Books about Modelling from Amazon.com

ZBrush's popularity is exploding giving more CG artists the power to create stunning digital art with a distinctively fine art feel. ZBrush Character Creation: Advanced Digital Sculpting is the must-have guide to creating highly detailed, lush, organic models using the revolutionary ZBrush software. Digital sculptor Scott Spencer guides you through the full array of ZBrush tools, including brushes, textures and detailing. With a focus on both the artistry and the technical know-how, you'll learn how to apply traditional sculpting and painting techniques to 3D art while uncovering the "why" behind the "how" for each step. You'll gain inspiration and insight from the beautiful full-color illustrations and professional tips from experienced ZBrush artists included in the book. And, above all, you'll have a solid understanding of how applying time-honored artistic methods to your workflow can turn ordinary digital art into breathtaking digital masterpieces..
Price: $27.15 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Let this in-depth professional book be your guide to Blender, the powerful open-source 3D modeling and animation software that will bring your ideas to life. Using clear step-by-step instruction and pages of real-world examples, expert animator Tony Mullen walks you through the complexities of modeling and animating, with a special focus on characters. From Blender basics to creating facial expressions and emotion to rendering, you’ll jump right into the process and learn valuable techniques that will transform your movies.

Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file..
Price: $21.80 [Notify me when price goes down.]

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..
Price: $26.44 [Notify me when price goes down.]

There has been a dramatic growth in the development and application of Bayesian inferential methods Some of this growth is due to the availability of powerful simulation-based algorithms to summarize posterior distributions. There has been also a growing interest in the use of the system R for statistical analyses. R's open source nature, free availability, and large number of contributor packages have made R the software of choice for many statisticians in education and industry.

Bayesian Computation with R introduces Bayesian modeling by the use of computation using the R language. The early chapters present the basic tenets of Bayesian thinking by use of familiar one and two-parameter inferential problems. Bayesian computational methods such as Laplace's method, rejection sampling, and the SIR algorithm are illustrated in the context of a random effects model. The construction and implementation of Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods is introduced. These simulation-based algorithms are implemented for a variety of Bayesian applications such as normal and binary response regression, hierarchical modeling, order-restricted inference, and robust modeling. Algorithms written in R are used to develop Bayesian tests and assess Bayesian models by use of the posterior predictive distribution. The use of R to interface with WinBUGS, a popular MCMC computing language, is described with several illustrative examples.

This book is a suitable companion book for an introductory course on Bayesian methods. Also the book is valuable to the statistical practitioner who wishes to learn more about the R language and Bayesian methodology. The LearnBayes package, written by the author and available from the CRAN website, contains all of the R functions described in the book.

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Price: $37.04 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Learning Autodesk Maya 2008 I Foundation is your key to unlocking the power of Autodesk Maya software, directly from the creators of one of the world's most powerful 3D animation and effects software products. Get hands-on experience with the innovative tools and powerful techniques available in Autodesk Maya 2008. You'll gain a sense of the entire production process as you work on creating and animating characters from Sony Pictures Animation's feature film, Surf's Up. You'll even learn about compositing your characters into alternate environments in a bonus chapter on Autodesk Combustion software. Explore the Maya user interface, create organic structures with NURBS, apply forward and inverse kinematics, deform surfaces, learn to use Trax non-linear animation, discover rendering techniques, and so much more with this easy to follow guide to Maya. Includes bonus DVD with scene files, instructor-led podcasts, and other reference guides to give you a solid foundation in the art of animating with Maya..
Price: $33.00 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Monte Carlo simulation has become an essential tool in the pricing of derivative securities and in risk management These applications have, in turn, stimulated research into new Monte Carlo methods and renewed interest in some older techniques.

This book develops the use of Monte Carlo methods in finance and it also uses simulation as a vehicle for presenting models and ideas from financial engineering. It divides roughly into three parts. The first part develops the fundamentals of Monte Carlo methods, the foundations of derivatives pricing, and the implementation of several of the most important models used in financial engineering. The next part describes techniques for improving simulation accuracy and efficiency. The final third of the book addresses special topics: estimating price sensitivities, valuing American options, and measuring market risk and credit risk in financial portfolios.

The most important prerequisite is familiarity with the mathematical tools used to specify and analyze continuous-time models in finance, in particular the key ideas of stochastic calculus. Prior exposure to the basic principles of option pricing is useful but not essential.

The book is aimed at graduate students in financial engineering, researchers in Monte Carlo simulation, and practitioners implementing models in industry.

Mathematical Reviews, 2004: "... this book is very comprehensive, up-to-date and useful tool for those who are interested in implementing Monte Carlo methods in a financial context."

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Price: $48.97 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Believe it or not, the first known pop-up element in a book appeared in an astrological manuscript in 1306. During the ensuing centuries, movable mechanics were used in more and more books--but only for adults. In the 1700s a British bookseller came up with the idea of illustrating well-known children's stories with movable flaps of paper. The rest, as they say, is history. Now aspiring paper mechanics (creative engineer-artists who create dimensional and movable books, otherwise known as pop-ups) can learn the how-tos and wherefores of this marvelous craft. From tip-ons to dummies to glue knock-outs, all the intricacies of pop-up production are outlined and explained.

Readers are invited to take apart the sample pop-ups (as long as they promise to put them back together!) to determine exactly how each score folds and where each glue point is. Instructions are somewhat advanced, but the dimensional samples and the step-by-step photographic essay on how a pop-up is made will ease the journey. David Carter and James Diaz have each created many, many pop-up books, and are passionate about their trade. So blow the cobwebs out of the geometry corner of your brain, and get to work! (Ages 9 and older) --Emilie Coulter.
Price: $21.79 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Ever have a bad data day? If you're a business user, architect, analyst, designer or developer, then you've probably had some bad data days. It comes with the territory Overcoming these problems is much easier if you have an in-depth understanding of the actual data. That's where a data model comes in handy. It's a diagram that uses text and symbols to represent groupings of data, giving you a clear picture of your business and application environment. Data Modeling Made Simple provides the tools you need to read, create and validate models of your business and applications.

This book contains everything about modeling you need to know but were too afraid to ask, such as:

- What are the traditional and nontraditional uses of a data model?

- How do subject area, logical, and physical data models differ?

- When do I build a BSAM, ASAM, or CSAM?

- What is the easiest way to apply normalization?

- Where can I best leverage abstraction?

- How do I decide whether to use denormalization or dimensionality?

- What are primary, foreign, alternate, virtual, and surrogate keys?

- What is the best approach to building the models?

- How can I use the Scorecard system to validate a data model?

Plus over 30 exercises to reinforce concepts and sharpen your skills!

Reviews:

"What a great book—and a fun read too! Steve has captured the essence of data modeling and made it simple. For those who are not data modelers but need to work with them, this book is an excellent primer. For those who model data occasionally but not routinely, it is an invaluable quick reference. And for those of us who are experienced (and incorrigible) data modelers, Data Modeling Made Simple is a terrific reminder that we really can keep it simple!"

David Wells, Director of Education, Data Warehousing Institute

"An excellent introduction from someone who knows his subject and knows how to teach it"

Graeme Simsion, University of Melbourne

“Data Modeling Made Simple is a must read for all professionals new to data modeling as well as those that want to ‘speak the language’ and understand the concepts. Steve writes as though he is right there with you, walking you through the terminology, explaining the symbols, and telling you what you should consider doing before, during and after you have modeled your data.”

Robert S. Seiner, President, KIK Consulting & Educational Services, LLC and Publisher of The Data Administration Newsletter, tdan.com

“Data Modeling Made Simple is an excellent training guide for anyone entering the data modeling field. Steve Hoberman takes the fundamental concepts of data modeling and presents them in an easy to understand and entertaining manner that I’m sure you will find valuable.”

David Marco, President, EWSolutions

“How does one who is not a formally trained ‘data modeler’ understand the basics of data modeling? Steve Hoberman has created an informative, fun, easy to follow, and practical book sharing data modeling concepts which are essential for any professional involved in information technology. Mr. Hoberman clearly answers key questions behind the what, why and how of data modeling and reinforces the explanations with appropriate examples, analogies and exercises.”

Len Silverston, Best-Selling Author of The Data Model Resource Book, Volumes 1 and 2

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Price: $11.48 [Notify me when price goes down.]