has been updated in line with recent standard revisions and amendments, including the requirements of BS8888 2011 and related ISO standards. Ideal for international use, it includes a guide to the fundamental differences between the relevant ISO and ASME standards, as well as new information on legal aspects such as patents and copyright, and end-of-life design considerations. Equally applicable to CAD and manual drawing, the book includes the latest developments in 3D annotation and the specification of surface texture. Its broad scope also encompasses topics such as orthographic and pictorial projections, dimensional, geometrical and surface tolerancing, and the duality principle, along with numerous examples of electrical and hydraulic diagrams with symbols and applications of cams, bearings, welding and adhesives. Seen by many as an essential design reference, Manual of Engineering Drawing is an ideal companion for students studying vocational courses in technical product specification, undergraduates studying engineering or product design, and professional engineers beginning a career in design.

Read more

Using WebGL®, you can create sophisticated interactive 3D graphics inside web browsers, without plug-ins. WebGL makes it possible to build a new generation of 3D web games, user interfaces, and information visualization solutions that will run on any standard web browser, and on PCs, smartphones, tablets, game consoles, or other devices. WebGL Programming Guide will help you get started quickly with interactive WebGL 3D programming, even if you have no prior knowledge of HTML5, JavaScript, 3D graphics, mathematics, or OpenGL.

You’ll learn step-by-step, through realistic examples, building your skills as you move from simple to complex solutions for building visually appealing web pages and 3D applications with WebGL. Media, 3D graphics, and WebGL pioneers Dr. Kouichi Matsuda and Dr. Rodger Lea offer easy-to-understand tutorials on key aspects of WebGL, plus 100 downloadable sample programs, each demonstrating a specific WebGL topic.

You’ll move from basic techniques such as rendering, animating, and texturing triangles, all the way to advanced techniques such as fogging, shadowing, shader switching, and displaying 3D models generated by Blender or other authoring tools. This book won’t just teach you WebGL best practices, it will give you a library of code to jumpstart your own projects.

Coverage includes:

• WebGL’s origin, core concepts, features, advantages, and integration with other web standards
• How and basic WebGL functions work together to deliver 3D graphics
• Shader development with OpenGL ES Shading Language (GLSL ES)
• 3D scene drawing: representing user views, controlling space volume, clipping, object creation, and perspective
• Achieving greater realism through lighting and hierarchical objects
• Advanced techniques: object manipulation, heads-up displays, alpha blending, shader switching, and more
• Valuable reference appendixes covering key issues ranging from coordinate systems to matrices and shader loading to web browser settings

This is the newest text in the OpenGL Technical Library, Addison-Wesley’s definitive collection of programming guides an reference manuals for OpenGL and its related technologies. The Library enables programmers to gain a practical understanding of OpenGL and the other Khronos application-programming libraries including OpenGL ES and OpenCL. All of the technologies in the OpenGL Technical Library evolve under the auspices of the Khronos Group, the industry consortium guiding the evolution of modern, open-standards media APIs.

Read more

Adobe Photoshop: A Complete Course and Compendium of Features is your guide to creating, editing, and enhancing images and designs in Adobe Photoshop. Whether you’re retouching a photograph, making a simulated chalk drawing, or creating a composite photo with a 3D drawing, Photoshop is the tool for you–and this book will teach you what you need to know.

First, with a complete Course that includes a set of projects and lessons derived from Adobe Certified Instructor Steve Laskevitch, you will learn the procedures needed to use Photoshop effectively and professionally. Dozens of lessons are included that can be applied to any graphics you have in mind. Through these step-by-step lessons, you’ll be exposed to all of Photoshop’s features in practical contexts and its best practices for optimal workflows. To complete the Course, we’ll supply lesson documents and their assets to download. These can even serve as starting points for your own projects.

Then, for greater depth of knowledge and subsequent reference, you’ll use the Compendium to uncover more of the “how” and “why” of Photoshop. With each topic easy to access, you can find and explore all of Photoshop’s key features and concepts in depth. With cross references between the Course and Compendium, the two parts of the book complement each other perfectly. Best of all, when the lessons in the Course are done, the Compendium will continue to serve for months and years to come.

Learn step by step how to:

– Set up an ideal workspace

– Master selections and masks

– Work with type and brushes

– Use blend modes for combining images

– Take advantage of Smart Objects

– Become more efficient and effective with actions and scripts

– And much more!

Read more

Note: This book is a continuation of Autodesk® Revit® 2023: Fundamentals for MEP – Part 1. Both books are required to complete this guide.

To take full advantage of Building Information Modeling, the Autodesk® Revit® 2023: Fundamentals for MEP guide has been designed to teach the concepts and principles of creating 3D parametric models of MEP systems from engineering design through construction documentation.

This guide is intended to introduce users to the user interface and the basic HVAC, electrical, and piping/plumbing components that make Autodesk Revit a powerful and flexible engineering modeling tool. The guide will also familiarize users with the tools required to create, document, and print the parametric model. The examples and practices are designed to take users through the basics of a full MEP project from linking in an architectural model to construction documents.

Topics Covered in Part 2

• Setting up sheets, and placing and modifying views on sheets.
• Working with dimensions, text, annotations, and legends.
• Adding tags and working with schedules.
• Setting up detail views and adding detail components.

Prerequisites

• Access to the 2023.0 version of the software, to ensure compatibility with this guide. Future software updates that are released by Autodesk may include changes that are not reflected in this guide. The practices and files included with this guide might not be compatible with prior versions (e.g., 2022).
• This guide introduces the fundamental skills you need to learn the Autodesk Revit MEP software. It is highly recommended that users have experience and knowledge in MEP engineering and its terminology.
• It is recommended that users have a standard three-button mouse to successfully complete the practices in this guide.

Read more

This 10th Anniversary Edition of Force: Animal Drawing: Animal Locomotion and Design Concepts for Animators offers readers an enlarged and an enhanced selection of images that apply FORCE to animals. With larger images, readers can better appreciate and learn how to bring their own animal illustrations to life. New drawings and facts about the animals create a more comprehensive edition for your library. Readers will also adapt key industry techniques that will help personify animal animations as well as endowing their creations with human-like expressions and unique animal movement. content can be found at DrawingFORCE.com

Key Features:

• This full-color 10th Anniversary Edition makes FORCE even easier to understand through great diagrams and illustrations

• Color-coded page edges help you find more easily the animal you want to draw

• Learn about key specifications for each mammal such as their weight range, food they eat, and how fast they run

• Video content can be found at DrawingFORCE.com

Read more

Working with Sound is an exploration of the ever-changing working practices of audio development in the era of hybrid collaboration in the games industry.

Through learnings from the pre-pandemic remote and isolated worlds of audio work, sound designers, composers, and dialogue designers find themselves equipped uniquely to thrive in the hybrid, remote, and studio-based realms of today’s fast-evolving working landscapes. With unique insights into navigating the worlds of isolation and collaboration, this book explores ways of thinking and working in this world, equipping the reader with inspiration to sustainably tackle the many stages of the development process.

Working with Sound is an essential guide for professionals working in dynamic audio teams of all sizes, as well as the designers, producers, artists, animators, and programmers who collaborate closely with their colleagues working on game audio and sound.

Read more

OpenGL® ES™ is the industry’s leading software interface and graphics library for rendering sophisticated 3D graphics on handheld and embedded devices. The newest version, OpenGL ES 3.0, makes it possible to create stunning visuals for new games and apps, without compromising device performance or battery life. In the OpenGL ® ES ™ 3.0 Programming Guide, Second Edition, the authors cover the entire API and Shading Language. They carefully introduce OpenGL ES 3.0 features such as shadow mapping, instancing, multiple render targets, uniform buffer objects, texture compression, program binaries, and transform feedback. Through detailed, downloadable C-based code examples, you’ll learn how to set up and program every aspect of the graphics pipeline. Step by step, you’ll move from introductory techniques all the way to advanced per-pixel lighting and particle systems. Throughout, you’ll find cutting-edge tips for optimizing performance, maximizing efficiency with both the API and hardware, and fully leveraging OpenGL ES 3.0 in a wide spectrum of applications. All code has been built and tested on iOS 7, Android 4.3, Windows (OpenGL ES 3.0 Emulation), and Ubuntu Linux, and the authors demonstrate how to build OpenGL ES code for each platform. Coverage includes EGL API: communicating with the native windowing system, choosing configurations, and creating rendering contexts and surfaces Shaders: creating and attaching shader objects; compiling shaders; checking for compile errors; creating, linking, and querying program objects; and using source shaders and program binaries OpenGL ES Shading Language: variables, types, constructors, structures, arrays, attributes, uniform blocks, I/O variables, precision qualifiers, and invariance Geometry, vertices, and primitives: inputting geometry into the pipeline, and assembling it into primitives 2D/3D, Cubemap, Array texturing: creation, loading, and rendering; texture wrap modes, filtering, and formats; compressed textures, sampler objects, immutable textures, pixel unpack buffer objects, and mipmapping Fragment shaders: multitexturing, fog, alpha test, and user clip planes Fragment operations: scissor, stencil, and depth tests; multisampling, blending, and dithering Framebuffer objects: rendering to offscreen surfaces for advanced effects Advanced rendering: per-pixel lighting, environment mapping, particle systems, image post-processing, procedural textures, shadow mapping, terrain, and projective texturing Sync objects and fences: synchronizing within host application and GPU execution This edition of the book includes a color insert of the OpenGL ES 3.0 API and OpenGL ES Shading Language 3.0 Reference Cards created by Khronos. The reference cards contain a complete list of all of the functions in OpenGL ES 3.0 along with all of the types, operators, qualifiers, built-ins, and functions in the OpenGL ES Shading Language.

Read more

Quiet on set! Time to start your moviemaking adventure — here’s what you need to know about capturing, editing, and publishing your videos

If you’re an amateur filmmaker shooting documentaries or a hobbyist putting together a family video, Adobe Premiere Pro For Dummies is the book for you. From setting up a production studio and shooting good footage, to editing clips, adding effects, and working with audio, this user-friendly and comprehensive guide written in plain English can help you create your next video masterpiece and share the finished product.

This handy guide starts with the basics, getting you familiar with the Adobe Premiere Pro software and its interface and helping you set up your dream studio. From there, you’ll dive into capturing footage for your videos, learn how to manage multiple movie projects, and edit movies to your liking. You’ll learn to:

• Capture audio and video from your camcorder or video deck (if your computer has the right hardware)
• Pick and choose scenes to include in a movie, moving frame by frame through video to precisely place edits
• Add and edit (up to 99) audio soundtracks to your program
• Create titles and add still graphics to your movie projects
• Animate titles and graphics
• Apply one of 73 different transitions to video
• Modify your movie with 94 video and 22 audio effects
• Improve and adjust color using an advanced Color Corrector, new to this version of the software
• Use powerful new audio tools to mix audio, whether it’s mono, stereo, or 5.1 channel surround
• Work with multiple, nestable timelines
• Preview edits immediately in real time

Once you’re finalized your movie project, you can export it, save it to DVD, or publish it online. But that’s not all! With this helpful guide, you’ll learn pro movie-making tips, third-party software add-ons, and additional tools for your production studio. Pick up your copy and start shooting your film today.

Read more