No Starch Press releases The Essential Blender: The official guide to Blender, the powerful, cross-platform, and free 3D design and animation tool.No Starch Press has a long-standing relationship with the Blender Foundation, the non-profit organization behind the Blender software. The Essential Blender (No Starch Press, Oct 2007, $44.95, ISBN 978-1-59327-166-4) is the most recent product of that cooperation. "I've always been amazed by the Blender community's base of knowledge and desire to teach," said No Starch Press Publisher Bill Pollock. "They wowed us with their Blender 2.3 Guide and they've done it again with The Essential Blender. This is without a doubt the comprehensive and definitive guide to using the latest version of Blender."Blender is a free and open source 3D design and animation tool that is a real alternative to commercially available 3D design software. A cross-platform software package with millions of downloads annually, Blender is now one of the world's most popular 3D design tools. And although Blender is free, it's serious software--intended for design professionals and others motivated to become 3D artists. That also means that Blender can be just a bit more complex than your basic image editor.
As with prior Blender Foundation publications, amateurs and professionals alike will find that The Essential Blender provides them with the hands-on knowledge they need to help integrate Blender into their work and begin to master its powerful creation tools. Those new to 3D design will find an introductory chapter with relevant terminology and concepts. Then, following a tour of Blender's 3D modeling, animation, and rendering capabilities, readers will learn how best to use Blender for:
- Object manipulation and animation
- Mesh and sculpt modeling and shape animation
- Materials and texturing (including UV unwrapping)
- Lighting and rendering
- Particle animation
- Character rigging and animation
- Node-based composition
The Essential Blender is the product of the combined expertise of key members of the Blender community, including Blender's founder Ton Roosendaal, coupled with the experience of editor Roland Hess. The information in The Essential Blender is sure to help readers at all levels unlock their artistic potential and get the most out of this seriously powerful--and fun--software.
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