WELCOME to the world of 3D animation with SOFTIMAGEIXSI 5! Covering everything from modeling to animating, rendering, compositing, and even grooming hair, this official guide is designed to make the complexities of the XSI features accessible to beginning animators. After initial discussion of the fundamental concepts of 3D applications, you'll quickly move on to more advanced topics that allow you to take advantage of each amazing feature of XSI 5. Full of tutorials designed to allow you to test each new skill, this book is your hands-on guide to the amazing possibilities of 3D animation with XSI 5.

What you'll find inside:

• Coverage of the XSI interface
• Step-by-step instructions for creating basic animation and keyframing
• Techniques that help you efficiently build sets and models
• Tips for creating realistic hair and fur
• Hands-on projects covering everything from simple polygon modeling to working with layers and images

• Introduction
• The XSI Interface and Concepts
• Basic Terminology & Modeling
• Organization, Hierarchy, and Groups
• Simple Polygon Modeling
• Basic Animation and Keyframing
• Materials, Lighting, and Rendering
• Path Animation
• Building Sets and Models
• Working with Layers
• Deformations and the Generic Attribute Painter
• The Animation Editor
• Working with Images
• Hair and Fur
• Appendix A: Getting Started with Rigid Body Dynamics
• Index