| Resources |
| BOOKS Art & Animation 3D Max R3 - In depth by Rob Polevoi A book on Max basics which isn’t too bad. It tries to cover everything Max can do rather than anything in detail and can be good for reference. 3D Studio Max - Professional Animation by Angie Jones Written by one of the character animators from OddWorld Inhabitants, this is pretty complex but detailed stuff. Steps through rigging a character, forwards and inverse kinematics and also the ins-and-outs of lip-synching. Acting for Animators by Ed Hooks The first book about acting theory that is written specifically for animators. Cartoon Timing by Preston Blair Blair began his animation career in the early 1930s at the Universal studio, and in the late 1930s moved over to the Disney studio. Computer Graphics Principles and Practice by Foley, Van Dam, Feiner and Hughes. The bible of computer graphics containing everything you ever wanted to know from lines to solid geometry. It doesn't just tell you the theory of each of the algorithms but also gives solid examples in C. The only down point is that some of the hardware examples are a little dated. Digital lighting and Rendering by Jeremy Birn Crafting a perfect render in 3D software means nailing all the details. And no matter what software you use, your success in creating realistic-looking illumination, shadows and textures depends on your professional lighting and rendering techniques. Disney’s the Illusion of Life by Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston Widely considered to be one of the best books ever published on the topic of character animation. The book gives many glimpses into the workings of the animation masters at Disney's during the Golden Age of animation. It is a frequently used reference among professional animators. Draw the Looney Tunes: The Warner Bros. Character Manual by Dan Romanelli For years, this was the textbook used by in-house artists to learn the ropes at Warner Bros. Modelling a Character by Paul Steed Written by one of the best and most respected 3D artists in the First-Person-Shooter genre, and responsible for creating all the characters in Quake 3. Step-by-step detailed instructions on how to make great 3D characters from the ground up. The Animator's Survival Kit by Richard Williams Easily the most detailed and comprehensive book on character animation. Essential reading. Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud A 215-page comic book about comics that explains the inner workings of the medium and examines many aspects of visual communication along the way. Understanding Comics was a Harvey and Eisner winner, and was praised in The New York Times, Publishers Weekly and Wired. Programming Algorithms in C++ by Sedgewick published by Addison Wesley Ideal for learning the nuts and bolts of C++ development, primarily concerning itself with list management (searching and sorting) and circumstances under which each list type is needed. Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach by Russel & Norvig This is a recommended general AI text from a number of sites and is also one of the recommended texts on degree courses. It contains all the useful searching algorithms including A* and MiniMax and is covered with easy to understand examples. Beginning C++ by Ivor Horton Several people here at Blitz learnt C++ from this book and also learnt Java from Ivor's Beginning Java book. The authors writing style is easy to understand and all the code fragments are well written and laid out, teaching the reader a tidy way to write C++ programs. C/C++ Programmers Bible by Jamsa Klander, Jamsa Press Not so much a learn how to program book - rather a huge C/C++ reference. It’s laid out so that everything is really easy to look up making it very useful to have sat by your keyboard while you’re working. Computational Geometry: Algorithms and Applications by Mark de. Berg, Marc van Kreveld, Mark Overmars, Otfried Schwarzkopf A wide-ranging introductory text which exposes readers to the main themes in modern computational geometry. Each chapter introduces a subfield of computational geometry, via natural problems and basic algorithms; exercises and notes help to flesh out the chapter material. Computer Graphics Principles and Practice by Foley, Van Dam, Feiner and Hughes. The bible of computer graphics containing everything you ever wanted to know from lines to solid geometry. It doesn't just tell you the theory of each of the algorithms but also gives solid examples in C. The only down point is that some of the hardware examples are a little dated. Computer Programming Principles and Practice by Foley and Van Dam This is one of those books that is useful to have around once you gain more experience and knowledge, you find yourself referring back to it with much more understanding of the subject. Kind of a graphics programmer’s bible. Effective C++ by Scott Meyers This exceptionally useful text offers Scott Myers's expertise in C++ class design and programming tips. The second edition incorporates recent advances to C++ included in the ISO standard, including namespaces and built-in template classes, and is required reading for any working C++ developer. Game Programming for Dummies It’s a few years old now but the stuff it goes over is still quite useful for complete beginners. It starts you off with how to set up your compiler for DirectX, explains game loops and covers direct input and direct draw, but there’s no 3D stuff in there. Game Programming Gems (Vol 1-3) and Graphics Programming Gems These are quite advanced but incredibly useful, and every coder should have one. The text is very relevant, well organised, and easy to understand. Each book comes with a CD of tutorials and example code, which again are slightly advanced, but they do contain a huge number of tricks occasionally with example C source code. Mathematics for 3D Programming & Computer Graphics by Eric Lengyel It’s hard to get away from 3D maths in computer games and this book covers all the major areas specifically aimed at the games programmer. This book explains everything maths related that you need to know - vector and matrix maths, quaternions and collision checking. Starts simple and explains how things are useful before going all the way to the full mathematical proofs. Physics for Game Developers by David M. Bourg A very good (if a little advanced) book describing how the laws of physics can be applied to a game situation. Contains annotated C code. Physics for Game Developers by O’Reilly A good introduction for people interested in putting physics in games. The C++ Programmers Guide by Bjarne Stroustrup This book is absolutely vital and is written by the guy who invented the language. It thoroughly explains the ins-and-outs of C++. The OpenGL Superbible Probably the single best book for programming using OpenGL. Although OpenGL has fallen out of fashion, this book and learning OpenGL can be a good starting point into 3D as it is more initially accessible than DirectX. The book covers all the projection, culling, texturing, etc which are relevant to any graphics API you finally use. Tricks of the Windows Game Programming Gurus by Andre LaMothe A really useful book for getting started in games programming using DirectX. It’s a little out-dated now and the book only covers 2D, but it is well written and covers all the main concepts which can be transferred into 3D games programming. General Screenwriting Updated by Linda Aronson This was intended as a guide to writing for TV and film, but it’s very applicable to the games industry. The focus is on the structure of a story and gives practical strategies for creating or improving your narratives. Game Design Secrets of the Sages This book is a few years old now, but does a good job of covering the theories behind a broad range of Game Development areas including art, design, sound, programming, PR and marketing. Game Design, Theory and Practice by Richard Rouse (Wordware Publishing Inc) It goes through the whole process from idea to final code and has several interviews with top name coders. It also goes through how to write a GDD etc. It is a theory book though, not technical, and can be very informative and useful (it also has a CD with several software development packages on it). Game Design Workshop: Designing, Prototyping, and Playtesting Games by Tracy Fullerton, Christopher Twain, Steven Hoffman Game design basics. Get In The Game by Mark Menscher This book offers pratically the only comprehensive insight into getting into the industry. Includes detailed job roles, art and programming tips, interview advice and much more. Well worth taking a look at. Rules of Play by Eric Zimmerman and Katie Salen Games have become as much a genre of pop culture as film or television, but game design has yet to develop a theoretical framework or critical vocabulary. In Rules of Play , Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman offer an impassioned defense and definition of this emerging field. Swords and Circuitry: A Designer's Guide to Computer Role-playing Games by Neal Hallford Decipher the arcane mysteries behind role-playing game development tools like plot trees, world bibles, design documents, and game scripts. The Game Maker's Apprentice: Game Development for Beginners by Jacob Habgood and Mark Overmars This book, and companion CD, provide all you need to create your own games for Microsoft Windows using Game Maker. It introduces beginners of all ages to the art of creating computer games. MAGAZINES |