I was wondering if I should purchase this book by Paul Steed for Animating and Rigging Real Time Game Characters http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1584502703/ref=pd_sim_b_1… ? Also, is this book worth buying, or is there others that are more suitable for learning the topic? Thankaz in advanced.
My opinion on steeds books are that they're both good resources for someone beginning out in modelling or animation (respectively), however they do need to be taken with a grain of salt and not as gospel... steeds books teach a number of bad habits which are generally looked down upon in a professional environment, and having known a number of people still struggling to let these habits go, you need to recognise that these books aren't the be all and end all that the author eludes to. So although it may be a good starting point to learn from for the beginner, make sure you source your material from other places as well, and be prepared to be flexible.
Big Boobs, Big Boots mostly [:P]
A couple of years ago I found Pauls books a great reference, and I copied them vertex by vertex. But like most books whoevers involved or presenting the tutorial - you have to remember that:
*Its their way of doing things, not the only way of doing things*
I think as long as you remember that, and try to learn why they made something the way they have, take that, and use it in your own way - youll be much better off in the end.
Books are great - absorb as much knowledge as you can from lots of game gurus and game artists as possible and pick the bits that you like and apply them, muck around with them and improove them in a way that works best for you.
I actually own this book, and while I have read through it, I've never actually followed the tutorial, as I've been using Max 3.1 @:-P It is well written, but having never actually followed the tut, I can't give a real recommendation on it. I have Steed's earlier book on character modeling, and that was nicely done, so yeah... *cough* Wasn't worth posting my opinion really, was it? @;-D