Never forgetting that "the human form is the most valuable and challenging resource in fine art," 3-D Human Modeling and Animation helps make the transition from 2-D to 3-D - working with height, width, and now depth - easier. Student artists and animators learning or expanding their skills for modeling and animating digital humans will find this book a great resource.

Lessons and instruction begin by modeling the feet, progressing upward through the body, and then ending with the head (the head being the most complicated to create). The modeling approach you'll use involves skinning cross-sectional splines and contours, a system that uses a series of curved or straight outlines and then connects them. Students will find the various procedures used here helpful, no matter what software or hardware setup they're using.

In an example on human motion, you consider the movement of clothes on the human body, which tend to move separately - the swing of a skirt as it twirls opposite the human figure, for example. Animate your characters with secondary actions, the book suggests, so that their movements look more realistic and dramatic.

While there is no companion CD-ROM, this book offers plenty of illustrations, step-by-step instructions, and student exercises. Whether you're just learning to model or want to expand beyond your 2-D skills and make the leap into the 3-D arena, you'll find 3-D Human Modeling and Animation a good place to start. - Brooke Gilbert