Make sure you benefit from the explosion of new and exciting applications designed to let you create 3D animation for the web. See how you can use the power of 3ds max, Flash and Director to make your 3D fame or project a reality for the internet as well as learning generic skills allowing you to use many applications. Ideal if you are a web designer with little or no 3D experience and need an overview of how 3D could transform your work and how best to put it online, or if you are a 3D animator wanting to produce work for the web and need a guide to which applications to use. Insteadof being bogged down in code, this user-friendly, highly illustrated book teaches from a practical, technique-orientated stance, with only a minimal amount of code typing needed. Use pre-written code modules to create interactive are, animated characters and commercial websites. Then you can learn the techniques needed to make your own 3D games. Each chapter contains tutorials which you can do yourself, using the files on the free CD included with the book. Interviews with successful professionals show you what you can aspire to by sharing their tips and tricks as well as details on the pros and cons of each software package. For extra tips, information and help visit www 3dfortheweb.info

Table of Contents:
Introduction Chapter 1 - 3D for Beginners. Basic Buttons Why we all love buttons Introducing modeling in 3D How to make a simple 3D button Preparing your button for the web Get your button on the Web Making a turtle in 3D How to animate a turtle Making a turtle into an animated button Interview with Mach-Parat Chapter 2 - Representation and Interface Design Website issues Creating a product based 3D website Exercise: A realistic approach to 3D Exercise: The fun approach to 3D Creating the 'wow' factor - sexy graphics Making the a website in Flash Creating a multi-page website Designing 3D websites Finishing off a Flash website Interview with Who's We Studios Chapter 3 - An introduction to Real time 3D Working in 3D 3D engines Maintaining a frame rate Creating content for real time 3D Exporting to Shockwave Putting the knowledge into practice - Creating a sound toy Exercise: Making the sound toy Introduction to Macromedia Director The important parts of the Director interface Making our sound toy move Interview with Eduardo Carrillo Chapter 4 - Designing and Making Characters Animation - The chores and the charms Character design Modeling in 3D The eyes have it - How to make expressive eyes Creating a quirky character for Flash Creating the Hitme character Forward and Inverse Kinematics Applying the Skin Modifier Animating the Hitme character Making the animation interactive Interview with Neostream Chapter 5 - Making Characters for Shockwave Deciding how to model and animate Animating and exporting using linked hierarchies Making a single mesh character UVW mapping Material mapping the Keystone character The Unwrap UVW Map modifier Interview with Electric Puppet Chapter 6 - Animating for 3D interactivity A live-action movie Biped Using Physique to attach your mesh Animating the Biped for a Game The waiting game Walk cycles Exporting our Character Importing into Director Adding a Camera Interview with Titoonic Chapter 7 - Building Virtual Environments A real and virtual world Terrains Terrain building in a 3D application Terrain building in Director Trees Water Sky, clouds and backgrounds Creating a new world Interview with Ezone Chapter 8 - Creating a Shockwave 3D Game A generic approach Marketing and financing Planning Game design Physical point of view Avoiding objects (collision detection) Making a game world Assembling a game The future for 3D on the Web Free CD of tutorials and links.