[bullet_evader]

im now in for some months at this forum and you probable saw some stuff i have created with lightwave!!! only now I want to reach higher levels with lightwave, so i do understand the things like modeling, texturing, animating and lightning better then i do now!!!
so i thought by myself: maybe a lightwave book can give me the most important information about these things!! so my question is: do you guys recommend to buy a book??? and if yes... wich book you think its good for me???

i hope you guys can tell me!!!
thank you!

[Johnny9ball]

The most important thing you can seek is knowledge of creating good images and a software specific book like a lightwave book will not nessarly give you knowledge of how to make a good looking image. The books I find that I learn the most from are non software specific. Ill try and give ya a list of my favorites here that cover different areas such as animation, lighting ect. Non software specific books teach you more that how to use the software. They delve into the theroy and techniques of makeing good images/animations.

I always buy amazon because of the deep discounts off list prices. Free shipping on most items is really nice, and there main shipping center is 20 miles away so I get my books in two days or so.

The Digital series of books is a series I hold close to my heart. They are seriously that good.

Digital Cinematography & Directing

Digital Lighting & Rendering

Digital Texturing & Painting

Digital Character Animation 2, Volume I : Essential Techniques

Digital Character Animation 2, Volume II: Advanced Techniques

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...51031?v=glance

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...glance&s=books

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...glance&s=books

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...glance&s=books

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...51031?v=glance

Bill flemming wrote these modeling/surfaceing books a while ago but its principles for modeling and textureing realism are timeless. His renders really are not that realistic but his principles are great.

3D Photorealism Toolkit

Advanced 3D Photorealism Techniques

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...51031?v=glance

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...glance&s=books

I also like books that cover Cinematography and direction because it improves my storytelling ability, my directing ability, and camera handleing ability.

The Five C's of Cinematography: Motion Picture Filming Techniques

Film Directing, Cinematic Motion: A Workshop for Staging Scenes

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...51031?v=glance

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...glance&s=books

Timothy Albee wrote a great book on the film makeing process, while makeing a short film by himself. Its packed with inspration and and insight.

CGI Filmmaking: The Creation of Ghost Warrior

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...glance&s=books

Another great book.

The Art of 3-D Computer Animation and Effects, Third Edition

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...859447-6351031

[Mark]

Also, just to add a counterpoint to Johnny's excellent set of suggestions, I'd also add that any Lightwave library should have the current copy of Dan Ablan's Inside Lightwave, and Nick Boughen's Lightwave 3D 7.5 (or 8) Lighting.


Inside Lightwave (ver: 6, 7 and 8)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...books&n=507846
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...books&n=507846
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...books&n=507846

Nick Boughen's books:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...books&n=507846
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...books&n=507846

[Johnny9ball]

I second that suggection mark. One more suggestion is if you find a good author write a book you like watch for future books from that author. Read thew Amazon reviews. They are very helpfull in finding a good quality book.

For instance Dan Alben is an excellent author for LW. I was excited to know he was authoring Digital Cinematography & Directing and I got it right away.

[neone]

i'm still a beginner so i bought two books. One was inside lightwave and the other lightwave primer

first i got inside lightwave but it was too difficult to start with (afcourse they mention it somewhere on page 3 and not on the cover that you got to have some knowledge about lightwave).

So i bought primer just to get into things and now i continue with inside lightwave.
personally i think it's a very good book. And it's very recomended to use it as a reference guide too.
The tutorials are also very good (but sometimes complicated and detailed like hell). But maybe that's why almost every lightwave user can use this book.
For a beginner it's very chalenging to complete the tutorials but also for a intermediate user it's usefull.

btw i just finished a tutorial about a skyscraper and i'll post some pictures so you can get an idea . (http://forum.simplylightwave.com/sho...1010#post21010)

[bullet_evader]

heej guys!! thanks for the replys!!

thanks for the big choice of books you gave me Johnny9ball, but i think i want to have a book that is specifiek going about lightwave. so i think the book "inside lightwave" Mark had advised looks better to me!!! i dont think i am a beginner anymore ( is that true?? ) so i think i can handle that book!! i also looked at the tower neone has created with the tutorial and it was looking good!! so i keep inside lightwave into my mind, but if there are some people who says: "no way take another book" i will reconsider my choise!!!

thanks again for the replys!!

[Mark]

If anyone comes up and says 'No way, use another book' when speaking about Dan's Inside Lightwave series, then they're probably a Maya, Max or XSI user masquerading as a Lightwave user.

Dan's books should be considered the Lightwave Gospel.