Editorial Review:
Blender is a free and open source 3D creation suite 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. Although Blender is free, it's intended for design professionals and others motivated to become 3D artists. The Essential Blender will provide you with the knowledge you need to help integrate Blender into your work and begin to master its powerful creation tools. If you've never tried 3D design before, an introductory chapter will familiarize you with relevant terminology and concepts. If you're already experienced with commercial 3D software, The Essential Blender will get you up to speed with Blender quickly. After a tour of Blender's 3D modeling, animation, and rendering capabilities, you'll learn how best to use Blender for these tasks:
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 book is modular in its approach, with each topic addressed independently and accompanied by hands-on tutorial sections. The combined expertise of key members of the Blender community, coupled with the experience of editor Roland Hess, bring you The Essential Blender-the definitive guide to Blender. You'll find a wealth of 3D design information inside that will help you to unlock your artistic potential and get the most out of Blender. Includes a Complete Version of Blender 2.44 on the CD-ROM. Covers Windows, Mac OS X, Linux (x86 and PowerPC), Solaris, FreeBSD, and IRIX.
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Customer Reviews
Average Customer Rating: 
Excellent Read- Recommended  2008-10-03
I bought this for my brother who has read many of the Blender guides, This one he said was the best. Great for someone new to blender, but also for someone who is familar with Blender to get a few new ideas.
Get this book. 2008-09-29
For several years, I've been trying to learn 3D animation, but the books I read were hard to follow. So I gave up. When I found Blender's software, I decided to give it one more try. In reading reviews for books, I usually give more weight to the 1 and 2 star ratings, so I almost passed on this book. That would have been a huge mistake. This book is extremely well written, and I'm well on my way to finally learning this stuff. The biggest problem some reviewers had was the poor graphics. Do not let that stop you from getting this book. I wouldn't say they were great, but you can see what you need to see with some close-up viewing.
Great Book, Easy to Learn 2008-09-18
I've only started with the book, but so far everything is incredibly easy
I recommend this book highly. I was a little put off by the problems with the pictures, but the pictures aren't that bad. So to anyone who learns or wants to learn blender this is the book. The other problem with having to read various writing styles is non existant IMHO. Also the problem with, chapters that keep backtracking. It only includes a paragraph about the last chapter you just read, and it makes refrences to it. Thats how it ties it in though. Thanks Amazon!
Jack
Good Start 2008-09-13
This book serves as an excellent primer on blender. Each chapter goes through 1 "Tutorial" Style example of how to model, animate, texture, and other common 3D tasks. Following this is a guide to the tools that are available to take the work deeper, great for reference when working through other tutorials. 3D is a long journey, this is a good start, and blender is a great piece of software to start with for the price (Free!)
Essential Indeed! 2008-08-29
The Essential Blender Guide is exactly that: essential! It is a great companion book for those who have purchased the introductory guide, based around Blender 2.3. This new book is worth every penny for the chapter on compositing alone. Along with available on-line help, you will be well on your way to becoming a Blender pro when you've finished this book. The included CD contains sample files that accompany each chapter, and allow you to see what is happening without building your own scene. Doing so is encouraged, however. We could all use more practice! Jump in, and watch your dreams come to life...
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