Maya Studio Projects. Game Environments and Props

The Definitive Resource for Up-and-Coming 3D Game Artists Alias' award-winning Maya 3D animation and effects software continues to lead the industry in technological innovation and is being adopted by more and more console and computer game developers. The Game Artist's Guide to Maya is an official introduction to creating 3D game art and animations with Maya, brought to you by Maya Press, a publishing partnership between Alias and Sybex. Written by a production artist at a prominent game company, this detailed book focuses on the skills real game artists use daily to create stunning characters and environments. By following the discussions and tutorials, you'll bring a concept through the entire game art development pipeline, learning everything from modeling, texturing, rigging, and animation, to special effects. You'll also glean insights from industry professionals and see how Maya has been used in popular games. If you're a 3D game artist, or looking to become one, this book will help you master the skills and techniques you'll need to excel in the competitive games industry. Inside, you'll learn how to: Create a game model using a concept image as your guide Model with predetermined real-time polycount limitations in mind View martial arts videos on the book's CD to animate your character more realistically Prepare a model for texturing with UV mapping and layout techniques Create different kinds of textures Master the rigging process, from setting up a skeleton to preparing blend shapes Practice techniques for creating animation clips to work with in the Trax Editor Use particle effects, such as sprites and animated geometry, to add pizzazz to your model

Level up your skills with powerful texturing and lighting techniques Advanced Maya Texturing and Lighting, Third Edition leads you through the latest advanced techniques for adding realistic detail to your models. This new edition is up-to-date with the latest Maya texturing, lighting, and rendering features, including an exploration of the Node Editor, new Maya utility nodes and expanded coverage of mental ray shaders, and render settings. The proven tutorials are culled from real-world experience and refined to give you the ultimate in practical skills. You'll learn workflow tips and tricks, the construction of custom shading networks, and the application of time-saving tools that bring your project from concept to reality. The companion website features several gigabytes of Maya scene files, texture bitmaps, and QuickTime movies that support the exercises in the book, giving you everything you need to advance your animation skillset. This book helps you take your rendering skills to the next level with the advanced tools and techniques that take animation from good to great. Learn the theory behind expert lighting design Understand shadows, shading components, and texture mapping Work with node networks, raytracing, and global illumination Try new approaches to rendering using Maya Software and mental ray If you're ready to take a big step forward and fine-tune your style, Advanced Maya Texturing and Lighting, Third Edition is the practical, hands-on guide you need.

Writing Built Environment Dissertations and Projects will help you to write a good dissertation or project by giving you a good understanding of what should be included, and showing you how to use data collection and analysis tools in the course of your research. Addresses prominent weaknesses in under-graduate dissertations including weak data collection; superficial analysis and poor reliability and validity Includes many more in-depth examples making it easy to understand and assimilate the concepts presented Issues around study skills and ethics are embedded throughout the book and the many examples encourage you to consider the concepts of reliability and validity Second edition includes a new chapter on laboratory based research projects Supporting website with sample statistical calculations and additional examples from a wider range of built environment subjects

Provides an accessible introduction to urban ecology, using established ecological theory to identify generalities in the complexity of urban environments. Examines the bio-physical processes of urbanization and how these influence the dynamics of urban populations, communities and ecosystems Explores the ecology of humans in cities Discusses practical strategies for conserving biodiversity and maintaining ecosystem services in urban environments Includes case studies with questions to improve retention and understanding

Securing virtual environments for VMware, Citrix, and Microsoft hypervisors Virtualization changes the playing field when it comes to security. There are new attack vectors, new operational patterns and complexity, and changes in IT architecture and deployment life cycles. What's more, the technologies, best practices, and strategies used for securing physical environments do not provide sufficient protection for virtual environments. This book includes step-by-step configurations for the security controls that come with the three leading hypervisor–VMware vSphere and ESXi, Microsoft Hyper-V on Windows Server 2008, and Citrix XenServer. Includes strategy for securely implementing network policies and integrating virtual networks into the existing physical infrastructure Discusses vSphere and Hyper-V native virtual switches as well as the Cisco Nexus 1000v and Open vSwitch switches Offers effective practices for securing virtual machines without creating additional operational overhead for administrators Contains methods for integrating virtualization into existing workflows and creating new policies and processes for change and configuration management so that virtualization can help make these critical operations processes more effective This must-have resource offers tips and tricks for improving disaster recovery and business continuity, security-specific scripts, and examples of how Virtual Desktop Infrastructure benefits security.

A project manager must not only master methods and processes, but also have the ability to deal with new, unexpected and critical situations. The book deals with these challenges, the passion for projects and the creativity which is required in order to lead projects and bring them to a successful conclusion. Experienced project managers report on exciting tasks in various countries, daily life as project managers and about their personal experiences and learning effects. Readers will experience the fascinating appeal of the job of a «project manager», which also means constantly being prepared to get into a new task. Furthermore, the book provides ideas about how to overcome social, cultural, organisational, financial, bureaucratic or other hurdles. Not only classic project managers – engineers and economists -, but also lawyers or industrial engineers, who work in projects or are interested in project work, will be inspired by this book, how personal commitment and professional, organisational and social capabilities combine to form this unique profession.

This volume presents models, methods, and strategies that facilitate and promote learning within online environments.Arguing that success in online environments is dependent on the role of autonomy in order to create sustained and enduring learners, the introductory chapter presents current research and identifies ways through which autonomous learning is established within the learning environment. Contributors demonstrate how quality online programs are made up of a «blend» of technology, pedogogy, organization, strategy, and vision; explore the concept of online social presence as a significant factor in improving instructional effectiveness and contributing to a feeling of community among learners; and offer strategies for instructors facing the new challenges and opportunities of the online educational experience. Two chapters examine master's level online programming by exploring a model through which the design template for one such program was built and presenting the actual experiences students who completed master's degrees online. Editor Steven R. Aragon joins his colleagues to make the case that instructional designers need ways to support quality teaching and learning within online environments that take into account the variability in student learning styles, provide external motivation for the isolated students, and build community, collaboration, and communications among learners. Finally, contributors from the field analyze the impact that online technology is having on training and development initiatives of business and industry and demonstrate how current trends have cultivated an environment open to online learning. This is the 100th issue of the Jossey Bass series New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education.

A guide to completing Python projects for those ready to take their skills to the next level Python Projects is the ultimate resource for the Python programmer with basic skills who is ready to move beyond tutorials and start building projects. The preeminent guide to bridge the gap between learning and doing, this book walks readers through the «where» and «how» of real-world Python programming with practical, actionable instruction. With a focus on real-world functionality, Python Projects details the ways that Python can be used to complete daily tasks and bring efficiency to businesses and individuals alike. Python Projects is written specifically for those who know the Python syntax and lay of the land, but may still be intimidated by larger, more complex projects. The book provides a walk-through of the basic set-up for an application and the building and packaging for a library, and explains in detail the functionalities related to the projects. Topics include: *How to maximize the power of the standard library modules *Where to get third party libraries, and the best practices for utilization *Creating, packaging, and reusing libraries within and across projects *Building multi-layered functionality including networks, data, and user interfaces *Setting up development environments and using virtualenv, pip, and more Written by veteran Python trainers, the book is structured for easy navigation and logical progression that makes it ideal for individual, classroom, or corporate training. For Python developers looking to apply their skills to real-world challenges, Python Projects is a goldmine of information and expert insight.

In this book, Gilbert Paquette?an internationally recognized expert in the field of technology-based training?offers IT professionals, trainers, and consultants a revolutionary method for going beyond simple information management. Instructional Engineering in Networked Environments introduces the instructional engineering method that elicits knowledge from subject matter experts to make information more widely available for training other people and transfering knowledge through formal and informal training using a variety of media and information sources. Throughout the book, Paquette shows that instructional engineering is based on the use of transferable graphic models that demonstrate how this engineering works in an environment with human networks and diversified information sources. This important book also includes illustrative examples of “artifacts” ? the actual jobs aids that hold an organization’s knowledge ? and provides numerous easily reproducible tools.